VIDEO CLIP FROM MUSIC@MENLO 2010's Carte Blanche!
Music@Menlo: Found in Translation (Aug 9)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
It's been a while: a mid-summer night's story
It's been a while since my last post. It's about 1230am now, but summer is going by so fast that I suddenly felt the need to jot the first part of it down.
This is a wonderfully hectic summer. Six festivals, a Rachmaninov Solo CD for Signum, a three-week long tour of Japan, a couple of recitals and a concerto performance are just the musical part of this crazy summer. Lucille and I also sold our condo in New York last month and just moved to a brand new one fives blocks away. Two separate trips to Asia and two to Europe are somehow providing me with lots of hours of much needed mental rest on the plane. As it happens, I had to fly from Wales to NYC for two nights to close on our sale and move all our belongings (including two pianos!) to storage, then went on to my Japan tour and three weeks later started rehearsals in Fort Worth. Lucille managed among many difficulties, and performances (including a Mozart recording for Universal) to close on our purchase of the new condo AND move in during her two day stay in New York. She then joined me to the Mimir Chamber Festival in Fort Worth. We just got back to NYC and are unpacking. It's really exciting. I am looking forward to lots of dinner parties.
I am really excited also about the new Rachmaninov recording for Signum Records. We chose the beautiful facilities at Wyastone, in Wales, for this project, and I couldn't have been happier. My producer Anna Barry and Mike Hatch were their amazing selves. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them on my last three recordings, starting with Warner Classics' Baroque Reflections. It went so well that we finished the recording early. I can't wait to hear the final edit, and for the recording to be out next year! It will feature the complete preludes op. 23, quite a few transcriptions (including my own version of Vocalise), and a rarity: some charming student works by Rachmaninov.
I thing I have probably been to Japan about 15-20 times, but this summer I finally had time to visit Tsukiji, Tokyo's famous fish market for the first time. Our tour manager picked us up at 330am to be in line for the tuna auction at 4. It was really an amazing experience. Of course the 6am sushi omakase at the market was the best part! I also had the opportunity to visit the beautiful city of Nara, Japan's oldest, and to meet a lot of warm people all over Japan. All in all it was a great trip, and a very unusual one, since I had a bit of free time and met with a few friends while in Tokyo! I have to confess that Tokyo has become over the years one of my favorite destinations. I can't wait to go back!
A yearly summer appointment, the Mimir Festival in Fort Worth, followed Japan right away. This was a fun year, as I was playing two amazing works. Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time (it was my first performance ever!) and Korngold's Suite for two violins, cello and piano left hand alone! Mimir is always a lot of fun, and after about ten years, I feel like I know a lot of the audience, and that we are all a big family.
Now, I am back in NYC, in my beautiful new home, and with Lucille. Off to Westport, CT, for a four hand concert with Lucille on July 24th , then back home and off to Menlo for my debut at the wonderful Music@Menlo Festival. At that point, musically, I will only be half way through my summer. It's going to be a long and wonderful one!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Carte Blanche at Music@Menlo
I was asked to come up with a Carte Blanche recital concept for this summer's Music@Menlo Festival. Coming up with a three-part recital spanning from Bach to Berio was a very interesting process for me. The concert will take place on August 8th, and will start at 10 am at the Stent Family Hall, at Menlo School.
For more info check out the Festival page for the concert.
I was also asked to write some extensive program notes on this Carte Blanche. Feel free to read them here!
Now back to New Jersey, with the second of the four "Best of" concerts which will see me and Lucille performing a variety of concertos with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and their new music director Jacques Lacombe!
For more info check out the Festival page for the concert.
I was also asked to write some extensive program notes on this Carte Blanche. Feel free to read them here!
Now back to New Jersey, with the second of the four "Best of" concerts which will see me and Lucille performing a variety of concertos with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and their new music director Jacques Lacombe!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Mid-travel
I'm now at AA's flagship lounge in Miami at the beginning of a month-long "outing". I was lucky enough to spend last week playing at the Aruba International Piano Festival. The name says it all. Lucille joined me and played for the first few concerts but had to leave a couple of days ago to play Saint-Saens' Second Concerto in Toronto. The rehearsal and performing schedule was supposed to be quite relaxed but because of Eyjafjallajökull (yes, I copied and pasted that) things became quite hectic. Three of the musicians were stuck in Europe and we had to come up with a brand new festival on the spot. Lucille did most of the organizing, if not all of it, and I really think it all turned out for the better. The audience enjoyed the new programs very much and we had a lot of fun playing "a lot" of music. On the flip side of it, we couldn't spend any time on Aruba's gorgeous white beaches. Only 15 minutes at the beginning of the festival were enough to give me an embarrassing T-shirt tan which will stay with me a for the next few months. So a lot of unexpected work and no holiday, but then, I'd rather be working looking at the beach and looking forward to a freshly made Pina Colada than anything else. I also met a lot of new wonderful musician friends, and had the feeling that very long friendship started this week. That's an incredibly rewarding feeling.
I now have eight full hours at MIA and no excuse not to update my blog. I am on my way to Bilbao, where I will be rehearsing the Tchaikovsky First Concerto with the Bilbao Symphony to play it in Madrid's Auditorio Nacional on the 29th and in Salamanca on the 30th . This is the concert that triggered that strange exclusivity clause with my contract with the Castilla and Leon Orchestra last month and saw Lucille come to the rescue...
I am very excited to be playing in the main hall of the Auditorio Nacional for the first time. I played in the recital hall for Joaquin Achucarro's 70th birthday a few years back, and this is now quite a nice event for me. The schedule is pretty hectic. Rehearsals on the 27 and 28, bus to Madrid on the 29, concert in Madrid (at 1030pm!!!), bus to Salamanca on the 30, concert in Salamanca, bus to Bilbao and recital in Mondragon on May 1. Then on May 2 I fly (via Stuttgart!!) to Bari for rehearse a chamber concert on the 5th. I will stay few days in my home town to be with family, get a new tuxedo made, and a couple of suits "touched-up". Lucille will reach me on the 4th and we'll go to Lubeck for the last concert of this segment on the 13th. Back to NYC on the 14th and rehearsing a chamber program on the 15th morning!
The Tres Leches cake in the lounge looks very tempting right now. After a night spent with musicians roaming an island in search of food, running into closed restaurants and ending up at a McDonald's, a Tres Leches sounds very good! Maybe if I dare venture outside the lounge I can find a nice cuban cafecito somewhere in Miami airport.
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Blackberry pictures of a couple of rehearsal breaks in Aruba:
I now have eight full hours at MIA and no excuse not to update my blog. I am on my way to Bilbao, where I will be rehearsing the Tchaikovsky First Concerto with the Bilbao Symphony to play it in Madrid's Auditorio Nacional on the 29th and in Salamanca on the 30th . This is the concert that triggered that strange exclusivity clause with my contract with the Castilla and Leon Orchestra last month and saw Lucille come to the rescue...
I am very excited to be playing in the main hall of the Auditorio Nacional for the first time. I played in the recital hall for Joaquin Achucarro's 70th birthday a few years back, and this is now quite a nice event for me. The schedule is pretty hectic. Rehearsals on the 27 and 28, bus to Madrid on the 29, concert in Madrid (at 1030pm!!!), bus to Salamanca on the 30, concert in Salamanca, bus to Bilbao and recital in Mondragon on May 1. Then on May 2 I fly (via Stuttgart!!) to Bari for rehearse a chamber concert on the 5th. I will stay few days in my home town to be with family, get a new tuxedo made, and a couple of suits "touched-up". Lucille will reach me on the 4th and we'll go to Lubeck for the last concert of this segment on the 13th. Back to NYC on the 14th and rehearsing a chamber program on the 15th morning!
