tag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:/blogs/piano-connections-with-barbara?p=3Piano Connections With Barbara2024-01-17T15:17:17-05:00Three Oranges Recordingsfalsetag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/73355142024-01-17T15:17:17-05:002024-01-17T15:25:19-05:00REMEMBERING ROSEMARY BROWN January 17, 2024<p><span class="text-big">It must have been back in the seventies when I first heard the name Rosemary Brown. What a fascinating tale she had to tell! The great dead composers were communing with Rosemary from “beyond” and using her as a conduit to share their late compositions with the contemporary world. However, Rosemary Brown was not a trained professional musician, but she was gifted with spiritual vision. Some people believed what she was doing; others remained skeptical. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">I wanted to know more about this amazing woman. As luck would have it, after one of my concerts a friend gifted me with her book, <i>Unfinished Symphonies</i>. I<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/47bcc8c10020e70a35827775736c0c3f7b06c066/original/unfinished-symphonies.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" />quickly read it and remember thinking how blessed she was to have these great artists in her life and to get to know them personally. As a performing artist, we strive to go deeper into the music so we will understand what the composer is trying to say. Rosemary could actually speak to them and hear their voices directly.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Shortly after reading her book, I was in London for concerts and made an appearance on BBC Television. I was interviewed about my work as the first artist in residence for Deere & Co, an American manufacturer of farm equipment. I spoke about going into the factories and playing for the workers and introducing them to the music of my composer “friends:” Liszt, Chopin, Beethoven, etc. As a result of that interview “Pebble Mill at One,” a daily program on the BBC invited me to do a weekly music spot and to speak of a different composer “friend” every week. It was great fun and quite popular with the public, and I received lots of lovely letters from people who watched the show. </span><br><br><span class="text-big">In one letter, I was asked if I had any interest in meeting Rosemary Brown. The lady who wrote to me was a friend of Rosemary’s then publisher Basil Ramsey. A meeting was arranged, and I was invited to have tea with Rosemary at her flat in Wimbledon.</span></p><p><span class="text-big">My first meeting with Rosemary was unforgettable. I still remember her first words to me. “My friend Liszt has told me all about you— how lovely to meet you!” How’s that for an icebreaker! Then during our visit, it seemed as if she were talking on the phone and listening quietly to something being said to her by the other party. “My friend Rachmaninoff wants me to give you a message. You’re one of his favorite pianists, but he wants you to know that in the second movement of his Third Piano Concerto (I had been touring with the Third Concerto that season), there is an inner voice that you need to bring out in measure 12.” I must confess that after this statement, I started to have my doubts about what she was saying. I knew that Rosemary was not a professionally trained pianist and certainly was not capable of performing this concerto, but she made it clear that she was only delivering a message. As soon as I returned home, I grabbed my score to check out what she had said and sure enough found that hidden voice that I had missed in the thicket of notes that Rachmaninoff had written.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/3051fda84f5d232413db86a596203e50feab2c31/original/rosemary.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_right border_" /></span></p><p><span class="text-big">Over the years, we corresponded, and we would try to visit whenever I returned to London. Rosemary often spoke to me about the strain of her work and the time and effort it took to put these compositions down on paper. We discussed the different personalities of these composers and their unique style of communicating and how they would go about dictating their works note by note to her. She shared with me the difficulties she had endured and the abuse she had suffered from the music establishment who questioned her veracity and expressed doubts about the work she was doing. We would discuss her recent compositions, and then she would send me home with some of her music. On a few occasions she was able to attend some of my performances, always escorted by her young friend Adrian. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big"><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">We never spoke about our personal lives outside of music. I knew that Rosemary was a widow with two children, and I do remember meeting her daughter at her flat on one occasion. In retrospect, I now realize that we were both widowed around the same age, and we both lost our husbands after the same number of years of being together— a fact that we did not know we shared at the time of our friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">I think of Rosemary so often, and I cherish her friendship. I am now better able to understand the spiritual work she was doing and the importance of uncovering the message that these great composers need to share. As a performing pianist, I am striving to go deeper, to go under the notes, and go beyond the pianism and technical bravura. The journey is about discovering the depth of the composers’ spirit so that I can connect their music directly to the souls of the listeners. Rosemary has inspired me to venture into the unknown without fear and to have the faith and the courage to trust my intuition so that I can hear the voices of the composers and share their stories.</span></p><p><span class="text-big">Thank you, Rosemary, for your guidance, your faith, and your boldness. You never lost sight of your mission in life. Always in our thoughts, your spirit continues to inspire.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/72851772023-10-09T19:17:50-04:002023-10-16T10:46:15-04:00THE FEAR OF BOLDNESS! October 9, 2023<p><span class="text-big"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">I was just practicing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto as I will be performing this work in a few weeks. The last time I played it was at least ten years ago. What a gift to rework one of Beethoven’s masterpieces—after all the notes return and the fingers know where they are going, a journey of discovery as well as self-evaluation can begin.</span></p><p><span class="text-big">The reworking process tells me exactly where I’ve been, how much I have changed, and how I have grown. It also points out my weaknesses and allows me to be aware of the things I never dared to do at the piano years ago when I was a young performer. Now I can acknowledge the lack of boldness that I experienced so long ago as I tried to get everything “right.” As a student we learn how to behave properly at the instrument and to pay attention to every detail—every marking on the page. But that knowledge and focus can indeed be limiting and may even impede the discovery process. By only concentrating on minutiae, it is harder to grasp the entire picture, thus limiting our freedom to travel to the deeper places of this composer’s psyche. However, perhaps that larger picture can only come from the experience of our youthful mistakes as well as the gift of hindsight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">When I think of Beethoven, I think of his boldness—his courage to be himself and to journey where nobody dared to go before him. As a performer of his music—music that is so boldly written—I need to be bold as well. Ideally, I need to walk on that stage and play without fear and any sense of reticence or caution. That requires confidence—not only in oneself but a commitment to the music and its interpretation. I want to get as close as I can to what Beethoven himself would have done with this Concerto if he were seated at the 9-foot Steinway. Actually, he was the pianist who premiered his Fourth Concerto and what a virtuoso performer he was—quite a giant at the keyboard— head and shoulders above his contemporaries!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/e036cf86707ec030539e3c60c5f1f971fd4bfd5e/original/beethoven-at-piano.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">Remember all those sketches of Beethoven working at a piano with broken strings, probably playing as loudly as possible so he could hear its vibrations once his deafness had set in. I do believe that he would have loved our modern-day Steinway. Performers who go back to the instruments from the era when he was performing, place limits not only on themselves but on the musical possibilities as well. Beethoven always went beyond his instrument. As he said to that violinist who told him that it was impossible to play a certain passage in one of his symphonies, “Do you think I am aware of you and your puny instrument when I am writing my music?” is quite apt. He always stretched the possibilities to go beyond the status quo and venture into completely new territory. He does that at the piano, going beyond the instrument to challenge the performer to make sense of what he himself hears, in spite of the piano’s limitations. Beethoven hears symphonically and asks us to do the same at the piano.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">It takes boldness and courage to play Beethoven’s music and capture his joy of freedom. Not to be shackled by fear should be the ideal of every performer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">And once fear is overcome, then the joy can be shared!</span><o:p></o:p></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/72843772023-10-07T15:30:26-04:002023-10-14T00:25:29-04:00BOLDNESS, COURAGE & TRUST October 7, 2023<p><span class="text-big">So often I am asked how I manage to do what I do. How do I have the courage to walk on that empty stage and sit down at the grand piano for a two-hour recital. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">Is it courage? is it boldness? Some might say it’s insanity, or is it an act of faith and trust? Pianists spend many hours practicing so we can stride out on the stage with confidence and the knowledge that we have something to say that can make people listen and make them feel. We want to take them on a journey to a magical place, miles away from the world in which they normally dwell. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">There is a need for all artists to share—to share why we love music so much. Without words, we can communicate a passion that has made such a difference in our life. As the English psychiatrist Donald Winnicott wrote, “it is the need of the artist to create symbols”— to better navigate the world in which we live. More than a need, it is a responsibility that the performer has to the composer as well as the listener—a sense of mission, a fulfillment of a god-given talent, a need to speak truth.</span></p><p><span class="text-big">Frankly, my life could not function without music and the piano. It provides meaning— structure. It defines who I am and has taken me on the magical journey of discovery. It allows me to look deeper inside my soul without fear, so that I can tap into what the composer is trying to say, hear his message, and communicate it more directly. In so doing, the performer allows music to touch souls while he himself travels into that higher realm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">I remember reading a wonderful quote by the late popular country-singer Hank Williams. His words seemed to understand the role of the performer.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/37200c45988a7a6f60f641eca46185337cea1719/original/hank-williams.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);"><i>“Everyone has a little darkness in them. They may not like it. They don't know about it, but it's there. And I'm talking about things like anger, misery, sorrow, shame. And they hear it. I show it to them. And they don't have to take it home.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p><span class="text-big" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">And perhaps that says it all- the performer can take you to all those dark places but </span><span class="text-big">you don’t have to stay there. As Williams said, “You just have to listen to me sing about it.” Much easier to deal with that way! You immerse yourself in the total experience but can leave anytime with your soul more intact. Pure transference! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">A remarkable fact about music is that no two people will listen in exactly the same way. Each will bring their memories, associations, their own set of baggage to the experience. But the important thing is to listen— to connect—to feel and experience the passion and the joy of the moment. And to use it to pry open the heart! Sounds like I am describing a good therapy session!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big">No words necessary and definitely much easier than singing a Hank Williams song! </span><br><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span class="text-big"> </span> <br><o:p></o:p></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/72757732023-09-19T15:59:27-04:002024-01-17T15:24:49-05:00LOOKING IN THE MIRROR! September 19, 2023<p><span class="text-big">I remember so many discussions with my late husband about artists and how they work. He was a poet, what I call a “primary” artist, the person who starts with the blank page and then begins his work; I am a performer, what I call a “secondary” artist. No blank page for me! I start with the musical score, preferably the “urtext,” the original edition that the composer left. (Extremely important especially when interpreting Beethoven as too many editors have made changes to what Beethoven so carefully indicated in his scores.)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">By observing how my late husband worked on a poem, I had a glimpse of what it means to be a “serious” artist. His meticulousness in placing a comma or hyphen or choosing the “right” word for the natural rhythmic flow was in evidence within every draft of his well-crafted poetry. At my first visit to his apartment, I saw papers posted along the wall. These were the drafts he lived with, and when walking by would make minute changes until he felt that he had finally gotten it “right.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Not all performers can be called “serious” artists even if the talent is exceptional and the facility—what is called technique—astounding. Of course, that is a prerequisite for getting on the stage. But the more important question that needs to be answered is this: do they dig deeply enough and go under the notes of the score to understand the composer and convey what he is trying to say? Are they able to rise above themselves and go beyond their own ego to communicate a spiritual message directly from the composer to the listener without getting in the way and interfering with the process?</span><br> </p><p><span class="text-big">Franz Liszt suffered throughout his career with accusations of circus antics and too much theatricality, but underneath all the trappings was a seriousness of purpose—a need to communicate and share with the masses what he believed was the good, and he did so with noble intentions.</span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/721310c6c37750177e06f797464f745e5abd77be/original/screen-shot-2023-09-19-at-4-06-57-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Piano competitions have usually emphasized the importance of speed and note-perfection above individuality in that quest for the first prize. Remember that famous quote of Bela Bartok? “Competitions are for horses.” These words were said by the great composer after a fellow competitor of inferior talent was named the winner over Bartok at an international competition for composers. Anyone who rises above the norm and demonstrates their uniqueness becomes suspect in most competitions. The natural talent usually has a harder time climbing the ranks than the well prepared diligent student whose blander personality will not offend the judges—nor will it truly excite! </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Often in our talks, my husband and I debated the question whether most artists are aware of the level of their own talent. He insisted that when an artist looks into the mirror at two in the morning and confronts his own soul, he truly knows his own level if he is honest with himself. I frequently disagreed as I am acquainted with so many successful performers who seem so self-satisfied with where they are professionally. However, after repeated listening, there is the realization that their playing always remains the same—it never changes because they haven’t grown—they haven’t had the courage to look inside and venture deeper into the music and confront their own souls.