1. Do you have a New Year’s resolution? If so,what is it?
1. generally I am trying to avoid making any long-term plans. Reason being that
when you are searching for something you can not find some other things that may
also be very important
2. How do you like
playing “Piano-Concerto”?
2. I like playing concertos with orchestra, although I believe the value of this
is over-estimated, especially in the USA. The art of piano playing is expressed
best in a solo recital. Concerto playing is only one of many sorts of chamber
music performances.
3. Who were your early influences in playing your
first instrument?
3. When I was a small kid, I was impressed by any pianist who could play
decently on record. I grew up on recordings of Richter, Gilels, Michelangeli,
Arrau, Kempff, Backhaus,Cortot, Horowitz and many others.......
4. Is there any pianist out there that just blows you
away(past or present)?
4. Present? No, although there are many good ones. Past? I am most impressed by
the pianistic art of F.Liszt which I am studying for the past 15 years
5. What in your life are you most proud of?
5.I am not proud of anything, because everything is a work of God
6. What
music are you listening to these days?
6.These days I am listening to hundreds of Scarlatti Sonatas, some music
by A.C. Jobim and some of David Bowie
7. What is your favorite piece to play
concert?
7. All pieces that I play in my concerts are my favorites. However, some of
pieces I played more frequently in concerts are : Beethoven Sonata op 27 no 2,
Liszt ; Transcendental Etudes, Paganini Etudes, almost everything by Chopin,
Scarlatti Sonatas, Handel Suites.....
8. What do you enjoy most and least about being on the concert
tour?
8. mostly I enjoy seeing something new - I like to learn new things - new
cities, people, their customs, architecture, monuments, history etc
What is,
for me, absolutely horrible is the time difference. I hate this, and usually I
am suffering from insomnia and exhaustion for approximately 10 days
9. What do you do relax when touring?
9 Usually I am not tense on a tour, reason being that I avoid doing any kind of
work during the tour . I avoid practicing, rehearsing etc. On the contrary, I am
trying to be as fresh as possible, because I noticed I am happier with my
performances if I entertain myself with something else and not with piano.
Usually I have a lot of fun on a tour.
10. How tall are you?
10 This is a secret - I can't tell you
11.
Do you play any other instruments?
11. I can play guitar, organ, harpsichord
Q.What kind of music do you play the guitar?(Classic?Flamenco?Jazz?RN'R?)
A.I
usually played Paganini on guitar, together with other Italian and Spanish
masters.