The Tres Leches cake in the lounge looks very tempting right now. After a night spent with musicians roaming an island in search of food, running into closed restaurants and ending up at a McDonald's, a Tres Leches sounds very good! Maybe if I dare venture outside the lounge I can find a nice cuban cafecito somewhere in Miami airport.
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Blackberry pictures of a couple of rehearsal breaks in Aruba:
Friday, February 26, 2010
weather trouble
8am. I wake up to a snow covered view of Central Park. Pretty, I think, then look down and see cars and buses either stopped on the circle, or spinning their wheels trying to get out of the snow. I get my Blackberry out of bedside mode, and the phone starts buzzing uncontrollably. 10 emails, 7 facebook alerts and 1 voice mail. Everything is pretty standard, but the voice mail worries me. As it turns out, it is a "courtesy" call by American Airlines saying our flights out of LGA were cancelled because of weather. The friendly voice goes on saying that they kindly re-booked us one day later, through Miami all the way to Madrid. It's all fine with me, but I realize that Lucille will have to play her recital about two hours after touching down. We call AA's Executive Platinum desk, knowing that no matter how high one is on the priority list, it's going to be a long wait. The scene is something to behold: two blackberries, and our home phone, all set on speakerphone, playing AA's holding jingles, sounding like an edgy minimalist trio for three computerized travel agents accompanied by elevator music. The piece lasts for about 30 minutes, at the end of which a very nice travel agent, a real person this time, makes sure we have seats together tomorrow, and wishes us good luck getting a flight. By the looks of it, I dare not make any predictions, but the snow seems to be getting worse.
It's been a rough winter season. I managed to get on the last flight to Florida two weeks ago, before Dallas was covered by a record-breaking 12 inches of snow. Lucille was stuck there for an extra day and reached me in Florida just in time to hear my first performance ever of Chopin's Second Piano Concerto and to celebrate Valentine's day. Earlier this year, she had to cancel a concert in Washington, DC, also because of weather. Hopefully this time things will work out. After her recital near Madrid, we'll be off for three concerts with the Grieg Concerto and the lovely Castilla y Leon Symphony Orchestra in Valladolid and Salamanca. I am really excited to be back there, to play for the first time in their new hall in Valladolid, and to be working with conductor Vasily Petrenko. Of course, I can't wait to have their world famous suckling lamb once again. About a month ago this tour almost fell apart. The management realized that I was booked to play in the Salamanca hall with two different orchestras on two different tours, one month apart. Because of some exclusivity clause, buried deep inside some contracts, this could not happen. Happily they asked Lucille to play the concert in Salamanca, which makes this tour quite unusual. I'll do the rehearsals and play the concerts in Valladolid, then she'll have a quick sound check on the day of the last concert in Salamanca, and I will be sitting in the hall enjoying her performance of the Grieg!
All of this, weather permitting!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A bonus post about food...
It is made in a few easy steps (see pics below). Prepare a fish stock (any fish bones and heads would do. I was given the remains of a striped bass by the fishmonger). Lightly steam the clams. Sautee garlic, onions and tomato paste. Add squid and octopus. Add Clams. Add tomato sauce (I used canned cherry tomatoes and San Marzano tomato puree). At the very end, add the red mullets or any other fish and cook for just a few minutes. Season (very little salt, as fish is quite salty, pepper, and I like hot paprika and saffron stems)....add fresh parsley. That's it...pretty simple, eh? The best thing is that you can use almost any kind of fish and seafood.
And to add to the seafood feast, last night we went to an amazing restaurant called Sik Gaek in Flushing, NY. The 1-hour long commute was well worth it. The place specialize in Korean seafood and has become very popular since it was featured on the Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation show about the outer boroughs. It has a really laid back and cool atmosphere, lots of drinks and most importantly amazing seafood. One of their specialty is a live octopus appetizer. It's cut while still live and it keeps moving and trying to run off the plate for about ten more minutes. It doesn't get much fresher than this... The suction action that the tentacles have while you chew is an experience. You can see the video of the live octopus here.
The main dish was a seafood stew (this time a spicy Korean one, of course) that was just a feast for the eyes. Giant clams, mussels, octopus, squid, crabs, live lobster (yes, live, but not for long) and even abalone! Simply amazing! It was quite a shock to come out the restaurant and be in Flushing! We had felt as if we were in Korea during the whole meal.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Home till 2010
I will finally be home until the new year. After a year full of travels and wonderful places Lucille and I are planning a quiet holiday sitting on the couch, watching TV, eating, and hanging out with our close friends. It's been a great year, personally and musically speaking and I just feel once again so lucky to be doing what I love to do and hopefully getting every day closer and closer to my music.
My proudest 2009 moment? Racking up nearly 140,000 base miles on American Airlines, and qualifying for ExecPlat for the fourth year in a row...
Musically speaking there have been lots of rewarding moments, among them the release of Bach Transcribed and its reception. But honestly, it would be unfair to pick out single events as I luckily still feel that what I enjoy the most is the process of diving deeper and deeper in the music, day after day.
So, back to the couch for few minutes, with a nice espresso, then alas, my piano is awaiting. Lots of repertoire to learn as it feels a full year of performances is literally just around the corner, with my personal hope to start in January with renewed energy and more enthusiasm than ever.
Happy holidays and remember to eat well and that life is too short for bad wine...
My proudest 2009 moment? Racking up nearly 140,000 base miles on American Airlines, and qualifying for ExecPlat for the fourth year in a row...
Musically speaking there have been lots of rewarding moments, among them the release of Bach Transcribed and its reception. But honestly, it would be unfair to pick out single events as I luckily still feel that what I enjoy the most is the process of diving deeper and deeper in the music, day after day.
So, back to the couch for few minutes, with a nice espresso, then alas, my piano is awaiting. Lots of repertoire to learn as it feels a full year of performances is literally just around the corner, with my personal hope to start in January with renewed energy and more enthusiasm than ever.
Happy holidays and remember to eat well and that life is too short for bad wine...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
it's about time...here's my journal from the first tour of Russia in 2007
Over two years have passed from my first Trans-siberian tour of Russia in 2007. I went back with Lucille in 2008 and in both occasion I wrote long journals about the experience. I kept them for me and a few friends until now, but I think I'm quite ready to share them. Here is the journal from 2007. The order of the pictures is completely random....Hope you enjoy it.
October 28 Ufa, Afternoon
I am finally in Russia. It is funny how I tried to enjoy my last moments in the west up to the time I boarded the flight to Moscow.
I spent the night before my flight at the Marriott Heathrow Hotel. A really nice fluffy bed covered by a soft white duvet and too many pillows to count were a constant reminder that it would have been my last day in luxury for a while. I know life is not just about being comfortable, but it sure helps when you are constantly traveling.
So that night I had a nice cheeseburger with a Martini, reminder of my ritual meal with our dear friends, the Maultsby’s, back in Dallas. It was nowhere close the deliciousness of the local Dallas joint, and the company was far less interesting (myself), but I decided that would do for the day. I called it a night and went to bed around 10 pm. My alarm clock went off as set at 330 am and the rest of the trip was pretty standard, including the 2 hour delay into Moscow as our plane in Frankfurt was faulty and we had to board another aircraft.
Upon arrival in Moscow, I went through immigration, which was a breeze, while overhearing a guy from Canada and a girl from Dallas talking about life in Russia. She was an intern at some Performing Arts Office, and he was working with an oil company, and during the year, alternates three weeks in Canada with seven weeks in Siberia.