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">I’ll admit that the hardest thing to do is to look inside and evaluate the self. I recall an audition that I had many years ago when I was based in Amsterdam as a young artist and very active as a performer throughout the country. Holland at that time could boast 22 orchestras. Quite extraordinary for a country the size of our state of Kentucky and what wonderful opportunities for young artists to perform! My manager had arranged an audition with the Director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was a lovely man, a hero of the Resistance, and a composer himself and extremely knowledgeable— truly a wise man. I still remember what I played for him- Franck’s Prelude Chorale & Fugue and perhaps also a Beethoven sonata. I thought the audition went very well— I felt I had played my best. When I heard from my manager what he had told her after my audition, I didn’t quite understand at the time what his words had meant. He said that I was indeed a good pianist but not “committed” enough. Only now do I understand what he was talking about. I was not at the point in my life where I could go under the notes and commit myself to that serious journey of exploration. As a young and flashy performer with plenty of facility, it didn’t occur to me to play any differently than I did. I was not ready to search for my own growth. I was too involved with making my own concert career! Looking back, I can understand now why this man wisely made this observation.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">My late husband often spoke about the “artist’s responsibility to his own talent.” In other words, never take lightly the gifts that you have been divinely given. Try and search for meaning in everything you do and uncover the mission, the responsibility with which you have been entrusted. As a performer, that means an allegiance to the composer and his spirit, and an obligation to the public who has come to hear you, to play at the highest level.</span><br> </p><p><span class="text-big">Looking back at the journey I have taken with the piano makes me feel as if I am always at the beginning of a new adventure—starting all over again with that blank page that is yet to be written. Also the realization that yes indeed, I truly am a late bloomer! Performing and recording Prokofiev’s music proved to be the turning point for me as a serious musician. This Russian composer encouraged—even dared me to go deeper and go beyond the notes to try and clarify his complexity. And he presented me with a difficult challenge. As I lived with his music, I began to understand the nature of this man, so misunderstood in his own lifetime. I began to feel in tune with him and his music and much more in harmony with myself.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">However, as much as we strive, we never do arrive to our destination—there is always so much more to discover—many more layers to be uncovered on this exciting journey! And what is needed is the time to do so.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/72682372023-09-03T15:40:01-04:002023-09-08T17:56:04-04:00LOVE & LOSS & RACHMANINOFF! September 3, 2023<p><span class="text-big">Falling in love, I believe, is one of the miracles of human existence—a true blessing gifted to some on the adventurous journey called life. Stored in our memories are marvelous sensations and thrills of special moments—remembering an unforgettable meal once savored, a treasured conversation with dear friends, a tune that stays in our ears forever with joyful associations, a beautiful place that recalls happier times—or looking across a crowded room to lock eyes with the person destined to become the love of your life. Recollections become embedded with our personal history, but it is impossible to return to that exact place in time ever again. To have known love, no matter what its shape or form, even briefly, is to have experienced one of the miracles and divine blessings of life. However, just as night follows day, love will eventually be followed by loss. That is part of the cycle of life.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Spending many hours living with the piano music of Rachmaninoff, means entering his world of sadness and pain. Intimately acquainted with loss from an early age, Rachmaninoff witnessed the deaths of two sisters. Perhaps this accounts for his generous use of the “Dies Irae” theme throughout his compositions. Poverty was certainly not foreign to his existence. Due to the unpredictable behavior of his father, Rachmaninoff witnessed the dwindling of the aristocratic family fortune, sometimes being left as a young student with not enough money to buy his next meal. (Ironically, later in life, Rachmaninoff would become an extremely wealthy man and the highest-paid professional pianist in all the world!) Within Rachmaninoff’s deeply dark Russian soul, the pains of suffering and depression managed to coexist with ecstatic highs, always leaving the listener of his music some glimmer of hope for a better future.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/33247d3117553422b1e8f9c0c123137fb4d61854/original/24331295040-64c8f14a0e-z.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">This is a man who loved his homeland, and the sounds of the Russian landscape are heard throughout his music. Listen to the tolling of the Orthodox Church cathedral bells and the longing and yearning in those never-ending phrases that keep climbing towards their emotional climax. The real tragedy of Rachmaninoff was having to leave Russia and fleeing with his family during the 1918 Revolution. He loved “Ivanovka,” the beautiful rural estate where he composed his Preludes and his Etudes-Tableaux but was forced to leave everything behind to forge a new life. Rachmaninoff eventually settled in the States and made his living primarily as a concert performer. It is interesting that most of his compositions for solo piano were written while still living in Russia. That’s where his soul always remained, surrounded by melancholy and an unquenchable yearning for what was lost, never to be regained. To fully comprehend the man, his music, and the tragedy of his life, perhaps it is necessary to have loved deeply and to have experienced, as he did, the pain of losing something so very precious.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Rachmaninoff wrote about feelings and matters of the heart—his music probes the universals of the human condition and brings these emotions to the surface. Yet in the beginning of the twentieth century, critics often condemned what they called the “banal sentimentality” of his music. During that time, complexity was worshipped at the expense of muting what the heart was feeling. Rachmaninoff made feeble attempts to please current tastes, but his soul was unable to comply. Both the man and his music were out of favor—certainly not given the respect shown to him today. The same criticism was also leveled at the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff’s mentor. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">I remember the first time I fell in love with Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. I was 10 years old, in a music store in Philadelphia buying sheet music my piano teacher had assigned me to learn for the following week. The concerto was being played on the loudspeakers throughout the shop. Immediately I ran up to the clerk to ask her what I was hearing and then requested a copy of the music. Unfortunately, I was only sold the easy version of the main theme—not the original score. Even at that young age, I was determined to one day learn Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto. Years later, I was ecstatic when I received Van Cliburn’s Moscow performance of that glorious composition as a birthday gift. I listened to that recording so many times that I nearly wore it out. What an inspiration as well as an affirmation of what I wanted my life’s work to be. I had fallen in love with music and the piano! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/bbc0853818e34fde8cbfd0938fff7fc7a53e8cc4/original/th-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Certainly, for me, music has been the gift that keeps on giving! The deeper I venture to explore and the bolder I become, the more I can receive. To share the love of music, to connect the composer to the listener and to manage to pry open the heart into feeling the deepest of emotions, that is the true function of the performer. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Indeed, music is truly an offering of love—to be shared and cherished forever. </span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="/rachmaninoff-volume-i" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Rachmaninoff Volume I"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/97864d87137335067526171fef1c995905b1bcb2/original/love-loss-vol-1-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></span></a></p><p><span class="text-big"> </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/rachmaninoff-volume-ii" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Rachmaninoff Volume II"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/215a17f44ec06627bae6e9dd22bc6cdd14d1afd4/original/love-loss-2-jpeg.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/72553982023-08-10T19:15:14-04:002023-09-28T16:53:32-04:00THE NATURAL TALENT August 10, 2023<p><span class="text-big">I am a pianist and a performer. My ultimate goal when I am learning a new composition is to arrive at that point where it sounds “natural”—without pretense—as if it were flowing as naturally as speech. That only arrives after all the notes are learned, the structure has been fully analyzed, the memory secure, and there is a deep understanding of what the composer is trying to say. Once these hurdles are overcome— technical, intellectual, emotional—then the striving for mastery can begin—that process of letting the composition become yours, making it your own while always honoring the intentions of the composer.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">The phrase “letting it come to you” should be the mantra for all our work. The process of discovery cannot be pushed or accelerated, just as we cannot push the river to make the current flow slower or faster. It will follow its own course as nature dictates. And so it is with our work in music: as more and more layers are peeled away and secrets revealed, we are swept forward towards understanding the natural flow of the music— to listen and experience its inner voice and ultimately discover the voice of the composer.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">As a young piano student I remember how much I loved gobbling up new repertoire. There were so many works I couldn’t wait to learn and perform. Now looking back, perhaps I was only scratching the surface at the time. Yes, of course I mastered the notes and performed these pieces rather well, but perhaps I never truly went deep enough. Or maybe at that time of my life, I wasn’t ready to dive under the notes without fear. Now that I am older, I am granted the luxury of taking the time to dig deeper, no matter where it might lead. My goal is to try and embody the spiritual essence of the composer and share his soul with the listener. Obviously with a great piece of music, that work will never be finished. The more we dig, the more there will be to uncover. But what a joy to discover what hasn’t been seen before! And so we keep trying to get a bit closer every time.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">When I am invited to listen to a musical performance by a fellow artist, I want to be taken on a journey of discovery. It is not sufficient to just hear a mastery of all the technical difficulties. I want to be surprised as well as convinced by the performance. And most importantly, my soul is craving an emotional and spiritual connection to the music I am hearing. I want to be touched and feel the divine essence of the composer’s spirit. Only then does the magic happen—transporting us from our earthbound existence to soar towards the heavens!! </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Posted on my refrigerator door is the following quote: “Every man is born an original but sadly most die as copies.” If we apply that adage to piano playing, that means forging our own pathway with the instrument. For the professional pianist, it signifies no longer being the student but having the courage to step forward to become a master –in other words finding one’s own voice at the instrument.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">I am reminded of an experience I had while a student in high school. My first piano teacher realized that it was time for me to study with someone of greater musical experience. Residing in the city of Philadelphia, we went to the renowned music school for advice and guidance about the next step to be taken. The decision was made that I would start studying with this well known professor. Her students always won the auditions to solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra at one of their children’s concerts. I still remember that first lesson with this rather stern and imposing woman. I played the Bb minor Chopin Scherzo among other things and probably played it quite well for someone my age. Her first comment was that my technique was all wrong, and I would have to start all over again to relearn how to play the piano. A book of exercises by Pischna was assigned. There was no acknowledgement of any natural facility that I might have had at the keyboard. All this professor could see was that I did not approach the instrument “her” way, the way that she herself had been taught. Instinctively I knew that one should never tear down a solid foundation but should build upon it to make it stronger. I am still amazed that at my young age I had the wisdom to say to my mother that this teacher was not the right teacher for me, and the courage to walk away from her class, even if it meant giving up the chance to win one of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s young artists’ auditions. Eventually I found a teacher who would help build my technique by adding to its solid foundation at the instrument. And by the way, when I finally made my American professional debut with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 24, I realized that it was so much more meaningful and definitely well worth the wait!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">Sha<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/127403/40758b83f47bac0889fde4220715375657660d99/original/sergei-prokofiev-02.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_left border_" />ring this story recalled stories about my old friend Sergei Prokofiev, a man who always believed in his talent, no matter who was telling him otherwise. He managed to shake up the status-quo and forge his own direction without kowtowing to others. He always did it his way! This was a man who expressed himself directly and with honesty; being tactful was never part of his DNA. Of course, this led to frequent misunderstandings with many of his musician friends. Diplomacy was not a word in Prokofiev’s vocabulary. Check out these words written by a man who surely knew the level of his own talent. He's not being arrogant- he just knows his gifts!</span></p><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust:auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:auto;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:auto;word-spacing:0px;"><p style="text-align:justify;"><span class="text-big"><span lang="EN-US"><strong>“Human hearing, and maybe even the ear, evolves continuously, and the key to your misunderstanding is that by nature’s will I am thrown several divisions ahead on the scale of evolution compared to you”...</strong></span></span></p></div><p><span class="text-big">But he forged his own pathway and always possessed that natural voice, the voice that nobody could imitate. He was truly an original!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="text-big">And yes, we need more originals in this world— less copies—especially in the field of piano-playing!!</span></p><p> </p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/69207052022-03-12T16:34:19-05:002023-08-10T19:03:55-04:00INSPIRATION! March 12, 2022<p><span class="font_large">Recently I read several interviews with performers who talk about gaining their inspiration from audiences while performing a “live” concert. During these lockdown years when performances have been at a minimum, all of us missed that stimulus, and we certainly missed the energy and excitement that accompanies a “live” event. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Granted, there is a completely different kind of feeling when playing for a live audience than performing all alone in one’s living room or even in a recording studio. The energy and anticipation right before a concert can be palpable. Who doesn’t feel the excitement just before the artist walks out onto the empty stage and seats himself at the piano? Before launching into that opening passage, the audience is at attention, silent, receptive, listening and waiting to tune into the unique talents of the performer. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">But there is a contradiction at work here. (For argument’s sake, let’s confine our discussion just to classical artists.) </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Concentration and focus are of prime importance to great music-making. When I walk out onto the stage, of course I feel the excitement level of the audience, and I must admit that my adrenalin is also working overtime on concert evenings. But I try hard to not allow the public to distract from my concentration process or interfere with my focus. The reason is simple. As soon as I turn away from the music, even for a split of a second, and think about the people in the audience or anything else that might pop into my mind, my focus has been lost. The line that I am trying to sustain has been broken, and the journey that I am trying to share has been interrupted. Simply put and usually accompanied by a heavy dosage of nervous adrenalin, I have allowed myself to be distracted. So instead of opening the door and inviting the listener into my musical world, I detoured for that split of a second and went off course. I left “the zone.” </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">How does the artist get “into the zone” and still manage to maintain that connection with the audience and the composer? A delicate balance is necessary to share the magic of the music and open the portal to all. The performer is not building a wall between themselves and the audience, but leaving the door open so they can feel, understand and enter into the world of the composer. It takes boldness to open oneself up to the experience—boldness from the performer as well as the listener who becomes part of the event. Both are taking the risk to feel, explore and make something memorable happen, and it is being done completely without a safety net! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As a performer it is my responsibility to take you into the composer’s world and make his music come alive. The biggest problem for me to overcome is to not interfere with the direct line of communication. I call it “getting out of the way” so the magic can happen, and the music can travel directly to the hearts of those listening. The performance should not be about me. It’s about allowing the music to pass through me. I am only the conduit—the connection between the listener and the music. Ideally, I try to create the space where only the composer and his music can reside comfortably without outside earthly distractions. And then I invite you into that magical world where we can both experience the divine gifts of his creation. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">All of us strive for those rare and memorable moments when everything works—the performer, the piano, the acoustics—all are in tune—no cell phones accidentally going off— everything is in harmony. Here we can leave our earthly world behind and take a leap of faith to venture into a higher realm, always seeking to get closer to the divine spirit of the music so it can freely soar and touch deep into our souls. And it is the music that connects us and inspires us to keep striving to achieve the impossible! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">When Stravinsky was asked about the “ideal” performance of his works, he answered: <em>“the very moment that I myself have heard the work for the first time— that divine moment of creation.” <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/c8bc24ab11fe2cd60ccf839934053bd045998d6b/original/igor-stravinsky-loc-32392u.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></em></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">The performer is the middleman between the composer and his music and has the responsibility to come as close as humanly possible to try and convey that divine moment to the listener. That’s what it’s all about—that is the true inspiration! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Easier said than done! And that is why we keep practicing, keep performing, keep striving—chipping away to get a little closer every time. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">A life-time addiction!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/66184012021-04-30T16:05:00-04:002022-02-20T19:49:55-05:00JUST CALL ME A PIANIST! �April 30, 2021<p><span class="font_large">We live in a time when gender and identity are frequent topics of discussion. When it comes to piano playing, how important is the gender of the artist? We certainly don’t identify my male colleagues as male pianists. They are just pianists. Why the need to create a special category for women pianists? Personally, I would like to be perceived as just a pianist— a pianist who happens to be a woman –- just don’t call me a woman pianist! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">So often in interviews the question has been asked if as a woman, I have felt discriminated against by the music profession. Perhaps that is not the right question—wouldn’t it be more appropriate and beneficial to discuss the opportunities available for young artists to be heard and the proper environment for individual voices to develop. Each of us, regardless of gender, brings individuality to the art of music-making. Every artist contributes a unique blend of strength and sensitivity. However, the ultimate question that needs to be asked regardless of gender identity is if the level of talent is strong enough to communicate the message of the composer directly to the hearts of the listeners. The touching of souls— that is what artistry is all about! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I often remember after my concerts hearing comments like “you play like a man” and numerous compliments about my physical strength at the keyboard. These observations can be understood and also forgiven because most people don’t realize that it doesn’t take strength to make a big sound at the piano— just proper coordination of all the elements working together in harmony along with gravity and weight technique to enhance the sound—all delivered without force or tension. The bottom line is that you don’t have to be a 300-pound weightlifter to get a rich sound at the keyboard. Even a small child is capable of producing a big sound at the instrument. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I guess there is a certain preconception when one sees a female at the piano— the false assumption that she might be delicate enough to play Mozart or Haydn but she dare not tackle the big guys like Liszt or Prokofiev. And that just ain’t so! Another stereotype that needs to be refuted or perhaps a holdover from the time when all proper young ladies were able to sit down at the fortepiano and perform adequately in public. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As the saying goes, “we’ve come a long way baby!” And we are firmly on the pathway. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Now let’s make sure that all of us, regardless of gender, develop our own individuality and let our voices be heard distinctly over the roar of the crowd. And most importantly, always let the voice of the composer shine through! </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/65933592021-04-03T17:11:18-04:002021-04-11T15:05:06-04:00A YEAR HAS GONE BY AND WHAT A YEAR IT'S BEEN!! April 3, 2021<p><span class="font_large">Hard to believe that over a year ago most of us were going about our daily lives without giving much thought about the COVID virus or its ramifications. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I treasure the special memory of my last recital in New York City last March. It was held in St. Stephen’s Church, a beautiful sanctuary not far from Lincoln Center. As I was trying out the piano the day before and rehearsing Liszt’s B-minor Sonata, I remember thinking that the composer himself probably would have liked being in this lovely space—Liszt would frequently stop at churches along the way to his concerts and usually sit down at the organ and do some improvising. Coincidentally I opened my recital program the next day with his wonderful transcription of Bach’s Organ Prelude and Fugue in A minor. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Perhaps the memory that I cherish most from that March concert was the feeling that everyone in the audience truly wanted to be there—it’s as if we were already starved for the music that was needed to provide nourishment for our souls. In retrospect—sadly, this was the last live concert that most of us would be able to experience for a long while. The next day after my recital, New York City went dark and everything shut down. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And what have we been doing since then? Playing the piano of course! Since I was a child, the piano has been my constant companion and best friend. It has helped me survive and cope with difficult times. And living with Beethoven sonatas this past year has been such a joy and a challenge. He certainly doesn’t make it easy for the pianist, but the process of wrestling with these extraordinary works has nourished both my brain and my soul. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As a performer, I am always trying to get closer to the composer’s intention. I remember what Stravinsky said when asked what was the best interpretation of one of his compositions. And his answer was “when I heard it for the very first time in that moment of creation when it came to me— that represented the ideal.” And that is the constant quest of the performer—to get a little closer every time to the composer’s ideal—to that moment of divine creation. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">That is what I have tried to do with my latest recording—the last sonatas of Franz Schubert. I had learned these sonatas as a young university student but to revisit them now at this point in my life has been a revelation. There is so much pain and joy and beauty contained within these late works. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And remember what Schubert said about his music, “It is a combination of my genius and my misery.” </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And don’t forget the joy that he shares with all of us!! So very much needed these days!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/65132462021-01-04T11:24:11-05:002021-01-04T23:08:21-05:00HERE'S TO THE NEW YEAR! January 4, 2021<p><span class="font_large">So many of us were anxious for 2020 to come to an end, but there are always lessons to be learned from difficult times. The overcoming of obstacles is what musicians do practically every day with their daily practice. However, these struggles of the past year were unfamiliar to most of us and represented unique challenges. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I learned from these past months how important music and the piano are to my well-being. Playing the piano has kept me sane and focused during these trying times. Interesting that the composer I want to spend time with every day in my studio is Beethoven—not always the easiest guy to be around but my wrestling matches with him and his music are always stimulating and challenging. He always takes me away from where I am and we travel together to far away places. And Beethoven encourages me to go deeper into myself to try and understand his message. It’s a life-long relationship and a constant challenge. And what a blessing these days to be able to live with Beethoven and dwell within his music. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/038f33854c738e972df48a29fa2d240bce6abe6b/original/beethoven.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">I believe that I now can understand a little better how isolation affected him and his compositions. His deafness left him totally alone within his own sound world. No outside influences, no distractions, only the freedom to follow his own pathway wherever it would lead him. Working on his late sonatas, it is amazing the places where he dared to travel, always without a safety net. There is boldness and courage in his independence. And Beethoven is the poster child for overcoming difficulties. His deafness, usually considered a liability became an asset towards achieving greatness. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">My last public concert was on March 8th in New York City and similar to the fate of most musicians, all engagements since then have been cancelled. The need to perform again found another outlet in my studio. Speaking into my MAC, a new series was created called “Behind the Notes.” Each of these programs focuses on one composer and I share the work that I do at the piano while trying to get closer to the spirit and soul of these great ones. It has been fun putting together these 14 programs so far (with more to come) and to create an educational library for the young student and music lover to appreciate. When audiences see me perform on the stage, they hear a somewhat finished product, arrived at after much struggle but rarely does a performer talk about the process and what goes on during the many hours of preparation. And that is what I share within these programs. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">It has been a joy to put this series together and immerse myself into the world of these composers. It has made me go back and explore and rediscover pieces that I have not played in many years so the process has been a growing experience as well as a time of reevaluation. It has made me aware of my musical growth and the mission that I wish to accomplish in this life. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And more importantly it has been fun to share, as best I can, with an audience that at the moment is feeling a bit isolated from their community. There is no doubt that music is a nurturer of the soul and can help restore a well needed balance and equilibrium. I remember as a child the magical world that the piano opened to me— what a privilege and a blessing it is to reenter that secret place and take you with me on an exciting voyage. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Here is the opening program of our “Behind the Notes” series featuring everybody’s favorite Beethoven sonata, The Moonlight. Enjoy! </span></p>
<p><a contents="CLICK HERE:" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/zZO2kMYjm7k" target="_blank">CLICK HERE:</a></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/64223512020-09-01T17:41:29-04:002022-02-20T20:01:42-05:00BOLDNESS & COURAGE! September 1, 2020<p><span class="font_large">Recently I participated in an online webinar for pianists—we were discussing the why’s and why nots of memorization, an essential tool for public performance. After that dialogue came the realization that it takes a great amount of boldness and courage plus a huge leap of faith and trust to walk out on the stage and sit down at the piano, exposed—warts and all— for all the world to see. We trust that our memory will work and not fail us and that our fingers will remember how and where to move around the piano. Most importantly, we pray for our hearts and souls to be engaged so we can try and create a magical experience for everyone including ourselves. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And why would anyone want to subject themselves to this trying experience? <br>Because the artist feels that he has something to say—something to communicate that might touch the souls of those who listen— a personal point of view to share through the music. The English psychiatrist Winnicott analyzed this as the “need of the artist to make symbols.” The poet uses words; the musician relies on sound. Somehow this process allows the craziness of the current world to seem more bearable and to give the artist a sense of mission and fulfillment. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">So many of us sit in our music studios and we practice. We follow our nose and keep trying to chip away to get a little closer to the composer’s spirit and to what his music demands. But performing on the concert stage can be a very different experience than just playing in our living room. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Yet most audiences never realize the anxiety that can accompany a public performance. The body doesn’t seem to function normally the day of a concert. Add the problems of travelling and sleeping or not sleeping the night before. And then there is the nervousness that accompanies the backstage waiting. They call it “fight or flight”—the body’s innate response to danger. Most performers know that feeling. I remember wanting to crawl out a window and disappear before one concert began, but there was no window there for my escape. And then by some miracle once I walked out on stage and sat down at the piano, I calmed to the fact that I was going to make music that evening for everyone to hear. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Adrenalin affects each of us so differently. Performers learn to cope with it and try and make it their friend. Adrenalin can certainly help to make any performance much more exciting with faster than normal tempos, usually the result of a more rapid heartbeat. However, adrenalin must be controlled or else it will take over and be in control. Frequently the performer is forced to learn on stage (publicly and sometimes painfully) how to cope with this friend or foe. Even great artists are not immune to its problems or the disasters it can cause. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I always think of performing as having the courage to go out and do a high-wire act without a safety net. And sometimes the magic does happen and the music soars to the heavens— those are the rare concerts that play by themselves—or so it seems. However, there is always that delicate balance between control and freedom that must be found. Too much control and the performance can remain earthbound— cautious, a little boring and much too predictable. Too much freedom and we can risk a train wreck. But somewhere in between exists that perfect balance where everything functions in divine harmony. And that is when the magic can happen!! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Perhaps that is the addiction—why we need to keep getting back up on that horse to try again—striving not for perfection but for the harmony of all the elements coming together—always in search of that special place where the performer is at one with the music and the composer. And that is when all of us can come close to experiencing that divine moment of creation. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">It’s a life-long challenge yet a blessing as well—a true passion that helps us survive even the craziness of today’s world.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/63899122020-07-22T14:28:52-04:002020-07-23T23:16:36-04:00HOW DO YOU MEMORIZE!! July 22, 2020<p><span class="font_large">I can’t tell you how many times people have come up to me after a concert and said, “And you don’t use music!!” They are amazed that solo musicians actually memorize the works they are performing. Given the choice of performing a work with or without music, I would always choose to perform without using the score (or using an I-pad.) Personally, it would be a distraction to have to put on my glasses to read the music; that is what I do only when I am beginning to learn a new composition. And more importantly it would make me feel inhibited at the piano, not as free to focus completely on the music. I strongly believe that any performer who chooses to get on the stage and share with an audience has the responsibility to know the work inside and out, to understand how the composer put it together and be committed to a personal conception of the work. Without that, how could the pianist convince the listener that it is worth his time to listen! To master the notes is not enough; that is only the starting point. So to answer these folks, I always say, memorization is just one of the many elements that goes into preparing a piece for concert performance. There are so many more obstacles to overcome before one is ready to walk out on stage and perform. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">But let’s get back to the problem of memorization. How does one memorize? Recently a friend of mine who just went back to study the piano in her retirement years told me that she just could not memorize. I do not agree with her; I believe that the problem she encountered was that she was trying to memorize too soon— before she truly was acquainted with the music. She had not mastered its technical problems, had not analyzed how the piece was put together and was trying to memorize measure by measure using a rote technique—that never works. It’s also a tedious and boring way of practicing! What that method brings with it is fear— the fear of forgetting and the fear of failure when the time comes to perform. Memorization should only take place when the piece is ready to be memorized—when all of its problems have been mastered. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I believe that the most important element for memorization and performance is focus and concentration. One cannot perform at the highest level if you are thinking about what you are going to cook for dinner that evening. The focus must be on the music and where you are at that precise moment in the musical journey. The bigger picture must be analyzed and grasped—the total structure. We’ve all heard the saying: “Seeing the forest for the trees.” In performance that applies; it doesn’t work the other way around. Seeing only the trees translates to hearing only the details and not understanding how these details contribute to shaping the entire composition. The artist needs to comprehend how the composer conceived the work and try to get closer to his spirit and character at that very moment of creation. The true artist keeps striving to capture that magical moment of conception. And our work is never finished!! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Focus and concentration are essential tools of the trade. Some people do breathing exercises; others do yoga or meditation to help them to focus and rid themselves of all the extra chatter. I know some artists who sit and do crossword puzzles before a concert to cope with their nervous energy. Whatever works to calm oneself down and helps with the adrenalin buildup that accompanies any performance is a valid tool. And we do need that flow of adrenalin; we need that extra element of excitement—being in the moment. Getting on the stage takes boldness and courage—it is a special event. Without that extra burst of energy, most of us would play like automatons. So, we need to make adrenalin our friend and not our foe. We must learn how to deal with adrenalin and also understand how it can make our bodies react to the stress. Accept the fact that most people do get nervous before they are walking out on stage to “do their thing.” That is a healthy reaction. Use the techniques I have mentioned to remain as calm as possible and to get “in the zone” where you will not be distracted by anything extraneous. Build that invisible wall of protection between yourself and the audience. Residing within this sacred space, there is only you and the music. And frankly the focus should not be on you but on the composer and his masterpiece that you have the privilege of performing. And what a privilege and opportunity has been given to you to share! And quite a responsibility as well! That is the attitude necessary to make the magic of music happen and to touch the hearts of listeners. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">However, before this point is reached, we need to do our homework—technically and musically. If we don’t master every technical problem these difficulties will definitely return to haunt us during the performance and most likely affect our memory as well. You can count on that!! Also we need to analyze the composition—know its form and the structure and understand its key relationships. We need to discover secure structural marking points, places that can be relied upon should an unexpected “detour” occur. Let me give you an example. You are playing a concert; you are definitely in the zone; everything is going so well, and suddenly, someone’s cell phone goes off— it’s the most beautiful moment in the adagio and you as well as the audience are jolted out of that special place and you are dangerously close to losing your concentration and memory. What do you do? You can’t stop the performance—you must go on. It is at moments like this that you need to have in your mind exactly where you are in the total structure, a marking point that you can jump to just in case it is needed. Accept the fact that none of us are perfect; we are human and we are not machines. Nor do we want to play the piano like machines! The goal of performance should not be about perfection. It is about sharing the glory of this wonderful music with others—raising the bar so that music can inspire and nurture the souls of those who listen. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And after all the work has been done and you feel ready to go out there and share this music with the public, then you must practice performing. If you don’t prepare yourself in performance mode, you might be surprised how differently you will feel that first time you walk out on stage when adrenalin kicks in. Trust me, it’s a very different feeling than just playing for yourself in your living room. The issues of control and freedom also need to be addressed. How much freedom can you exercise without losing control and how much control do you need without losing your freedom of expression. Being too cautious can be boring but going the other way can turn into a disaster! And the answer to these questions comes with the experience of getting out there every time and doing it—always with focus and concentration. And trust me, no performance is ever the same. These techniques of concentration and focus must be practiced and learned so they become second nature; they need to become part of your DNA. Actually you should not practice the piano without having the necessary focus and concentration to do so. Lots of time will be saved that way!! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Playing the piano is a life-long challenge and a wonderful addiction— the need to make glorious music and to share it. Rachmaninoff was right: <em>Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music. </em>And so we keep trying and we keep chipping away at it! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/33247d3117553422b1e8f9c0c123137fb4d61854/original/24331295040-64c8f14a0e-z.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">It provides a bit of sanity in our crazy world!! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"> </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/62884042020-04-20T18:44:38-04:002023-09-08T17:51:26-04:00YES INDEED, THE PIANO DOES MATTER!! April 20, 2020<p><span class="text-big">Ever since I was a child, all I ever wanted to do was play the piano. I believe that my awareness of the instrument began the first time I heard my older sister trying to master Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# minor. I must have been four or five years old, and that is the moment I started to beg my mother for piano lessons. In our neighborhood, there was one piano teacher who serviced the entire block of row houses, going from door to door teaching every child how to play the piano. Looking back, I can understand how he did it— he used the “one size fits all” approach, and his rote method proved successful. I think he could have taught a monkey how to play with his technique of “repeat after me: first line E, second line G, etc.” Except that method didn’t work for me. I never could remember what he was asking me to repeat, and guess I just didn’t understand. After several unsuccessful attempts to teach me, he concluded that I was a lost cause and generously suggested to my mother to stop wasting her money as her little girl was never going to be able to play the piano. However, my mother was not someone to give up that easily, and she insisted that we continue. In retrospect, I am a wonderful example of a late-bloomer. The light bulb did not go on until several years later, and then I just started to read music on my own. So the adage that a child learns when they are ready to learn is appropriate here, and I am living proof of that. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Thank goodness for the piano. Growing up it became my secret best friend. I could tell it anything; it knew when I was happy or upset, and playing the piano always made me feel better. It represented a safe and magical space where nobody else could enter. It blocked out the world around me and transported me to a very special and sacred place filled with beautiful melodies. And it still does! </span></p><p><span class="text-big">The piano has helped me to weather many storms encountered during difficult periods of my life. And now, when all of us are hibernating in forced isolation, my constant friend is my Steinway. What I find so interesting is the music I have chosen for my seclusion. I have no desire to be with anyone else but Beethoven these days. He is the composer who speaks to me at this moment in time. Perhaps now I can better understand his sense of isolation— the silence and lack of social contact. Reworking one of his late sonatas, Op. 101, I realize that this blocking out of the world enabled him to be the revolutionary that he was— to go his own way without distractions. Nobody influenced Beethoven or stopped him from soaring to the heights he achieved. And he left his mark on every composer who followed him. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">I am amazed by his strength of character, his vision and his humanity. As deep as his soul seemed to be, he could still speak to every man with directness and relevance. Exploring his piano sonatas, I am stunned by the modernity of his writing— so ahead of his time— the voice of the future. </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/beethoven-the-virtuoso" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Beethoven: The Virtuoso"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/f083b18784544037d1e4d54de539ebf482421829/original/beethoventhevirtuoso.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></span></a></p><p><span>I am pleased to share with all of you, our latest CD that has just been released. I have gone back to the early sonatas that I learned many years ago. What a joy to revisit old friends and see things much more clearly than I did in my youth. I am amazed by the virtuosity of the master and the minimalism of expression.</span></p><p><span>There is no filler in these works—just direct communication from his heart straight to ours. What a blessing for all of us!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/60604332020-01-04T17:29:01-05:002023-09-08T17:52:08-04:00A NEW CHAPTER! January 4, 2020<p><span class="text-big">A new year- a new decade- new beginnings- a fresh new calendar proclaiming that we are going forward into the future presents us with new and exciting possibilities. The blank page beckons and awaits our decisions as to where we want to travel on this journey! Where will our time be spent and what will become most important as we proceed on life’s pathway. Having just celebrated a landmark birthday, I am even more aware of the value of time. Fortunately now I can focus on the things I wish to leave behind for future generations. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">On that note, I am delighted to share with you that the Three Oranges Foundation is now firmly established and up and running. (</span><a class="no-pjax" href="http://threeorangesfoundation.org" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="http://threeorangesfoundation.org"><span class="text-big">http://threeorangesfoundation.org</span></a><span class="text-big">) I am excited by the possibilities and how many souls can be touched with the sharing of our educational projects. Our mission is to make music accessible to many— to bring it into the community, into the schools—to make it a vital part of everyday life, and to make a difference. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">It is my firm belief that anyone can respond to classical music—the factory worker as well as the university professor. Prior education is not required. The only prerequisite is the ability to listen and allow ourselves the freedom to feel and go where the music takes us. How fortunate musicians are! No translation required—no words are needed to express emotions and transport the performer and listener to a magical place. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Perhaps that’s why I adore the romanticism of the 19th century. There is a freedom within the music to go wherever the heart wants to travel—and what a wide range of emotions to experience along the way. When I think of Rachmaninoff and his music, I hear his divine gift to take us to the darkest places. But he never just leaves us there to wallow in the grief; he always manages to bring us back into the light—back into the sunshine—more enriched than before by the journey. </span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="/rachmaninoff-prokofiev-ramey" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev & Ramey"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/0865d942ac5a21934ffb2e0e6096f183c3df827e/original/bnissmanrachprokramcdbabycover.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></span></a><span class="text-big">Our latest CD on the Three Oranges label (http://threeorangesrecordings.com) </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/rachmaninoff-prokofiev-ramey" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev & Ramey" contents="Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev &amp; Ramey "><span class="text-big">Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev & Ramey </span></a><span class="text-big">includes a recording of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata- the earlier uncut version as well as his Six Moments Musicaux. These works present a technical challenge for the pianist especially for a pianist like me with a small hand and limited stretch—just imagine Rachmaninoff’s huge hands that could expand to cover nearly a 15th on the keyboard-- I can barely manage a ninth! In addition to the technical challenges, these works present us with an emotional and spiritual hurdle. We need to trust in what Rachmaninoff is saying and open our soul to go with him to these darker places of the heart. And after all its technical challenges are conquered and its many notes mastered, only then do we have the freedom to experience the music’s many emotional and spiritual layers. And the good news is that every time we explore these works, there is so much more to be discovered. Each performance becomes a different moment in time. As we grow emotionally and spiritually, we uncover yet another layer. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Quite enough to fill up the hours on that new calendar in the life of a pianist.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/56870992019-03-20T15:54:27-04:002019-03-21T19:13:04-04:00RAISING THE BAR March 20, 2019<p><span class="font_large">That’s what artists are supposed to do— with every performance, with every new challenge they try to raise the bar. Perhaps that is why true artists are never completely satisfied with their work—it could always be better! And they keep striving and working for the next time so they can get a little closer to the ideal. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Who sets the standard? It is the artists themselves who set their own standard of excellence. The written words of a critic should not be necessary to tell the performing artist whether he has played well or not. Critics offer their educated opinion, but the real artist knows deep down in their gut if they are in “the zone” or off center. He is the one who has to answer to a higher master to judge whether he managed to come a little closer to the composer’s intentions. Ultimately, the artist competes with himself and wrestles with the level of his own talent with every performance and every recording. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">What is important to remember is that there is more than one pathway to interpreting a piece of music. I am not talking about the quest for perfection here; note-perfect, correct performances can be saved for competitions. We are seeking a personal relationship with the music. Isn’t that why we keep going to concerts to hear the same repertoire performed many times by different pianists and listen to recordings of great artists from the past— all were individuals who brought a unique character to their interpretations. What we are searching for is the magic and the power inherent within the music. Our responsibility as performers is to bring out that sensibility so the music can soar and directly reach deep inside the souls of listeners. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">The older I get, the more I am amazed by this exciting process: digging under the notes to go as deeply as possible into the music, keeping our focus and getting rid of all outside interference, and allowing the music to come to you. Ultimately, we are raising the bar every time. It comes down to the unwritten agreement that the artist makes with the composer—the pact to get as close as possible to what their conception might have been at that very moment of creation. That’s the ideal, and it is the responsibility of the performer to try and communicate this to the listener. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">What a joy to watch something grow and take shape and flower! I have been preparing works for a series of recitals and recordings that I studied as a young student, but never truly performed in concert. The process has been a revelation. It gives me a good idea of where I had been so many years ago and how much I knew and didn’t know. I am not talking only about technical mastery here—I am talking more about the search for musical meaning. That process of extracting what is meaningful and then making it your own— owning it in order to convincingly convey its meaning to others. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And that is the real addiction. The artist is never satisfied so he keeps going, keeps working with an unreachable goal in mind. What a joy and a blessing to have this purpose and mission in life and also to embrace the responsibility that comes with it! </span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/8acc4dfb526745b4961c7ff94cadbbbe63fd56a4/original/19-sergei-rachmaninov.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><span class="font_large">My favorite quote from one of my favorite composers says it all. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large"><em>“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.</em>” <br>Wise words from Sergei Rachmaninoff. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And so we go forward!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/53302622018-07-03T20:10:31-04:002018-07-03T20:10:31-04:00“THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS” OR IS IT?? July 2, 2018<p><span class="font_large">At the reception after a recent concert, I was asked a very interesting and thought–provoking question. <em>“What are you thinking about when you are performing music?“ </em>I had just been playing music by Rachmaninoff and Liszt. <em>“Is there a specific story that you are trying to tell?” </em></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As I attempted to answer, I realized that it never is about a story line; that would be far too specific and rather limiting in scope. It’s much more abstract than a concrete plot. Unconsciously we’re communicating emotion- feelings emerging from the sounds created. An English psychiatrist brilliantly explained the process as <em>“the need to make symbols.”</em> For the poet, it’s with words; for the musician, it’s with notes and how these come together. For me, it is the most direct language with which to communicate and to touch souls. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As I tried to explain what goes through my head as I am performing, I realized that most of the preparation work has been done beforehand. The analysis, the understanding of the form and structure, mastering the technical problems, shaping the work, coloring and pacing the climaxes— an awareness of how all the musical elements then combine to form a whole— something so complete that it feels inevitable as it unfolds. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">The performer tries to enter into the spiritual world of the composer to understand his intentions when the music was initially conceived. How is the work put together- how did the composer use all the elements available and how do they relate to each other? Ultimately, the performer tries to discover the composer’s secret: the magic that makes it a masterpiece. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I remember a conversation that I once had with a piano professor who taught at the University where I had been a student. We were discussing how to learn a new piece of music. He proclaimed to me that he would always start with the details and then eventually the piece would come together. For me, it is just the opposite. I believe that you must start with the big picture: tackle the form, see how all the pieces fit, and then once you have the shape of the work, the details will eventually follow. The mold must solidly be in place before uncovering the surprises revealed within. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/bb51fa4d57b438590f964c9f8d62460494d3ad53/original/rachmaninov-plays.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">For me, playing the music of Rachmaninoff involves another problem— the issue of control and freedom— how to create that perfect balance between the two. Rachmaninoff pulls us into his deep Russian soul and the performer must enter his world to experience and convey the emotions that he must have been feeling when he wrote this music. Yet how far can we go inside his darkness without losing ourselves completely? The performer must walk an emotional tightrope. How easy to get swept away—never finding the pathway out of the darkness into the light! How much freedom can we have without losing complete control; how much control is necessary without sacrificing freedom of expression? That is the constant struggle in the quest for harmony and balance. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">So to return to that initial question: if we were only telling one specific story, how much easier that would be than boldly venturing out into the unknown with every performance. However, it would not be as rich or as fulfilling an experience— emotionally, musically or spiritually for either the performer or the listener! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">And so we keep trying to get a little closer every time!! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">As Rachmaninoff so often said: <em>“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.”</em></span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/51221142018-03-10T23:02:52-05:002018-03-12T13:46:21-04:00MUSIC FOR EVERYMAN! March 10, 2018<p><span class="font_large">There is so much talk these days about the death of classical music. People lament waning and aging audiences, and question the relevance of hearing serious music played well. Presenters always look at the economic equation- the bottom line and ask: can we sell it to our public? The question that should be asked is: how can we make this music relevant to people’s lives and build an audience for music that should be heard and experienced first-hand—music that nurtures the human soul. Within the complex world in which we find ourselves, music helps the human condition, and its message goes directly to the hearts of the listeners. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">It is a great pleasure to report that last Sunday, March 4, 2018 a recital of “Old & New Favorites” was presented to a packed house and a cheering audience at our little Carnegie Hall in my hometown of Lewisburg, West Virginia. Granted, the first half consisted of lots of “old chestnuts”- popular tunes that we all love to hear. However, the music was not watered down, and in the second part of the concert a “new favorite” was introduced— the uncut version of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata— a work not frequently performed. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I believe that the secret of this successful concert was in sharing my passion for these compositions with the people who were there—chatting with them and helping them to feel comfortable responding to the beauties of music that I love. The music was made accessible and relevant by humanizing the composers, and providing the keys to open the door to understanding. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Anyone with a set of ears and an open heart can respond to classical music. I experienced this early in my career when I was asked to be the first Artist-in Residence for the farm equipment company, John Deere. Hired for eight weeks spread out over the year, I was asked to develop a lunchtime series for the workers. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/ab45697dbd81b2701565546d84b416e25db91544/medium/deere-factory-concert-copy-2.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" />The Steinway was wheeled into the lunchroom; the machines were turned off, and for 40 minutes, the men, while eating their brown bag lunches, listened to me talk about my good “friends”, Liszt, Chopin, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff. As I walked in to my very first concert, one of the guys yelled out to me-“ Hey Blondie, how about a little Clair-de-Loonie!!” Luckily I had that in my fingers that day. The ice was broken and I played and chatted and shared with them the music that I was so passionate about. Then I invited all of them to come to my evening concert—that was also part of my deal with John Deere— to develop a lecture series for the general public— and I was lecturing that evening on the Liszt Sonata. And the good news is that so many of these men dressed up to come to my lecture with their families that evening; afterwards, they started asking me questions about my composer “friends.” So the experiment worked and we built up to a “standing- room only” audience for this lecture series! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">I have experienced the joy of sharing classical music with new listeners, and am excited to report that we have established the Three Oranges Foundation to continue our educational work through concerts, lectures, recordings, master-classes, symphonic appearances, and a new educational DVD series. Our purpose is to take classical music to the people and to make a difference in people’s lives— touching souls— giving them a sense of hope—inspiring them to reach for the impossible! And that is what it is all about. So thankful for this unique opportunity!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/49438572017-11-22T01:03:17-05:002023-09-08T17:55:01-04:00THE ELUSIVE SOUL OF CHOPIN November 22, 2017<p><span class="text-big">Chopin was such a complex man—an elusive personality with so many layers veiling his deep dark soul. Few knew the real man because he never revealed himself— never completely. Of course he could be charming, elegant, a man of fine taste and sophistication, extremely comfortable in Parisian society. Yet essentially Chopin remained a man in conflict within himself, and we hear this in his music. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">We have just released two new recordings of Chopin’s music that show such different sides to his complex personality. Chopin! – </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/chopin-7b8939b8-c6e9-4e17-bfed-52bc376f1c1c" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="CHOPIN!"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/2d42cb77bc8d8087f758a01cd08de655f5d48c50/small/chopin-barbaranissmancdbabyart.jpg" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></span></a><span>with the B minor Sonata, the Berceuse and the 4 Scherzi reveals the man who would have liked to have been a virtuoso but never had the strength or the personal inclination to follow the Lisztian pathway. The other recording is much more intimate—much more exposed—much more autobiographical. In the complete Nocturnes, Chopin comes closest to writing his autobiography. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">The Nocturnes are personal, honest, full of pain and melancholy; they are dramatic and </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/chopin-the-nocturnes" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Chopin: The Nocturnes"><span class="text-big"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/c2c7019a4673a2369fcd481451be450e27b5d884/small/chopinnocturnesbarbaranissmancdbabyart.jpg" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></span></a><span class="text-big">passionate and also overflowing with nostalgia for the family and the home-land that he would never see again. With each nocturne, Chopin embarks on another spiritual journey. He bares his soul and allows us to listen to his heart. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">I’ve played these pieces for most of my performing life. With these recordings, I felt encouraged by the spirit of the composer to take a closer look at the man himself. There has always existed a stereotype of the weak, frail and sickly composer, and somehow this has informed the way so many pianists approach his music— especially his Nocturnes. It is time to shatter this false image of the man. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">Just because Chopin didn’t possess the strength or virtuosity of his good friend Liszt, does not imply that he did not understand virtuosity at the keyboard. And the four Scherzi are bold declamations of bravura mixed with tenderness and compassion. The B minor Sonata is Chopin working within a larger framework than usual and coming to grips with the structural problems of sonata form— it is Chopin venturing out of his comfort zone and doing it “his own way.” He makes us aware of the problems of holding this large structure together. Yet at the same time, his emotional range is extraordinary. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/d77b657bbf98b1a65af38bfe465131dab6e96bba/small/chopin.jpg" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></span></p><p><span class="text-big">Perhaps this accounts for the real difficulty of interpreting his music. Chopin keeps surprising us with his emotional mood swings. He is definitely not a weakling— he possessed boldness and power. And he is definitely not only a virtuoso— his natural poetry and depth of humanity always shine through. </span></p><p><span class="text-big">With his genius, Chopin manages to hit a nerve by pinpointing the emotions of everyman— the ups and downs, the highs and the lows that we all experience. We are blessed to be able to accompany him on his turbulent voyage.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/45359562017-01-03T20:26:19-05:002023-09-08T17:56:04-04:00THE POWER OF MUSIC! January, 2017<p><span class="text-big">As we begin a new year, I realize how grateful I am for so many things that are in my life. I’m not speaking of material things but thinking about the joy of love, friendship and the power of music— that is what defines my life. And the sharing of it— now that is a privilege that we musicians are given— the joy of making music! </span></p><p><span class="text-big">And then our added bonus as performers is being able to experience the magic and see it grab hold of our audience. Sometimes we experience the joy on their faces, hear it in their words and occasionally witness their tears. Essentially, our mission is not only to bring the composer to life but to ideally share the creation of music at the very moment of its conception. That was Stravinsky’s definition of the perfect performance—“<i>the moment that it was conceived</i>!” </span><br><span class="text-big"> </span><br><span class="text-big">Our job as performing musicians is to share the music’s magic!! And that experience just might make a profound difference on someone who might be listening. We are meant to touch souls!! I always define this when it happens as “<i>divine intervention</i>”— “<i>getting help from above</i>.” Why do some performances just take hold and soar and others remain good, competent, well-played but totally earthbound. Perhaps, it is the “divine” component that creates the difference between just a good concert and an unforgettable, life-changing experience. </span><br><span class="text-big"> </span><br><span class="text-big">That was the effect Franz Liszt had on his audiences. He was able to transport them to another world. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/d4536b229f699957c10db4626c1ccbe4214bc8ba/small/liszt4.jpg?1409629868" class="size_s justify_right border_" />I love the quote from one of Liszt’s contemporaries who had heard Liszt and also another virtuoso of his time, the pianist, composer and teacher Henselt, and he summed up the experience very well: “<i>If you have heard Henselt once, you have heard him at all times, but Liszt you have never heard because he is always different.