I met up with my contacts from the organizing agency. They are all young, and very student-like. I later found out they actually work different jobs at once, as life is particularly tough now in Moscow. They are all musicians, which is good for someone that works in music, and also explains their organizational skills, or lack thereof.
Tanya has been my English speaking contact for the last few weeks. She is Igor's assistant. Igor has been my main contact, but he always relies on computer software to translate his emails into English, often with hilarious results. A particular favorite of mine was when he warned me he was "going on round" (tour) and not to "be afflicted" if I hadn't heard back from him. Tanya looks in her early thirties, but is probably younger and her character reminds me of so many of my Russian friends. She has a strong bond with the other two, but it's almost like a schoolmate-to-schoolmate kind of bond.
Ilya seemed at first the one more in control of the situation. If Tanya seems slightly scattered-brain, Ilya strikes me as more focused at first. While Ilya's favorite response to my questions and demands is a big "maybe" Tanya's is a loud "of course", as in "how dare you assume we didn't think of that?" That statement goes with that certain look a mother gives a child that has asked a silly question, or the look a naughty student gives the teacher when asked whether or not he had practiced. The problem is that behind the "of course" and that severe look, there is a sense of total "whateverness" that is slightly frightening and does not give me the confidence that my demands will be looked after and met.
So I arrived in Moscow and took a long car journey in their Lada to another airport at the opposite end of the city. Tanya briefed me about a few things, and then they started having fun like young kids do, listening to music, etc.... They are very personable and nice people, the kind of people you would want to hang out with, but I am waiting to find out if they are the kind of people you would want to organize your Russian and Tran Siberian tour.
The third person, Nikita, is more of a mysterious character. Very slender and tall, with his dark hair and unpredictable ways, he seems a character out of the streets of Naples. I haven't spoken to him much and I don't know what to think of him yet, but he doesn't seem as clear cut as the other two.
So we arrived at the airport, checked in, paid for the extra few pounds of overweight luggage and sat at a restaurant table to have tea. I must say the food looked delicious, with blinis, meat, potatoes, cheese, and all kinds of fruity drinks, but I had eaten on the plane and tea was enough.
As soon as I asked Ilya some questions about my trip, he half-jokingly said "after tea". If there is a common trait among them that I can easily distinguish, it is a kind of care-free attitude about the whole thing, which is a bit worrying at this stage. I have never been to Russia; I will be traveling across Siberia on my own, and don't really need people that are not sure about what they are doing. I asked if I could have my train schedules by Monday, and his reply was a joyful "maybe".
Also, Tanya and Ilya very often disagree on things, and it takes a few minutes for them to resolve each argument, in Russian, of course, at the end of which there is no explanation given to me. So, I do have the feeling that there is quite a bit happening under the table, that I am not aware of everything, and in these cases Ilya seems the more straightforward, although stricter character, and Tanya, the most accommodating, rule bending, but sneakier one.
So they waved goodbye at security and I had to navigate through the Russian airport security system. There is an area where you prep yourself. Take off your shoes, put blue shower caps on your feet, take out liquids, etc... Then you go through security as you would anywhere else. I witnessed a lady being stopped for carrying a small bottle of brandy which, although small, was over the 100 milliliter limit allowed on the plane. Without blinking, she opened the bottle, drank about half of it, and asked the security guard if that was fine now. The most amazing thing is that to everyone else the fact that a middle aged woman would drink a mug of brandy in mid-afternoon seemed absolutely normal.
I walked to gate 52 and stepped on the plane to Ufa. That's when what I like to call "the movie" began. From that point on, I felt as if I had stepped in a movie in which I was playing the main character. It must be an influence of how Hollywood depicts Russian life, but at this early stage in my trip, it does feels so accurate. From the really nice couple next to me, who were willing to share anything they had and despite speaking no English warned me of the upcoming time change, to the drunk fellow, one row behind singing Russian songs aloud and harassing everybody, from the really old plane and Soviet looking cars that made me feel I had stepped back in time, to the "hotel" in Ufa, everything feels like a movie.
The flight took longer because of an unexplained long wait on the runway, and I ended up landing at 2 am, Ufa time. I was picked up by the artistic administrator of Ufa's Philharmonic Society, Vladislav. He was quick to explain they have a driver but he doesn't speak English so he came to pick me up so late. When I thanked him for getting there in the middle of the night, he just shrugged his shoulders. He is a violist, and seems very international and well traveled. He brought me greetings from a Russian pianist I had met in 1997 at the Hamamatsu competition. Somehow, this familiarity felt very welcome in such an unfamiliar place. An even older Lada took us to the hotel. It is a big apartment building, and I first thought he was bringing me to his home. With my heavy suitcase we walked five flights of stairs and found ourselves in a very long dark hallway, with a blue carpet, and a desk in the middle of it. A lady was sitting on the desk with a faint desk light on. It took me a minute to figure out that was the hotel reception. I wondered where the concierge desk was. It was 3 o'clock by now.
Vladislav filled out a couple of pages of paperwork in Russian to register my passport and visa numbers, and I was given a key to a suite-like room, with a separate kitchen, and bathroom. A full size bed with twin size sheets on, at one corner, and some old looking furniture scattered around. All in all this is quite a nice place. I spent most of my time organizing my belongings. Deciding how to divide and store my valuables, etc... And I ended up going to bed at 4 am. I kept waking up worrying that some chamber maid would walk in trying to make up the room, but quickly realized that was not the case and slept until around noon. I will be going to the concert hall at 430, practice and play my concert at 7.
Ufa is one of the industrial centers in the Western Urals area, and is situated at the confluence of the Belaya and the Ufa Rivers. It is the principal city of the autonomous Bashkortostan Republic. The Muslim Bashkir people now make up only one third of the population of four million and live mostly in rural areas. Ufa has about 1 million people. The Bashkir people at some point in history approached the Russian government and asked to be included in the federation. What a refreshing page in a world history that sees endless violence from smaller countries that seek independence and separation.
October 28, Ufa, Midnight
The first concert of my Russian tour is over. What an interesting experience. It was wonderful to see such a great concert hall, not too big but quite magnificent, and with nearly perfect acoustics. It was surprising to see a wonderful Steinway on stage. They do take music very seriously, more than musicians perhaps. Every musician I met so far has three, four different jobs to make ends meet. The backstage was quite dreadful, a stark contrast with the beauty of the concert hall and foyer. It was wonderful to play for such an appreciative, warm and wonderful audience, and not so wonderful to see that this was an audience of ten! The promoter apologized, it was a week full of piano recitals and he had no time to promote, and so on and so forth. He asked me if I would still like to play. "Of course", I said, almost quoting Tanya. So there I was playing for a wonderful and intimate audience of 10. I later found out this concert was indeed added at the last minute to my itinerary.
They all came one by one and talked to me. It was nice to see the mix of piano teachers (2), their relatives (3), piano students (3), the local promoter, and an unidentified guest.
The promoter promised me another concert, with orchestra, with a master class, with a full hall next year, if I want to tour Russia again.
We shall see. But it would be a pleasure to come and play in such a nice hall again. We had a quick dinner, and went for a long walk around town. It is stunning how nice and clean Ufa is. Most of the architecture is from Stalin's era, and it is on a very large scale. It is very impressive on many levels. Like Rome, Ufa is built on seven hills, and I had a chance to verify that during my walk. The summit of one of them offers spectacular views of the river valley, and a chance to see an enormous statue of Salawat Yulayev, the local hero, on a horse.
Vladislav looked at my itinerary and told me, to my surprise, that it is a wonderful tour, very much like playing in New York, Washington, San Francisco and Boston in the US. That is very encouraging.
Another encouraging statement was that he has worked with the agency coordinating my tour from Moscow, and it is a nice and reputable organization. It is something that I should have checked in advance, but I am here now, and very glad to hear those words.
Tomorrow, back to Moscow and off to Chita. Chita is the most oriental city on this tour, 6 time zones east of Moscow and one time zone east of Beijing! I will get there in the middle of the night once again. That is really the worst time to arrive in a new city. Everything seems so isolated and bleak. Sometimes the sun rises and things don't change, but there is always hope that they do.
Good night.
October 29th mid-air in Siberia
I am on my flight to Chita now: a six hour flight which will land at some point tomorrow morning.
My flight from Ufa to Moscow was three hour late, for some reason. Vladislav brought me to the airport and shrewdly negotiated that I would not pay for my overweight baggage. He spoke to the airline manager and told him I am a world famous pianist from America on a long tour. It also helped that this particular airline is a partner of my tour.
I arrived in Moscow where I quickly told Ilya about Vladislav's tactics. He tried at the counter but was told I had to pay much more, since the rate went up according to the length of the flight. When he found out the price, he took my ticket and passport and told me to wait at some internet café, where I quickly checked my mail and logged on my new addiction: Facebook. Fifteen minutes later he came back victorious and proud to have convinced the airline officials not to make me pay. Great! Let's see if next time they can even get me out of this cramped middle seat!
We sat down for a coffee and discussed the upcoming itinerary. This will be the tough part. I will be all by myself throughout Siberia. There will also be a train ride to Novosibirsk lasting over 26 hours. At this point no one in the organization knows my train schedule or the duration of the trips. It is up to the local promoters to give me the train tickets and put me on the trains. Ilya is so laid back. Everything is simple for him. His agency, he says, has done this many times with foreign artists, and everything has always been fine. Then, he tells me stories of a French Sextet going out of the train at a station to buy beer and not making it back in time, or reminds me not to talk to drunken men on the trains and not to let people in my compartment because they might be "interested" in me and my luggage. It is a bit like my friend Anna, who produced my Baroque Reflections CD and is a Russian expert, reassuring me that I will have a grand time in Russia, while suggesting bringing a door wedge.
We then wrote few key Russian sentences I might need while traveling. Ilya kept laughing while writing them and told me he was just picturing me saying those things....
At one point, while trying to think of anything else I needed to know in Russian he startled me with a "quanto costa questa donna?” in perfect Italian. The literal translation of that phrase is "how much is this woman?” I really wonder where the respectable- looking and clean cut Ilya learnt this.
The best part of the day is that I could finally have a decent conversation with my Lucille. They provided me with a Moscow cell phone, but this country is so big that wherever I go I pay an enormous amount of money on roaming charges. My Treo works as a phone at about 6 dollars a minute, and, so far, GPRS coverage for email has been available only in Moscow, so communications is not very easy. I am normally wired 24 hrs a day, both on phone and email and this feels very strange.
It was just so nice to hear Lucille's voice. At the same time it kills me that I am not there with her, helping her out in our new apartment. She is a true angel and now she is proving it more than ever. I am so lucky, what can I say? She will be in Guatemala soon, and I can't imagine a starker contrast to eastern Siberia. We will send text messages on our phones until I get a room with a land phone where she should be able to call me.
It is just so strange to travel 6 hours by plane, across six time zones, and be in the same country. I will probably be jet lagged, as my sleep pattern has really been all over the places lately and I am traveling eastwards, which makes it more difficult for the internal clock to adjust. I have a free day upon my arrival and I will probably go out and buy some food for my train rides, as I was advised by Ilya not to buy food on the train and I surely don't feel like walking away from the train at the stations.
Another peculiarity is that all train timetables in Russia follow Moscow time, and not the actual time zone. So, right now I have my Russian phone set on local time, my alarm clock on both local and Moscow time, and my Treo on NYC time. And math was never my forte!
October 31, Chita
Chita has been a nice surprise. Not a pretty place, by far, but the people have been so sweet and kind to me. They always have a smile on their faces, and nothing of that deep set typical Russian sadness. Nobody seems wealthy and most people look happy. It is quite nice to play in such atmosphere. The Philharmonic Hall is closed for restoration, so I played at the local music school. The audience here filled the hall, and it was incredibly warm and appreciative. In spite of a quite mediocre Estonia piano, I was quite satisfied with the concert itself. I do think it was in a way, THE event in town. On my arrival, I was followed around town by a TV crew and gave a press conference in an overcrowded room. The hall was filled tonight with young music students, and it is always a happy occasion for me when this happens.
Also, Sergey, my local interpreter, proved to be a very kind person, very entertaining and helpful. I just wish I had someone like him everywhere I went. After dinner on the first night, we stopped by my "suite" for a beer and some snacks. As soon as we opened the door, the phone rang. Oddly, Sergey ran to the phone and answered it. After a few words in Russian, he hung up. I started feeling quite uneasy, since after all I had just met him, so I asked him who it was. He said that they called to offer the services of some girls. He was quite shocked himself, although his run to the phone tells me he must have predicted that call. He was shocked not at the offer, which apparently is quite a common one, but at the fact that the offer came from the security desk at the hotel, the same security desk which is supposed to protect the guests. This was a western style hotel in the main city square, with many amenities. I guess this was just another of their amenities. And in case you are wondering, yes, we did pass on the offer.
I am now just waiting for midnight. They will bring me to the station where my 11 hour overnight train ride to Ulan-Ude will take place. Needless to say I am quite apprehensive about this first train ride. Trains will be my main mean of transportation for the next few days, so I hope they are safe and comfortable enough. We shall see. I am amazed at how, no matter how poor buildings and living quarters seem, there always seem to be a beautiful square surrounded by very impressive buildings. Lenin Square here in Chita is probably among the largest ones I have ever seen. All for a town of 350,000! I believe it is a reminder of the glorious, at least in appearance, Soviet times.
I also visited a very unique museum, the only Decembrist museum in Russia, and probably the rest of the world. Chita is where Decembrist revolutionaries were sent. They were the main cause of development here. Their wives soon followed, some by foot from Moscow! Their job was to build trust and charm the local people, so that their husbands could have an easier time while in prison. The bond with the locals was so strong that many decided to stay, even after their prison term was over. I was asked to play the small piano at the museum as well as the harmonium. I must confess, despite the poor condition of the instruments, it did feel quite special.
I am finally in Russia. It is funny how I tried to enjoy my last moments in the west up to the time I boarded the flight to Moscow.
I spent the night before my flight at the Marriott Heathrow Hotel. A really nice fluffy bed covered by a soft white duvet and too many pillows to count were a constant reminder that it would have been my last day in luxury for a while. I know life is not just about being comfortable, but it sure helps when you are constantly traveling.
So that night I had a nice cheeseburger with a Martini, reminder of my ritual meal with our dear friends, the Maultsby’s, back in Dallas. It was nowhere close the deliciousness of the local Dallas joint, and the company was far less interesting (myself), but I decided that would do for the day. I called it a night and went to bed around 10 pm. My alarm clock went off as set at 330 am and the rest of the trip was pretty standard, including the 2 hour delay into Moscow as our plane in Frankfurt was faulty and we had to board another aircraft.
Upon arrival in Moscow, I went through immigration, which was a breeze, while overhearing a guy from Canada and a girl from Dallas talking about life in Russia. She was an intern at some Performing Arts Office, and he was working with an oil company, and during the year, alternates three weeks in Canada with seven weeks in Siberia.