</i>” Now I do believe that Liszt, being the devout Catholic that he was would have acknowledged “help from above” as the reason that his performances were able to touch the hearts of his listeners so deeply. And they could not get enough of the magic— it truly fed their souls and they always returned for more! </span><br><br><span class="text-big">Some artists can do that— others cannot. It is not a matter of technique or virtuosity— perhaps it just boils down to a different mindset about serving the music. The purpose is not to show off the speed of your octaves— as Liszt said <i>“who cares how fast or loud you can play your octaves!!”</i>— but to dig deeply under the notes for the musical and spiritual message — to get yourself out of the way so that the composer’s intentions can come through directly to reach and touch the audience. </span><br><span class="text-big"> </span><br><span class="text-big">This past summer, my home state of West Virginia experienced horrible flooding— it was nicknamed the “thousand year flood” because nobody could remember when the State had been so hard-hit. The next town experienced terrible devastation— loss of life and loss of property. Where I live, we endured the heavy rains but were more fortunate— at least the Steinways in my studio were not floating down the river the way some people’s possessions were. Our electricity was out but we could cope with that for a couple of weeks — many of the roads were washed away so we were mainly confined to our homes.</span> <span class="text-big">A terrible depression set in and most of us felt it. There was nothing to do but deal with it. I gravitated to my studio thankful that I could still sit down for a few hours at the piano and make some music.</span> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/9c9b1b9477d300e3835a05d3d6a25b07590bf90c/small/rachmaninoff-3.jpg?1473219262" class="size_s justify_right border_" /><span class="text-big"><span>What surprised me was the composer that I most wanted to hear. I just wanted to play those beautiful heart-wrenching melodies of Rachmaninoff. My soul was hurting and I wanted to go to those dark places with him. The interesting thing about Rachmaninoff is that he does take you on a journey deep inside his soul but always manages to bring you back out into the sunshine, leaving you with hope in your heart. </span> </span><br><br><span class="text-big">And that is the power of music— taking us from the earthbound world in which we live to a higher, almost magical place where we can briefly touch the essence of existence. Music provides a spiritual journey to the soul and the deeper we travel— the clearer becomes our vision of the world—a place where we do not feel completely alone or isolated with our pain. It is a place of divine order where our lives do make sense for that brief period of time. </span><br><span class="text-big"> </span><br><span class="text-big">How blessed we are!!!!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/43600732016-09-06T23:55:31-04:002018-07-18T11:32:30-04:00LIVING WITH FRANZ LISZT September 6, 2016<p><span class="font_regular"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">Perhaps we did know each other in a former life. How I would love to think so!! Or perhaps in a previous incarnation, I <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/0dd119be6aa6a9860d3edc534710ef67e2200a1c/medium/cover-photo.jpg?1473219234" class="size_m justify_right border_" />was one of his adoring piano students, a member of his musical family who gravitated around the master in Weimar!! After reading his many letters, plus every flattering and non-flattering biography written about him, and immersing myself in his piano music, I am happy to report that the spirit of Franz Liszt is alive and well. Even today his words and his music remain timely and relevant. </span></span><br><br><span class="font_large">Many years ago when I was doing a music spot on a popular daytime television show in England- BBC’s Pebble Mill at One – and was speaking every week about another one of my composer “friends” as if I had known them personally, I received a note from a viewer asking me if I would like to meet Rosemary Brown. She was the lady who “communicated” with dead composers—Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt were dictating to her their musical works from “beyond.” By chance, a friend had given me her biography to read, and it had turned me into a believer. The English pianist John Lill and the conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein also counted themselves among her supporters. This lady even managed to impress the people at the BBC when they put her through rigorous testing to determine how she managed to accomplish what she was doing with limited musical training. There seemed to be no logical explanation how a woman, basically uneducated in music, was able to write down these compositions if she weren’t getting help from “above.” She seemed to be the chosen “conduit” through which the spirits of these great composers could communicate. And so with delight and excitement, I accepted an invitation to have tea with Rosemary Brown at her Wimbledon flat. And that marked the beginning of our friendship—a friendship that lasted until her death.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/5635a139dee31f53ad162e55ad2a74225d6beb83/small/rosemary-brown.jpg?1473219251" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><br><br>I’ll never forget the first words that she said to me when we met: “Oh, Liszt has told me all about you!” According to Rosemary, Liszt was the most sociable of the entire group of her composer friends; he communicated often with her and assumed the role of Rosemary’s chief protector. It just so <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/9c9b1b9477d300e3835a05d3d6a25b07590bf90c/small/rachmaninoff-3.jpg?1473219262" class="size_s justify_right border_" />happened that I was in the middle of performing several concerts with Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto. During tea, Rosemary informed me that Rachmaninoff had told her to give me a message about the second movement. “I wasn’t paying enough attention to a voice that he wanted me to bring out in the 12th measure of the solo piano part.” Now I was truly astounded at this bit of technical information, and sure enough, when I went home and checked the score, Rosemary or should I say “Rachmaninoff” was absolutely right!! That hidden voice did need to be brought out more!! <br> <br>But back to our friend Liszt— for the past several years I have been living with this composer, putting together a DVD portrait of this extraordinary man while focusing on his masterwork for the piano, the Sonata in B minor. After reading Liszt’s letters, I decided to tell his story using only his words and the words of his contemporaries. Liszt suffered so much within his lifetime, and I believe that even today, he remains a man misunderstood—not only musically but also personally. To truly understand his Sonata in B minor, his confessional that he wrote for his favorite instrument, we need to peel away all the layers to arrive at the soul of the man. Only then can we begin our journey to understand his masterwork. <br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/343e4f5466aa7128e9c165437db82eb27025cbd0/medium/back-cover-photo.jpg?1473219297" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><strong>Franz Liszt: Portrait of the Man & his Masterwork</strong> – The Sonata in B minor, is a two DVD set, the equivalent of a multi-media textbook, that will be released next month. The first DVD contains a biographical portrait, scripted using only Liszt’s words and those of his contemporaries. Michael York is the voice of the grand old man looking back at his extraordinary life, and the voices of his friends are read by Billy Joel as Chopin, Don Henley as Brahms, Harry Connick, Jr. as Carl Czerny, Rebecca De Mornay as Clara Schumann and Anna Liszt, Peter Schickele as Berlioz and the critic Hanslick, David Dubal as Heine, Manfred Honeck as Beethoven and Goethe, Leonard Slatkin as Robert Schumann, Rosemary Harris as Princess Carolyne, John Schuck as Wagner and GB Shaw, Barbara Feldon as George Sand, Bill McGlaughlin as Grieg and Richard Strauss, Stuart Margolin as Liszt’s pupil Carl Lachmund, Miles Chapin as Hans von Bulow. Kermit Medsker as Siegfried Wagner, Jon Cavendish as Felix Weingardner, Anna Singer as Amy Fay and other voices, Dennis Rooney as the critic and Count Apponyi and Pete Ballard as Adam Liszt, King George and other voices. <br> <br>On the second DVD an in-depth master class about the Sonata is followed by a concert performance of the complete work. The master class includes a discussion of form and structure, thematic transformation, technical problems, memory issues, and how the performer can dramatically shape the work, pace the climaxes and prepare the piece for performance. What a joy to share my personal insights about one of the great masterworks of the piano literature. <br> <br>I must confess that I feel as if my old friend Rosemary Brown, along with many of her composer friends, has helped to guide me on this journey to tell Liszt’s story. Everyone who was asked to participate in this project immediately agreed and generously contributed their talents to bring Liszt’s extraordinary spirit to life. And I believe that we have told his story the way he would have liked it told— honestly, and in his own words- with warts and all- as a human being struggling to get through life as best he could. A portrait of the complete man emerges. We see Franz Liszt as a vulnerable human being with all his conflicts and foibles exposed, as well as his genius and extraordinary humanity revealed. <br> <br>How blessed we are to experience the man and his music, and how relevant his journey can be for all of us! Thank you Maestro Liszt! <br> <br> </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/42562062016-07-17T18:49:23-04:002017-10-30T00:20:45-04:00DEO GRATIAS! REMEMBERING ALBERTO GINASTERA (1916-1983) June 29, 2016<p><span class="font_large">This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera and I have been joyfully celebrating the man and his magical music. How blessed I was to have met this extraordinary composer when I was just finishing up my doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. Actually we met after a rehearsal of his First Piano Concerto and that’s when our friendship began. I remember how excited all the students were at the prospect of meeting such a prominent composer from Latin America and having him attend our rehearsals and concert. And I remember all of us remarking that he surely didn’t look the way we had imagined— remember this was 1970 and we couldn’t google him beforehand on the internet. Judging from the passionate and evocative music we heard, we didn’t expect to meet a man who could pass for a rich South American banker! But no matter— appearances are never what they seem. This was a man who wrote music that seemed to bypass the brain to go straight to the heart and was felt in the pit of the stomach- gut music! His music made us feel- it touched a nerve and titillated the senses. It was passionate- it was magical!! It was music that could only be written by a “man of Latin America” as he liked to call himself! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/319a6a6203d29221837d5baedbd7d3ebb6d2018e/medium/ginastera-barbara-photo.jpg?1467235178" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>It was after that performance that Ginastera promised to write me a piano concerto!! Wow! What a gift that would be! We didn’t meet again until 1976 when I was living in the Netherlands and received a call from him. “He would be celebrating his 60th birthday in April and could I come and play his Piano Concerto as part of his birthday concert in Geneva with the Suisse Romande Orchestra?” And what a joyous celebration that was! Ginastera accompanied me to the first rehearsal that the conductor scheduled with only piano, harp and percussion. Nobody wrote for percussion the way Ginastera did! What was extraordinary about that first reading was that the concerto had morphed into a completely new and self-contained composition. And Ginastera was quite excited when he heard it and said after the rehearsal, “The concerto I will write for you will be a concerto for piano and percussion- for one piano!! (We both laughed because we had just been discussing Bartok’s Sonata for two pianos and percussion.) Over the years, whenever we would meet, we would talk about “our” Concerto – the piano concerto that Ginastera intended to write. <br> <br>Unfortunately life intervened, and Ginastera became ill with a terminal illness. Sadly, time was running out for him. I was preparing to return to the States to make my professional debut at Alice Tully Hall, and Ginastera offered to write me a solo Sonata instead of a full-scale concerto. This short one movement sonata became his final work, the Third Piano Sonata. He had intended to add an Adagio introduction but there was just no time. He wrote this sonata from his hospital bed in Geneva. Perhaps he knew that this would be his last composition when he wrote the words, <em>Deo gratias</em> over its final measure. </span><br><br><span class="font_large"><em>Deo gratias</em> for our friendship Alberto and for all those wonderful musical discussions we were able to have. I treasure our friendship and feel blessed to have known you and your wife Aurora. Your music is so full of life and joy and passion. It inspires us to follow our hearts and pursue our dreams. What a gift you have contributed to the world and all we have to do is listen to feel its magic!! <br> (Ginastera Festival at Spectrum, NYC on April 14, 2016)<iframe class="justify_left" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="KezVjj5s82A" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/KezVjj5s82A/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KezVjj5s82A?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br><a contents="Click here" data-link-label="mo1507-barbara-nissman-5pp-article.pdf" data-link-type="file" href="/files/249276/mo1507-barbara-nissman-5pp-article.pdf">Click here</a> to read the recent article "Remembering Alberto Ginastera- a centenary tribute" in Musical Opinion (UK) </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/38628082015-09-21T12:18:44-04:002017-10-30T00:25:05-04:00PIANISM- ANYTHING ELSE?? September 21, 2015<p><span class="font_large">Even someone like the virtuoso performer Vladimir Horowitz, (were he alive today) might be impressed with the pianistic level of the pianists, regularly appearing on the competition circuit. There seem to be no technical problems or unsolved hurdles in evidence. Pianism has been mastered. However, the question remains- is that all there is!! Is it enough??<br> <br>Franz Liszt was known to have told the students who frequented his master classes in Weimar, “I don’t care for the piano-bashers. I don’t care how fast or loud you can play your octaves.” Never having encountered any technical problem at the keyboard himself, Liszt did not have to analyze his natural technique and rarely focused on the teaching of technique. A limited student was advised, “I do not wash dirty linen here; go back to conservatory.” In other words, after you have solved all the technical problems, then you can come back and participate in Liszt’s master classes, and gain inspiration from the Master. Liszt’s virtuosity gave him the freedom to make musical magic! And he preached to all who came to play for him: “Go and create memories!” Share your musical inspiration!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/69e2d5aec1f6bb5370ccb2c7303a3fe2e7499729/medium/32-liszt-and-studentshqdefault-copy.jpg?1442852269" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br> <br>As spectators, we have been overwhelmed by the “sport” of playing the piano. After a while, we have come to expect this level of technique and dazzling pianism. We sit in awe as if we were watching a professional tennis match or a championship fight. What is missing from all this is our heart’s complete involvement in what is going on—the emotional connection. Can the pianist help us to forget the technical component of what he is doing and just focus on the musical message- the story being told by the composer? Is the pianist capable of going to that next level to concentrate on the making of music- pure music using technique and virtuosity as a means and not an end? More importantly, is the performer capable of making the listener feel something more than just technical admiration for a job well done. Is he or she inspired by the music and can they transport us to another world- a musical world of magic! Does the performance connect with our hearts and make us feel? Not very often!<br> <br>Where is the musical inspiration- where is the joy of recreation! And where is the originality- the imagination- that sense of fantasy??<br> <br>Recently, I caught an old film clip of Philippe Petit, the French high-wire acrobat, making his illegal walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center (pre-9/11/2001) Quite an amazing feat that was! Watching him, there was no doubt about his focus, his expertise, his intensity of concentration and his own belief in what he was doing. But it also went beyond that- Here was a man who was truly inspired and aided by something beyond just his own self. This was an artist who could connect to all of us – watching him do what he did so well conveyed a sense of hope— a renewal of spirit and a belief that someone could actually achieve the <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/27e5bb5e750498ce9bc21f9a7e2d5b0a723ea675/small/philippe-petit-world-trade-center-tight-rope-walk.jpg?1442852827" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" />impossible!! And for a moment this man on the high wire made us forget our own limitations and helped us to believe in miracles.