I met up with my contacts from the organizing agency. They are all young, and very student-like. I later found out they actually work different jobs at once, as life is particularly tough now in Moscow. They are all musicians, which is good for someone that works in music, and also explains their organizational skills, or lack thereof.
Tanya has been my English speaking contact for the last few weeks. She is Igor's assistant. Igor has been my main contact, but he always relies on computer software to translate his emails into English, often with hilarious results. A particular favorite of mine was when he warned me he was "going on round" (tour) and not to "be afflicted" if I hadn't heard back from him. Tanya looks in her early thirties, but is probably younger and her character reminds me of so many of my Russian friends. She has a strong bond with the other two, but it's almost like a schoolmate-to-schoolmate kind of bond.
Ilya seemed at first the one more in control of the situation. If Tanya seems slightly scattered-brain, Ilya strikes me as more focused at first. While Ilya's favorite response to my questions and demands is a big "maybe" Tanya's is a loud "of course", as in "how dare you assume we didn't think of that?" That statement goes with that certain look a mother gives a child that has asked a silly question, or the look a naughty student gives the teacher when asked whether or not he had practiced. The problem is that behind the "of course" and that severe look, there is a sense of total "whateverness" that is slightly frightening and does not give me the confidence that my demands will be looked after and met.
So I arrived in Moscow and took a long car journey in their Lada to another airport at the opposite end of the city. Tanya briefed me about a few things, and then they started having fun like young kids do, listening to music, etc.... They are very personable and nice people, the kind of people you would want to hang out with, but I am waiting to find out if they are the kind of people you would want to organize your Russian and Tran Siberian tour.
The third person, Nikita, is more of a mysterious character. Very slender and tall, with his dark hair and unpredictable ways, he seems a character out of the streets of Naples. I haven't spoken to him much and I don't know what to think of him yet, but he doesn't seem as clear cut as the other two.
So we arrived at the airport, checked in, paid for the extra few pounds of overweight luggage and sat at a restaurant table to have tea. I must say the food looked delicious, with blinis, meat, potatoes, cheese, and all kinds of fruity drinks, but I had eaten on the plane and tea was enough.
As soon as I asked Ilya some questions about my trip, he half-jokingly said "after tea". If there is a common trait among them that I can easily distinguish, it is a kind of care-free attitude about the whole thing, which is a bit worrying at this stage. I have never been to Russia; I will be traveling across Siberia on my own, and don't really need people that are not sure about what they are doing. I asked if I could have my train schedules by Monday, and his reply was a joyful "maybe".
Also, Tanya and Ilya very often disagree on things, and it takes a few minutes for them to resolve each argument, in Russian, of course, at the end of which there is no explanation given to me. So, I do have the feeling that there is quite a bit happening under the table, that I am not aware of everything, and in these cases Ilya seems the more straightforward, although stricter character, and Tanya, the most accommodating, rule bending, but sneakier one.
So they waved goodbye at security and I had to navigate through the Russian airport security system. There is an area where you prep yourself. Take off your shoes, put blue shower caps on your feet, take out liquids, etc... Then you go through security as you would anywhere else. I witnessed a lady being stopped for carrying a small bottle of brandy which, although small, was over the 100 milliliter limit allowed on the plane. Without blinking, she opened the bottle, drank about half of it, and asked the security guard if that was fine now. The most amazing thing is that to everyone else the fact that a middle aged woman would drink a mug of brandy in mid-afternoon seemed absolutely normal.
I walked to gate 52 and stepped on the plane to Ufa. That's when what I like to call "the movie" began. From that point on, I felt as if I had stepped in a movie in which I was playing the main character. It must be an influence of how Hollywood depicts Russian life, but at this early stage in my trip, it does feels so accurate. From the really nice couple next to me, who were willing to share anything they had and despite speaking no English warned me of the upcoming time change, to the drunk fellow, one row behind singing Russian songs aloud and harassing everybody, from the really old plane and Soviet looking cars that made me feel I had stepped back in time, to the "hotel" in Ufa, everything feels like a movie.
The flight took longer because of an unexplained long wait on the runway, and I ended up landing at 2 am, Ufa time. I was picked up by the artistic administrator of Ufa's Philharmonic Society, Vladislav. He was quick to explain they have a driver but he doesn't speak English so he came to pick me up so late. When I thanked him for getting there in the middle of the night, he just shrugged his shoulders. He is a violist, and seems very international and well traveled. He brought me greetings from a Russian pianist I had met in 1997 at the Hamamatsu competition. Somehow, this familiarity felt very welcome in such an unfamiliar place. An even older Lada took us to the hotel. It is a big apartment building, and I first thought he was bringing me to his home. With my heavy suitcase we walked five flights of stairs and found ourselves in a very long dark hallway, with a blue carpet, and a desk in the middle of it. A lady was sitting on the desk with a faint desk light on. It took me a minute to figure out that was the hotel reception. I wondered where the concierge desk was. It was 3 o'clock by now.
Vladislav filled out a couple of pages of paperwork in Russian to register my passport and visa numbers, and I was given a key to a suite-like room, with a separate kitchen, and bathroom. A full size bed with twin size sheets on, at one corner, and some old looking furniture scattered around. All in all this is quite a nice place. I spent most of my time organizing my belongings. Deciding how to divide and store my valuables, etc... And I ended up going to bed at 4 am. I kept waking up worrying that some chamber maid would walk in trying to make up the room, but quickly realized that was not the case and slept until around noon. I will be going to the concert hall at 430, practice and play my concert at 7.
Ufa is one of the industrial centers in the Western Urals area, and is situated at the confluence of the Belaya and the Ufa Rivers. It is the principal city of the autonomous Bashkortostan Republic. The Muslim Bashkir people now make up only one third of the population of four million and live mostly in rural areas. Ufa has about 1 million people. The Bashkir people at some point in history approached the Russian government and asked to be included in the federation. What a refreshing page in a world history that sees endless violence from smaller countries that seek independence and separation.
October 28, Ufa, Midnight
The first concert of my Russian tour is over. What an interesting experience. It was wonderful to see such a great concert hall, not too big but quite magnificent, and with nearly perfect acoustics. It was surprising to see a wonderful Steinway on stage. They do take music very seriously, more than musicians perhaps. Every musician I met so far has three, four different jobs to make ends meet. The backstage was quite dreadful, a stark contrast with the beauty of the concert hall and foyer. It was wonderful to play for such an appreciative, warm and wonderful audience, and not so wonderful to see that this was an audience of ten! The promoter apologized, it was a week full of piano recitals and he had no time to promote, and so on and so forth. He asked me if I would still like to play. "Of course", I said, almost quoting Tanya. So there I was playing for a wonderful and intimate audience of 10. I later found out this concert was indeed added at the last minute to my itinerary.
They all came one by one and talked to me. It was nice to see the mix of piano teachers (2), their relatives (3), piano students (3), the local promoter, and an unidentified guest.
The promoter promised me another concert, with orchestra, with a master class, with a full hall next year, if I want to tour Russia again.
We shall see. But it would be a pleasure to come and play in such a nice hall again. We had a quick dinner, and went for a long walk around town. It is stunning how nice and clean Ufa is. Most of the architecture is from Stalin's era, and it is on a very large scale. It is very impressive on many levels. Like Rome, Ufa is built on seven hills, and I had a chance to verify that during my walk. The summit of one of them offers spectacular views of the river valley, and a chance to see an enormous statue of Salawat Yulayev, the local hero, on a horse.
Vladislav looked at my itinerary and told me, to my surprise, that it is a wonderful tour, very much like playing in New York, Washington, San Francisco and Boston in the US. That is very encouraging.
Another encouraging statement was that he has worked with the agency coordinating my tour from Moscow, and it is a nice and reputable organization. It is something that I should have checked in advance, but I am here now, and very glad to hear those words.
Tomorrow, back to Moscow and off to Chita. Chita is the most oriental city on this tour, 6 time zones east of Moscow and one time zone east of Beijing! I will get there in the middle of the night once again. That is really the worst time to arrive in a new city. Everything seems so isolated and bleak. Sometimes the sun rises and things don't change, but there is always hope that they do.
Good night.
October 29th mid-air in Siberia
I am on my flight to Chita now: a six hour flight which will land at some point tomorrow morning.
My flight from Ufa to Moscow was three hour late, for some reason. Vladislav brought me to the airport and shrewdly negotiated that I would not pay for my overweight baggage. He spoke to the airline manager and told him I am a world famous pianist from America on a long tour. It also helped that this particular airline is a partner of my tour.
I arrived in Moscow where I quickly told Ilya about Vladislav's tactics. He tried at the counter but was told I had to pay much more, since the rate went up according to the length of the flight. When he found out the price, he took my ticket and passport and told me to wait at some internet café, where I quickly checked my mail and logged on my new addiction: Facebook. Fifteen minutes later he came back victorious and proud to have convinced the airline officials not to make me pay. Great! Let's see if next time they can even get me out of this cramped middle seat!
We sat down for a coffee and discussed the upcoming itinerary. This will be the tough part. I will be all by myself throughout Siberia. There will also be a train ride to Novosibirsk lasting over 26 hours. At this point no one in the organization knows my train schedule or the duration of the trips. It is up to the local promoters to give me the train tickets and put me on the trains. Ilya is so laid back. Everything is simple for him. His agency, he says, has done this many times with foreign artists, and everything has always been fine. Then, he tells me stories of a French Sextet going out of the train at a station to buy beer and not making it back in time, or reminds me not to talk to drunken men on the trains and not to let people in my compartment because they might be "interested" in me and my luggage. It is a bit like my friend Anna, who produced my Baroque Reflections CD and is a Russian expert, reassuring me that I will have a grand time in Russia, while suggesting bringing a door wedge.
We then wrote few key Russian sentences I might need while traveling. Ilya kept laughing while writing them and told me he was just picturing me saying those things....
At one point, while trying to think of anything else I needed to know in Russian he startled me with a "quanto costa questa donna?” in perfect Italian. The literal translation of that phrase is "how much is this woman?” I really wonder where the respectable- looking and clean cut Ilya learnt this.
The best part of the day is that I could finally have a decent conversation with my Lucille. They provided me with a Moscow cell phone, but this country is so big that wherever I go I pay an enormous amount of money on roaming charges. My Treo works as a phone at about 6 dollars a minute, and, so far, GPRS coverage for email has been available only in Moscow, so communications is not very easy. I am normally wired 24 hrs a day, both on phone and email and this feels very strange.
It was just so nice to hear Lucille's voice. At the same time it kills me that I am not there with her, helping her out in our new apartment. She is a true angel and now she is proving it more than ever. I am so lucky, what can I say? She will be in Guatemala soon, and I can't imagine a starker contrast to eastern Siberia. We will send text messages on our phones until I get a room with a land phone where she should be able to call me.
It is just so strange to travel 6 hours by plane, across six time zones, and be in the same country. I will probably be jet lagged, as my sleep pattern has really been all over the places lately and I am traveling eastwards, which makes it more difficult for the internal clock to adjust. I have a free day upon my arrival and I will probably go out and buy some food for my train rides, as I was advised by Ilya not to buy food on the train and I surely don't feel like walking away from the train at the stations.
Another peculiarity is that all train timetables in Russia follow Moscow time, and not the actual time zone. So, right now I have my Russian phone set on local time, my alarm clock on both local and Moscow time, and my Treo on NYC time. And math was never my forte!
October 31, Chita
Chita has been a nice surprise. Not a pretty place, by far, but the people have been so sweet and kind to me. They always have a smile on their faces, and nothing of that deep set typical Russian sadness. Nobody seems wealthy and most people look happy. It is quite nice to play in such atmosphere. The Philharmonic Hall is closed for restoration, so I played at the local music school. The audience here filled the hall, and it was incredibly warm and appreciative. In spite of a quite mediocre Estonia piano, I was quite satisfied with the concert itself. I do think it was in a way, THE event in town. On my arrival, I was followed around town by a TV crew and gave a press conference in an overcrowded room. The hall was filled tonight with young music students, and it is always a happy occasion for me when this happens.
Also, Sergey, my local interpreter, proved to be a very kind person, very entertaining and helpful. I just wish I had someone like him everywhere I went. After dinner on the first night, we stopped by my "suite" for a beer and some snacks. As soon as we opened the door, the phone rang. Oddly, Sergey ran to the phone and answered it. After a few words in Russian, he hung up. I started feeling quite uneasy, since after all I had just met him, so I asked him who it was. He said that they called to offer the services of some girls. He was quite shocked himself, although his run to the phone tells me he must have predicted that call. He was shocked not at the offer, which apparently is quite a common one, but at the fact that the offer came from the security desk at the hotel, the same security desk which is supposed to protect the guests. This was a western style hotel in the main city square, with many amenities. I guess this was just another of their amenities. And in case you are wondering, yes, we did pass on the offer.
I am now just waiting for midnight. They will bring me to the station where my 11 hour overnight train ride to Ulan-Ude will take place. Needless to say I am quite apprehensive about this first train ride. Trains will be my main mean of transportation for the next few days, so I hope they are safe and comfortable enough. We shall see. I am amazed at how, no matter how poor buildings and living quarters seem, there always seem to be a beautiful square surrounded by very impressive buildings. Lenin Square here in Chita is probably among the largest ones I have ever seen. All for a town of 350,000! I believe it is a reminder of the glorious, at least in appearance, Soviet times.
I also visited a very unique museum, the only Decembrist museum in Russia, and probably the rest of the world. Chita is where Decembrist revolutionaries were sent. They were the main cause of development here. Their wives soon followed, some by foot from Moscow! Their job was to build trust and charm the local people, so that their husbands could have an easier time while in prison. The bond with the locals was so strong that many decided to stay, even after their prison term was over. I was asked to play the small piano at the museum as well as the harmonium. I must confess, despite the poor condition of the instruments, it did feel quite special.
November 2nd, crashed on a (finally) nice bed in Irkutsk.
It feels good to be surrounded by white fresh linen in a nice clean room, with a bathroom with proper plumbing. Yes, in most buildings here plumbing seems to have been put in as an afterthought. Same principle applies for electrical wiring. Pipes and wires protrude from the walls at the strangest places, and are very poorly installed. Speaking about bathrooms, while in Ulan-Ude yesterday, I took with me a batch of infamous Russian toilet paper, to bring home to the US. I honestly think it is a valid substitute to coarse sandpaper.
So, I am finally on a proper bed. I have been spending the last couple of nights on the Tran Siberian "Kupe" soft sleeper compartments. "Soft" is just a direct quote, and is not to be taken it literally.
My first trip was from Chita to Ulan-Ude. Looking at the dark midnight train in a dark station full of people, in the bitter cold weather was an experience I will never forget. It did feel like I was being sent off to Siberia, no pun intended.