<br> <br>When I walk out on stage, it’s as if I am walking that high wire without any safety net in place. I need to trust and have faith in something much higher than just myself and my own technical skills so that I can communicate the musical message and bring to life the spirit of the composer. It is an opportunity that has been given to “create memories”- to inspire the listener with music that I believe in and am passionate about - to share in a magical experience. That is the ideal- to touch the souls of all who listen!</span><br> </p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/36664302015-04-20T11:39:32-04:002017-10-30T00:25:27-04:00PROKOFIEV ARCHIVE DEDICATION, April 24th, 2015. <p><span class="font_large">This is exciting news indeed! The Prokofiev Archive that was begun by Lina Prokofiev, the first wife of Sergei Prokofiev and was originally housed at Goldsmith College at the University of London, is now moving to this side of the ocean. The Archive has been acquired by Columbia University and the Dedication will take place on Friday, April 24<sup>th </sup>in New York City with many of the remaining Prokofiev family members present. I feel very honored and so pleased that I have been asked to play at the dedication ceremony. It should be a very special evening. And what a gift for all Prokofiev scholars to have this archive now located in America.<br> <a href="http://italianacademy.columbia.edu/event/music-serge-prokofiev">http://italianacademy.columbia.edu/event/music-serge-prokofiev</a><br> <br>The program opens with Prokofiev’s youthful First Sonata, his Opus 1, the first work he felt was good enough for an opus number (performed by Russian pianist Sergei Dreznin) and then proceeds to the Ugly Duckling (performed by Dreznin and Erica Baikoff, soprano) that was written for Prokofiev’s first wife Lina to sing. Lina and Serge frequently gave concerts together, but Lina was never able to pursue a truly serious career as a singer because of many unfortunate circumstances that seemed to align themselves against that ever happening.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/63ada9a6c63a05651fe81d6051af6a890819b920/small/linaserge-3-v373846893.jpg?1429495114" class="size_s justify_left border_" /><br> <br>I regret that I never had the chance to meet Lina personally- I did meet her younger son Oleg when I came to London in 1989 to present the three-concert series of the complete Prokofiev sonatas and I treasure the words he shared with me after those concerts- “I’m so sorry that my mother couldn’t hear you play my father’s music- she would have loved what you are doing and loved how you bring his music to life.”<br> <br>I will be perfor<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/40758b83f47bac0889fde4220715375657660d99/small/sergei-prokofiev-02.jpg?1426691480" class="size_s justify_right border_" />ming the Old Grandmother’s Tales- the first pieces that Prokofiev wrote on American soil in 1918. As soon as Steinway delivered a piano to his hotel-room, Prokofiev sat down to write these. He wrote them quickly and also stated in his Diaries that he thought No. 4 was the best of the set. Personally, I would vote for No. 2 but all four are wonderful character pieces. Prokofiev certainly is a master storyteller- he makes us see and hear the old Russian grandmother, waddling from side to side as she recounts her ghostly tales to her young listener. And the inscription that he leaves at the top of the first piece is bittersweet. “Some of her memories are long-forgotten; others are as fresh as if they happened yesterday!”<br> <br>The program concludes with what I believe to be Prokofiev’s masterpiece for the piano, the Sixth Sonata. It’s a symphony for the instrument. The most monumental of the Sonatas, the Sixth is the first of his three “War Sonatas” that he started to write in 1939 after he had officially returned with his family to the Soviet Union. He started writing these three works simultaneously during the War Years - if he got stymied working one sonata, he could immediately shift gears and go to another one. The Sixth is my favorite mainly because it truly has everything- there is so much to challenge the performer- extraordinary pianism, a wide emotional palette that ranges from the most intimate expression to the most brutal cries from the gut and everything in between. We witness his extraordinary craftsmanship with form as he links the first movement and the finale together, using that opening motive and working it to its conclusion to unify the work. And listen to the way he can build layers of texture and sound in the development section of the first movement He seemed to have learned his motivic technique from the master Beethoven. We also hear Prokofiev the comedian occasionally jabbing us in the ribs in the second movement and encounter a romantic lover in the third movement’s nostalgic waltz. I jokingly refer to this movement as Prokofiev’s answer to Gershwin’s “The man I love.” Not so far-fetched an idea either! Prokofiev and Gershwin did meet in Paris in the 20’s and sat down and played for each other!<br> <br>Why do I keep returning to the music of Prokofiev? For me, he continues to be new and modern. His pianism gives him an extraordinary freedom of expression. When all the pianistic layers are peeled away, what remains are the traditional elements of harmony and melody but transformed into a very personal language- a language that goes deep into the soul, filled with joy, passion, humor and the love of the spirit that it conveys. How fortunate we are that he has left us with such a legacy of great music!! </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/36093132015-03-18T11:28:19-04:002017-11-17T17:42:26-05:00YOUTH & MATURITY! March 18, 2015<p><span class="font_large"><span class="font_regular">I am having great fun preparing a recital program to perform this weekend. The theme that unites all of these compositions is that of youth and maturity. This selection of works has made me realize how extremely subjective these two words are to define. A work written by a composer at 15 or 19 is a work of his </span></span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">youth but sometimes also reflects the maturity of his youth. A later work might underscore the artist’s growth while reevaluating the freshness and spontaneity of his youth filtered through more mature and experienced ears! Ah, the maturity of youth and the youthfulness of maturity!! And let’s not forget that important and essential component of genius that always enters into this discussion. </span><br><br><span class="font_large"><span class="font_regular">The program opens with Prokofiev’s young First Sonata, the very first piece tha</span>t he felt was good enough to give an opus number, although Prokofiev later admitted that even though it seemed a mature opus to him when he was fifteen, it certainly paled when compared to his later compositions. When I close the program with his masterpiece of all his nine sonatas, the Sixth Sonata, it is certainly not difficult to agree with his assessment. The form is so much more sophisticated- as is the harmonic language, and the thematic material more complex and perhaps even more inspired.<br> <br><span class="font_large"><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/40758b83f47bac0889fde4220715375657660d99/small/sergei-prokofiev-02.jpg?1426691480" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">However, I confess to loving Prokofiev’s Opus 1 and find it hard to believe that a </span><span class="font_large">young man of 15 actually did conceive it pianistically. I adore its directness and honesty, its heart on the sleeve emotion, its youthful passion. It’s as if a young and full of himself Serge Prokofiev is beating his fists on his chest and shouting in full voice “here I am.” Yes, of course, it’s derivative and sounds more like Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, or Tschaikovsky with bits of Brahms and Schumann making their appearance as well, but this young man certainly has something to say, and he grabs our attention.<br> <br>Then I proceed to Brahms' monster of a sonata, his Third – the F minor and it truly is hard to process that a nineteen year old fellow could have conceived this monumental work, especially its second movement, and probed the deeper darker regions of the soul to make such a poignant statement. </span></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/49a04d1da1484015a642cff9d3e620f575653aa0/small/luckhardt-johannes-brahms-o-nb-10362903.jpg?1426691439" class="size_s justify_left border_" style="font-size: 17px;" /></p>
<div><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">But I am forgetting that we are not discussing every nineteen- year old music student but a man of genius and already a master at his craft. Brahms always acknowledged the “divine” in whatever he produced and we certainly hear an unearthly presence in this second-movement Andante. Similar to the early Prokofiev work, we might criticize its sectional nature but youth and maturity are not all that far apart here. Of course in Brahms later character pieces, the focus would become sharper, the editing much more rigorous as Brahms delivers a more concise and economical statement. However, youthful passion and exuberance are in abundance in this early work, and its emotional impact is unmistakable.</span></div>
<p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/990f6b7d21c6fab75f5f6709e3afb589c1cac1e0/small/210px-ginastera.jpg?1409629882" class="size_s justify_right border_" /></span></p>
<div> <div>
<span class="font_large"> How’s that for a youthful and spirited first half! </span><span class="font_large">After the interval we hear music from </span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">a nineteen- year student at the Conservatory in Buenos Aires- a very young </span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">Alberto Ginastera. His Op. 2 Argentine Dances contain all the seeds included in his </span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">later works, written for piano- those wonderful driving Latin dance rhythms, the melancholy lyricism and his love of the guitar’s strumming and its open strings. Its joy and passion are contagious and grab the listener. Even at such a young age, Ginastera knew how to create magic.</span>
</div>
<div><div><span class="font_large"> <br>That fine line between youth and maturity is not so clearly defined, is it! As mature adults, we try not to lose the spontaneity that we remember from our younger days- we want to share the joy, the passion of our youth but now with the added wisdom of our maturity. We want to bring back the innocence of that first time experience – the child-like awe – the freshness - the newness to everything we perform- as if it were just freshly written and just waiting to be discovered. This is the responsibility of the mature artist! And so with every live performance, we keep trying to recreate the magic of that special moment when the composer conceived his work!!</span></div></div>
</div>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/33686752014-12-06T15:25:32-05:002017-10-30T00:27:33-04:00 THERE IS NOT ONE WAY TO PLAY THE PIANO!! December 6, 2014<p><span class="font_large"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/3dd1ec492562e81caff7046ad19315f5f4e3885e/medium/ammann-120-img-8699.jpg?1417897394" class="size_m justify_right border_" />I just did a series of master classes with some young college students. These are always fun for me – the give and take, the exchange of ideas and always their concern for finding the right way to play the piano. Actually there is no “right” way- whatever works for your particular mechanism without causing harm is usually the best way to proceed.<br> <br>When I say “without causing harm” I mean without any sign of tension or forcing. At the first sign of tiredness, that is the signal for us to stop- that means that clearly something is not working properly and we might be doing something wrong and risk doing serious damage to our muscles. That’s when the alarm bells should sound off. Then we need to look at our hands and observe exactly what is in tension and then ask ourselves, how can we alleviate that tension?<br> <br>Each of us is built differently and this is why we each have to find what works best for our particular body. A tall pianist like Van Cliburn needed a different way of approaching the instrument than Artur Rubinstein who was very short and compact. For Horowitz, it meant playing with flat fingers- that was his personal way of coloring and controlling the sound. For Liszt, the string breaker, the piano was attacked from on high truly making the most use of the force of gravity. For others, control is only attained by staying close to the keys. But the goal should always be the same -to play easily and comfortably and without tension. <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/be0224c3a9320d5186642403c6a7eaec515f3054/medium/hand-10.jpg?1389047893" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br><br>When I was a high school student in Philadelphia, my high school music teacher sent me to play for one of the most prominent piano teachers in the city – of course, she had to be good because all of her students won the Philadelphia Orchestra auditions and had the chance to solo with the orchestra at the children’s concerts. I must confess that at that time in my life, I knew nothing about piano technique- I naively thought that when one practiced, one would make progress and keep playing better and better, and I was enjoying studying the piano and discovering all this marvelous music written for the instrument. Our first lessons together were anything but enjoyable. I was told that I was doing everything wrong at the keyboard and it was necessary to start all over again with her “method” of playing the piano. So I dutifully took home the book of Pischna exercises that were assigned to me but had no understanding why these would make a difference in how to play the piano. Looking back, what I was doing as a young student was approaching the piano naturally, in a way that suited my physical build- I was fortunate that I had acquired some facility. The last thing I wanted to do was to start at square 1 all over again. My mother, seeing how upset these lessons made me decided wisely that this was not the right teacher for me. And so I moved on and found another teacher who did not want to tear down but wanted to add to the foundation that was already in place and make it better.<br> <br>That is the attitude I have when I do guest master-class teaching. Whatever technical problem is visible can be solved with certain general principles- the most important one being to play everything without unnecessary tension. When the principles are known, students can adapt these to their own personal mechanism and create their personal approach to piano technique and build the foundation for good piano playing.<br> <br>I was fortunate that when I was a college student, I found a teacher who could explain the principles of technique and add to what I was doing with only my fingers. This meant incorporating the wrist, the forearm, the upper arm, even using the back muscles to make use of the force of gravity. All these factors contribute to the pianist's individual sound- his personal “branding.” A wonderful example is Vladimir Horowitz- no one sounded like him when playing the Steinway. I remember trying his personal Steinway - to me, it was like a runaway piano but for Horowitz’s technique it was the perfect instrument to achieve the color and excitement he wanted as well as extraordinary fleeting passage work.<br> <br>Playing the piano is not rocket science- sometimes, all we need to remember is good common sense. “No pain- no gain” does not apply to piano playing or to playing any instrument. What we need to find is a natural approach – a coordination of the whole body so it will be in harmony with the instrument. And after all the technical problems have been solved, then we can get down to the serious business of making music. That’s when the fun really begins!<br> <br> </span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/32524012014-10-27T13:40:42-04:002017-10-30T00:27:04-04:00THE JOY OF MUSIC! October 27, 2014<p><span class="font_large">I was recently in Indiana giving concerts and master classes at DePauw University followed by a master class at Indiana University in Bloomington. It was a tough program - not an easy one for the performer or the listener. Bartok- Out of doors, Liszt Sonata in B minor and after the interval some Ginastera- his earliest work for solo piano as well as his latest one, ending with the Sixth Sonata of Prokofiev. This was music I believed in and loved passionately. Truth be told, I never program any music that I don’t feel passionate about!<br><br>It was a joyful concert and my job as the performer was to just get out of the way so that the music could stand on its own and be appreciated by the wonderful audience who came to hear my recital at the Green Center.<br><br>Much to my pleasure, the message was received loud and clear - a good time was had by all. The complexity of the music in no way diminished the listener’s experience. Let me share with you the blog that the Dean of the School of Music wrote about the concert. <a href="http://dmarkmccoy.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/the-joy-of-barbara-nissman/">http://dmarkmccoy.