My three compartment companions happened to be really nice and charming people. I see that most of the people I meet on trains are quite shocked to see an Italian pianist traveling by himself across Siberia. They turn out to be very kind and very helpful. On the first train, there were two young guys and a middle-aged big man with a cut- off T-shirt and a nice gray moustache. One of the young men was a studying Chinese in Chita, and spoke good English, so he did some translating for me. I was so glad to find someone who spoke English because, if you can picture it, my arrival felt a bit intimidating. Two berths on each side, one on top of the other, and a table by the window that was meant to place all the food passengers would bring and share with each other. This leaves very little room to roam around in the cabin. Also, before sleeping time comes, the four passengers are sitting two by two on the lower berths, which brought me face to face with the nice mustached man, trying not to stare at him all the time. It did feel uncomfortable at first, but then with the help of some translation and my embarrassingly rudimentary Russian, conversation became much easier. It is amazing how two Russians that just met, can quickly sit down and talk non stop for hours and hours! They are a really friendly bunch.
I arrived in Ulan-Ude, which is the most Asian city I have been on this trip, and again was met by really kind and generous people. This time, there were even two young girls, students at the local language school, who spoke beautiful English and showed me around town. They told me all about the Buryat people, and their fascinating culture and history and even brought me to a typical Buryat hut to have their local dumplings, the Buryat national dish. It is an amazing mix of culture they have here, and Buryat people seem very proud of their culture as well as of this mix.
I took a picture, in the main square, of Russia's largest Head of Lenin sculpture. The sculpture has really small spikes on it, so small you can’t see them, especially when juxtaposed to the size of the head. They are there to prevent pigeons from going to the bathroom on Lenin's head, which would be considered pretty tasteless.
The Lonely Planet guide to Russia has a wonderful statement about this sculpture, which I found absolutely true: "the main square is awesomely dominated by the world's largest Lenin head which looks less domineering than comically cross-eyed".
I played a concert to a full house that evening on a Moscow-brand piano, the first I have ever played. In Chita's music school they had another one which was appropriately painted red!
The audience was wonderful, although they have a habit of keeping their cell phones on which caused a symphony of external unwanted sounds. They also seem to like to take pictures of the performers, with really strong flashes. They must think it is important to capture the different expressions on the performer's face while playing different pieces, since the photographing lasted for the whole first half. At one point a camera man walked on stage and started filming. He had a nice Sony video camera which emitted a little jingle every time it was switched on and off, which happened about 50 times...
Apart from that, the audience was really wonderful. I received six nice bouquets which I quickly dispensed among all the ladies in the administration, and signed lots of posters. Judging by the audience, about 60% of the people here are of Asian descent, and music once again was a unifying agent among them. It was really special to see the emotion music triggered in all kinds of people, and especially Russian music which seems to be so intertwined with the Russian life and Russian soul.
The overnight journey to Irkutsk was quite nice as my companions where an English speaking banker and a father and son team. The team left quite soon and I had a nice conversation with the banker who seemed to be a walking encyclopedia of Italian soccer history. For the second time after having offered to help me carry my big suitcase, I was asked by my travel companions whether or not I was carrying my piano in it. Russian humor.
Tonight, my concert is at 6pm and I am supposed to take an 8pm train for an 18 hour journey to Bratsk, a town famous for having one of the largest electrical power plants in the world, and having been declared an ecological disaster. It is one of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, and its lake is so full of mercury due to the local chemical plant's discharges. In 1992 the area was home to half the global production of mercury. The Bratsk aluminum plant has been polluting its surroundings to such a great degree that the town of Chikanovskiy was evacuated in 2001 due to repeated health emergencies. Still, due to the difficult economical situation, although Bratsk's inhabitants have been warned not to use the lake's water anymore, the reservoir still remains a source of fish and other food products for many hard-pressed local residents. Sounds like a dream destination? I am just glad I will only be in Bratsk for few hours and that I have plenty of food with me.
I am not looking forward to the train ride at all, especially now that I am lying down on this nice bed, and especially thinking about the next day, when I will have to take the longest journey of this trip, to Novosibirsk, lasting well over a day. I have not been told exactly how long that trip will take, and there must be a reason, but it should be around 30 hours.
Irkutsk seems very nice, although I won't get to see any of it at this occasion. The sad thing is that my last train ride contoured Lake Baikal for three hours, the deepest lake in the world, and possibly one of Russia's natural wonders. Unfortunately, I had to take the night train and lakes don't have the tendency to glow in the dark. Maybe the lake in Bratsk does...
My concert clothes are hanging in the shower to steam and I should really try to take a nap now. Then, I will repack my suit case which has become, among the various trips, a sort of unorganized dumpster where I can't find anything anymore.
This Tran Siberian portion of my tour really feels like an extremely long day with short naps in between.
Good night for now...
November 4, 730 am, on the Tran Siberian from Bratsk to Novosibirsk
Finally, I get a few hours, four, of restful sleep. I hopped onto the train to find my companions to be a man, a babushka and her granddaughter. Between the kid, the gold toothed babushka and a clueless foreigner, the man didn't stand a chance and decided to spend every waken moment out in the corridor gazing at the stars and ladies. This time, the compartment has the fragrant smell of garlic sausage and freshly smoked herrings...
I made my bed, after finally devising my own special technique, which I think puzzled the Russian travelers. The berths are quite hard and the mattress they provide is way too thin to comfort anyone in need of real sleep. So instead of spreading the mattress onto the whole length of the berth, I fold it in half and use it for my back only, while my garment bag and coat provide a comfy place to "put up my feet".
I arrived in Bratsk yesterday afternoon in really poor condition. I had only slept two hours that night, ached in places didn't even know existed, checked into my Soviet room, complete with the now familiar peeling paint and sand paper rolled in the shape of toilet paper, and steamed my clothes, just in time to be picked up for the concert. When I got there I had a great welcome from the friendly staff and saw a bunch of music students and kids, still armed with their instruments lining up to get in. All the pain was gone and made me ponder about the power that music has not only on other people, but now on me. It was quite an amazing experience, and the program of Brahms, Rachmaninov, Ravel and encores went by like a breeze. Again I was treated like a celebrity, with the now customary TV interview, autograph session and, this time, two particularly gutsy cameramen who freely shot their own masterpiece around the piano for the whole concert, with no regards either for the pianist or the audience. My next train was not until 3 am, so I decided to take advantage of the local hospitality and hang out with the assistant to the head of the culture department and my interpreter. Sveta and Tamara are two smart and really kind girls, amazingly young at 22 and 21 respectively, although to me they could easily look in their thirties. They took me out for dinner at my hotel. This hotel was very unique in that it seemed to be the favorite hang out in town. It has pool tables, a well stocked bar and the ever present Siberian favorite: a bowling alley. Dinner was so-so, but greatly appreciated by the locals and we had a nice time over a beer and coffee afterwards at the bar. The bar was full of young Russian having a good Russian time. Too good in fact. One of them happened to be Sveta's fiancé, whom while heavily intoxicated, but appearing quite calm, apparently told his wife-to-be that if she would stay there past midnight he would smash my face. Why mine? I wondered. Anyhow, midnight passed and just when I thought he had forgotten, he rushed in the place and was quickly escorted out by the security guards before he could even get close to us. I saw him later and he had become very civilized once again. I quickly realized I should be more careful picking my hang out places here in Russia, but then, in some of the cities there is really not much of a choice. We'll have to wait for the ZAGAT'S ultimate guide to Siberia to find the hidden spots. Anyhow, I just wish Sveta a happy marriage, as she surely seems to deserve one.