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/the-joy-of-barbara-nissman/</a> <br><br>I don’t believe that I could have described the evening any better than Dean Marc McCoy did! He brought to everyone’s attention how essential joy is to music-making. If the performer isn’t enjoying himself, how can he expect the listener to have a joyful experience.<br><br>I do believe that when we walk on the stage we have a unique opportunity to inspire our audience. They come to concerts and expect to feel the magic of the moment. I’m not saying that it happens every night as a routine occurrence but when the magic happens, it sure is glorious and joyful. It is those moments that we work towards! And when they occur, we can feel the joy and smiles radiating from the composer perched on high- we do have a responsibility to clarify his music and bring it to life for the listener.<br><br>And that’s one reason why we keep chipping away at it- trying to get a little closer with every performance that we give. And what a joy and a privilege that is!!<br> </span><br> <br> </p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/31670822014-09-02T00:07:54-04:002017-10-30T00:26:47-04:00THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER- Labor Day, 2014<p><span class="font_large">Is it just my perception or is time moving faster than ever these days?<br>It makes me think of a quote from my favorite writer Balzac:<br>“<em>Time is the sole capital for people whose future depends on their talent.”</em><br> <br>How true but look how much Balzac accomplished in his relatively short lifetime or think of Schubert or Mozart or Chopin- how much all of them were able to achieve with the relatively small amount of time allotted to them.<br><br>This summer was spent with my old friend Alberto Ginastera and his music, preparing a DVD that will be a master class on the composer with a special focus on his piano music. It is an exciting project and Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake & Palmer) is already onboard to film an interview about his meeting with Ginastera when he first proposed the transcription of the Toccata finale from the First Piano concerto to the composer and Ginastera’s unexpected reaction. (The transcription appeared on ELP’s album Brain Salad Surgery back in the 70’s.) That recording made Ginastera into a sort of “pop” star – at least it helped introduce his exciting music to a wider audience.<br> </span><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/990f6b7d21c6fab75f5f6709e3afb589c1cac1e0/small/210px-ginastera.jpg?1409629882" class="size_s justify_left border_none" alt="" /><span class="font_large">And that is exactly the intention of our DVD about this prominent Argentine composer. His music is special. With its rich color palette and those driving Latin rhythms, it’s easily accessible to a wider audience. Yet it’s extremely well crafted- this man knew what he wanted and how to achieve it. It’s music that makes us feel good when we hear it. It grabs our attention and we can’t help but listen. It provokes an immediate reaction, bypassing the brain to go straight to the heart. We usually end up feeling his music physically in the pit of our stomachs- that’s why I call it “gut” music. </span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">We are planning to release this film in time for the 100</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 1.4em;"> anniversary celebration of Ginastera’s birth in 2016.</span><br><span class="font_large"> </span><br><span class="font_large">A Liszt DVD is in the works for a 2015 release- a reappraisal of a man much misunderstood not only as a composer but also as a human being. The DVD includes a fresh in-depth look at his greatest work, his B minor sonata. The British actor, Michael York is the voice of Liszt and sounds just as I would imagine the grand old man to sound (if he had an English accent!) Other well known musicians and actors also contribute to the voiceovers o</span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/d4536b229f699957c10db4626c1ccbe4214bc8ba/small/liszt4.jpg?1409629868" class="size_s justify_right border_none" alt="" style="font-size: 17px;" /><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">f Liszt’s friends- all speaking in their own words.</span></p>
<div><span class="font_large"> <br>So the seeds have been sown and the new season should produce the fruit of these labors. Patiently, we cultivate our garden.<br> <br>Looking forward and wishing you all a wonderful growing season.</span></div>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/30595372014-07-06T11:55:18-04:002017-10-30T00:26:20-04:00INDEPENDENCE! July 4, 2014<p><span class="font_large">We celebrate independence today- the independence to be an individual – to be your own person- a prerequisite for any artist- the freedom to be bold, courageous, and the strength to follow one’s nose wherever it might lead. That is independence! To stand tall and be convinced about what you are doing- that is the goal but getting there takes a lot of work. The foundation must be in place and the groundwork firmly established - only then can we begin to take off and soar.<br> <br>Why do we spend so many hours practicing and preparing for a performance?<br>Perhaps we need to be sure that when the moment arrives, we know the foundation has been solidly built- brick by brick. Only then can we trust and have faith that the magic might just happen if we let go and get out of the way. We give up control to gain freedom. That is the ideal but finding the proper balance is the real issue.<br> <br>On June 19<sup>th</sup> at Steinway Hall, the new independent record label, Three Oranges Recordings was officially launched and celebrated with its first two releases: Out of Doors and Fireworks! I wish that all of you could have been there to experience our joy and excitement. We are happy to announce that there will be many more releases to celebrate very soon- 4 more CD recordings are scheduled for upcoming release and 2 DVD’s currently in production. Lots to celebrate this Independence Day<br> <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/95a0b7a2c650b6269dd0610835e188359ba04852/medium/steinway-photo.jpg?1404658273" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></span><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">What did Rachmaninoff say about life and music? “Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” As we continue to work with seriousness and purpose, that is the realization most of us come to eventually. The journey can be filled with lots of surprises and at each step we are given another opportunity for growth and expansion- another reason to be thankful for our independence this Independence Day! </span><br><br><span class="font_large">Have fun wherever you are and whatever you are doing!! <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/26522d4048ae5f34984de2e2c8912c3ff3777124/small/fireworks-2.jpg?1404661516" class="size_s justify_right border_" /><br>Our new release Fireworks! seems perfect for celebration!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/29886052014-06-02T21:20:54-04:002017-10-30T00:27:50-04:00REBIRTH! June, 2014<p><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">It’s been a magnificent weekend here in the mountains of West Virginia, providing proof to those words “it’s almost heaven.” Everything is in full bloom and rebirthing and I share that feeling as well. I feel blessed to be here- the ideal place to work and just “to be.” That makes me think of that wonderful quote of Franz Liszt,</span><br><span class="font_large"> “In life, one must decide whether to conjugate the verb <em>to have</em> or the verb <em>to be.”</em><br> <br>And West Virginia is the ideal place just “to be.” Similar to the independent nature of the mountain people who settled this state, it’s a good place to just follow your nose to wherever it might lead. I must say at times, that does demand a bit of courage and lots of faith as well!<br> <br>That’s what I seem to be doing this weekend. I am in the preparation stage – the “gestation” period of putting together a DVD about the music of Alberto Ginastera that will hopefully be ready for his 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary celebration in 2016. I was fortunate to have first met him way back in 1970 at the University of Michigan when he was the invited guest for their first Contemporary Music Festival. That’s when our friendship first developed, and I feel an enormous responsibility to honor his legacy and to share what I have learned.<br> <br>Of course, that means going back and relearning so much of the repertoire that I recorded way back in the ‘80’s. This man does not write easy piano music- it’s physically demanding and also requires much more than a rote memory to understand his craft and have some inkling as to how he creates that “magic.”<br><br> </span><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/a5fcbf9bde23b766d79d06ea6d4e88be8f1b87e4/medium/20140601-123607.jpg?1401761618" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">And my job is to chip away at the many layers and share how I have ventured on this journey. So my weekend has been full of the joy of discovery. Amazing how much more we can see when we have put something to rest for so many years! That is the rediscovery process- that is the following your nose business- but of course, a firm foundation has to be in place to do that.</span></p>
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<br><span class="font_large"> Speaking of building a foundation, it is quite exciting to build step by step our new record label, Three Oranges Recordings. This has been a rebirthing process for me- gathering together my old recordings and my new ones and repackaging everything so it suits our new label. We have five new releases waiting in the wings and a DVD on Liszt in progress, and I started listening this weekend to the takes of the last three Beethoven Sonatas that we recorded a few summers ago. That’s the bad news about recordings- of course, today or tomorrow we would approach it differently but there it is- frozen at that particular moment in time. And that is the joy of hearing an artist many times- in concert- to see how they are growing and developing.</span>
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<span class="font_large">How blessed we musicians are- never enough time to spend with these great </span>
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<span class="font_large">pieces of music but the constant joy and the passion that we are privileged to share!</span>
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<br><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">And let me share a beautiful photo from our WV weekend in the country- our covered bridge (1879) where the “locals” still fish for trout!!</span>
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</div>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/25883642014-02-15T18:10:47-05:002020-01-20T05:30:33-05:00SNOW, SNOW & MORE SNOW! February 13, 2014<p> <span class="font_large">West Virginia is snowed in – 15 inches and climbing! Here in the mountains, it sure is a beautiful sight. As my fellow West Virginians like to say –it’s “almost heaven.” And they are so right.<br><br>And what a great day to hunker down! I make my way to my studio (not an easy feat with 15 inches of snow to plow through) and take a seat at the piano. I am blessed- my piano studio looks out to the mountains- great inspiration for any piano player -and today these mountains are covered with snow and look especially peaceful- not as rugged as usual.</span><br style="font-size: 17px;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/127403/fc3ae9a40ace4442b6f9bc1bff9203f1c94f6064/medium/sspx01641.jpg?1392506100" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" style="font-size: 1.4em;" /><br><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">No distractions for serious work! I remember so well that when I was a child, I always loved rainy days- the perfect time to practice, explore and to play at the piano. Actually, now it’s no different. The outside world is on hold but my composer “friends” are just as active as ever.</span><span class="font_large"> </span><br><br><span class="font_large">I have been practicing “Out of Doors” by Bartók in preparation for our new CD release party. I recorded it a few years ago in the hot summer month of August but now looking out the windows of my studio, the perspective with cold white snow on the ground seems to fit this music even better. Bartók would have been inspired by the aftermath of this blizzard- it sure adds a different dimension to the chase finale at the end of the piece but that’s definitely not an excuse to slow down the tempo!<br> <br>What I always find so amazing is the process of relearning and rediscovery. We work on a piece of music, strive to get it up to performance level, perform it in concert and then usually put it away for a while, and it seems to “hibernate” and mature on its own. We pull it out again- relearn it from “scratch” as if it were a new work even though it is stored somewhere in our physical and mental memory and voilà- it miraculously takes on a different character. We see things we hadn’t noticed before- we concentrate on an entirely different level- we focus and peel away even more layers than we were able to hear before. This has been true with my journey with Bartók’s masterpiece but couldn’t this be true of any piece of great music! The more we grow, the more we are able to bring to these great composers. We are never finished- the music is always alive and constantly growing like a living organism!<br> <br>I always talk about going under the notes for the deeper meaning. I guess I could also say rising above the notes- not being bogged down with the technical problems of the music so that we can actually hear what the composer is trying to communicate and grasp the larger picture. Our job is to free ourselves from the notes and the details, once we master them, so that the music has the freedom to soar and take on a life of its own- only then can the magic begin to happen. How blessed we are to have a job where our work is never finished – it only keeps getting better!!<br> <br>And that is the joy of rediscovery! It doesn’t matter how well we play, we can always go deeper- we are never finished with this marvelous journey! That is a gift that we have been given as musicians with a passion for what we do.<br><br>Enjoy this beautiful and peaceful time before the snow melts and spring arrives!!</span></p>Three Oranges Recordingstag:threeorangesrecordings.com,2005:Post/24147622014-01-18T17:17:13-05:002017-11-17T17:56:45-05:00NEW BEGINNINGS! January, 2014<p><span class="font_regular"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">I love new beginnings- the first day of the New Year, the clean calendar, the beginning of a new month- a new week- a new day. It’s a new chapter, and there is all this promise- where will we go and what can we hope to accomplish. It truly is a fresh page- a clean slate- a new beginning! </span></span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">That’s the way I feel about this new label, Three Oranges Recordings- (the name is homage to my favorite composer, Sergei Prokofiev.) We are breathing new life into these releases. It is a rebirth of all this wonderful music that I have recorded over the past ten years. Every one of these recordings is a reflection of my journey and where my travels have led, as well as the promise of things to come– two brand new recordings and four waiting to be released over the next six months plus several exciting DVD projects in preparation. And lots more down the road! </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">Some of you might be wondering where I have been for these past years. Let me address that question directly. For personal reasons, after the death of my husband, one could say that I dropped out of sight. I call this my “Rip van Winkle” period. Of course, I did not stop playing the piano or working at the piano, but I’ll admit that it was difficult for me to continue the concert life that I had led before my husband passed away. Sometimes we need the time to step back and question, to explore and rediscover ourselves. Fortunately, with the help of a good friend who took my arm and helped to yank me out of the quicksand into which I was sinking, I began to live once again, and then I started recording. All these recordings are special to me - all are journeys of the soul. </span></p>
<p><span class="font_large">It was the music and the work that went along with being a pianist that truly helped heal my wounded heart. Also I had the good fortune to live on a farm in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, so the peace and tranquility that my soul craved was there and available to me - my surroundings helped me to focus and to learn to listen with a different set of ears. And now what a joy it is for me to share this music with all of you. I feel truly blessed that I can continue to perform and continue to rediscover.</span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular"><span style="font-size: 1.4em;">In future blogs, I will be focusing on many things related to life, music and piano playing. I intend to go wherever the spirit leads me. There are several exciting projects relating to the 100th anniversary celebration of the composer Alberto Ginastera in 2016 in progress plus a new DVD based on the letters and music of Franz Liszt. There are many more exciting travels that I intend to share with all of you. </span><br> </span><br><span class="font_large">I am so grateful for the “now” and the joy that comes with making music. Thank you for the opportunity to share these experiences with all of you.</span></p>Three Oranges Recordings