So I just woke up here in the train after a four hour straight sleep. It was quite surreal to wake up to Spanish disco music being piped through the train's intercom, a golden smiley babushka offering me some kind of deep fried bird at 7 am, which looked like a Thanksgiving rehearsal meal in south Texas, and the poor man shaking his head and taking his food to another cabin. I politely refused that fried thing with a "Nye panimayu pa russki" and felt totally uncool reciprocating her kind offer with my little vanilla wafers and a pack of walnuts. Last night I realized my journey to Novosibirsk will last only 26 hours. I can't really complain as the other passengers in my compartment are going all the way to Moscow, and I don't even want to know how long that trip will take. By that time, this compartment will have become a herring smokehouse and the babushka’s gold teeth might have started to tarnish. I could have easily spent the whole morning sleeping, but this train is bustling with life, activity and food. Each carriage is like a little town of its own right, with people not only traveling in them, but completely taking them over and claiming them as their property, if only for some hours. The man came back, with more smoked herrings wrapped in newspaper and fish bones in his short beard. I think l'd better make some tea...
November 6, backstage at the Novosibirsk, Akademigorodok, City of Scientists
After a whole day in the train, it was really wonderful to discover I had a nice room in the brand new dormitories at the Novosibirsk Music College. Novosibirsk is quite a westernized city, with modern buildings and luxury condos popping up everywhere. Locals say real estate here in the center is as expensive as in Moscow. In a way I was glad to see this, but in another strange way, and this surprises me the most, I am starting to miss those old eastern Siberian towns and the simple people. However, I was glad to see I had a nice bed to sleep in and a free day ahead of me.
I visited the city with my guide, Aleksey, who spoke wonderful English and is the history teacher at the music college. He lived part of his early life in Cuba, and then came back to Russia when he was ten. He went to university and has had quite a busy life. He travels around Russia and China in search of the perfect climbing place and was telling me stories about getting caught by Chinese police while climbing a city wall in Beijing. He is just 25. I am quite surprised to meet so many people younger than me. It feels strange, but I think time is finally catching up with me.
Also, I finally got to practice in the afternoon. While touring, you do learn a lot of things you would never learn in a practice room, but it is wonderful to get some time to put all these new thoughts into work and make a little balance of the situation. I think the music is constantly evolving and a tour like this, where I will be playing the same program night after night, is really the best way to make my playing advance. I also worked on Brahms' First Piano Concerto, which I have to perform in Yekaterinburg on the 16th, amongst a grueling schedule of recitals, and a Bach-Busoni work which awaits a performance in New York the day after my arrival from Russia.
This morning I gave a master class at the college. It was a bit intimidating as this is the famous school that produced artists of the caliber of Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin. And the level did not disappoint. In spite of a non-musician interpreter, I think the international language of music bridged once again all cultural and geographical gaps. Oh yes, the Italian hand gestures might have helped too.
The students and their teachers were really happy and I have now an open invitation from the director to do anything I like at their school at any time. He kindly said my room was waiting for me with my name on it.
After lunch I transferred to this amazing complex that is Akademigorodok, or City of Scientists. It is an enormous scientific town where all great minds from Russia and abroad get together for research and teaching at their own university. It is also home to the main concert hall in Novosibirsk, a state of the art facility that sits about 1000. It is the place where most international artists come and perform, and it was built as a complement to the scientific research. It is quite amazing to see how much importance the Soviet government has put into science and arts. Cutting-edge and beautiful materials are used throughout. The place today looks just as stunning as it might have looked when it was first built. I don't have enough knowledge to discuss politics, but all I can say is that the government really prioritized on this project. There is a wonderful art exhibit at the lower level as well. The hall is a tad dry for my taste, but it is a multi purpose space after all, and it has to be clear enough for theatre productions as well as conferences and so on.
The Steinway piano is also very nice.
Unfortunately, I will have to catch a train earlier than my program would normally end, therefore I will have to cut two of the four Brahms Ballades. It is funny how this has happened only in another beautiful hall, in Irkutsk, whereas in places where I might be tempted to cut my program short, I always had plenty of time to play the whole thing....
The night train will get me to Biysk tomorrow morning at 630 am. I hear it is a beautiful town, and I won't have to leave, by air this time, until the next morning.
Finally I got a text message from Moscow. I hadn't written to them in a couple of days. Before that, Tanya had of course been very dismissive with her "of course" and we almost got into an SMS argument over phone roaming. I was fine now traveling by myself but they started wondering how things were going. She asked in her message how I was doing and where I was. My reply: doing wonderfully and am in Novosibirsk, as planned. Where else would I be? Wandering off my path in Siberia?
Horrible news. My gigantic suitcase (a.k.a. House on wheels) broke today. For the last two days the trolley's pull-out handle was not behaving and today, in one last attempt to pull it up, it broke off at one hand. Now my home-in-a-box will be even more difficult to lug around. My arms, especially my left one, are about to go on strike and give up. Playing is fine, but the pain from days of heavy lifting is quite bad. The glamorous life of a concert pianist!
November 8, Moscow
I am back in Moscow. A 130am mini bus picked me up last night in Biysk, and brought me to the Barnaul airport, where I boarded my flight in Moscow at 7am. It's 4pm now, and I am just wiped out, with this ridiculous travel schedule. I realize Russia is a big country, but why do I need to leave in the middle of the night and through such a bizarre itinerary to play my next concert in Novgorod tomorrow night? It also puzzles me that I will have to return to Moscow, by overnight train after each of the next three concerts, just to spend few hours in this shabby room in the capital and take the night train to the next destination. It is just very confusing. I thought this second half of the tour was going to be easier, but after looking at my continuous schedule of concerts, night trains to Moscow, day trains to the next city and concert, I am starting to think otherwise.
I heard today that the agency wants to invite me back next year for another tour, possibly with an orchestra as well. As much as I would love to, and as much as I am enjoying this new experience, I think I will have to be a bit firmer in my negotiations, especially regarding travel arrangements and length of tour.
My trip to Biysk was fantastic. For the first time there was no other person in my compartment. I was in the Restaurant Car and except for the controller and two big ladies in another compartment, I was all alone. Everyone I told this to was as surprised as I was. Biysk was quite uneventful, except for the fact that the sweet local promoters really went out of their ways to make sure I was taken care of. My interpreter this time was Max, an 18 year old Economics student. He was extremely nice and his relationship to the promoter is something I am still trying to figure out. Max's father, he explained, is married to the promoter's daughter. He said they are very close in age, around 40, but the fact that the promoter looks in her fifties makes it a bit more complicated, I think. I will think about it when my brain thaws after this tour.
For the first time in a very long time, I had two proper meals at proper restaurants! I am sorry but this is very exciting for me. At night I had my first sample of real Russian Vodka, with some kind of Siberian dish consisting of partially frozen rolled up bacon rubbed in garlic, and ox tongue thinly sliced, to be ingested with Vodka and eaten with really hot mustard. Another dish was Russian's take on opulence. A slice of chicken, one of pork and one of beef sandwiched between fried onions and topped with melted cheese. Not for the faint of heart. So we toasted and toasted, to me, to music, to Russia, to Italy, to Lucille, to Max, etc...I was also introduced to the proper way of Russian toasting and the tradition of sniffing rye bread after gulping the shot of vodka. All in all it made for a wonderfully warm and colorful evening. Most of Russia this time of the year looks quite bleak. When the sun tries to peak through, it does so in a very shy and almost apologetic way. The Russian people are what give a bit of color to the country. I am sure spring and summer in grand places like St. Petersburg are quite different though. Moscow is about -5 C now, and it is strangely colder than my last few towns in Siberia where I enjoyed relatively warm temperatures (+5 C) and windless days. Today I will start the western portion of my Russian tour. Again, I don't know what to expect, even though, after 11 days is this country I am starting to form an idea. I had just got used to my Siberian routine that I wishes my tour stayed in Siberia. My train for Novgorod, an ancient town near Rachmaninov's birth town, leaves at 9pm and will get me there around 6am. Time for a nap now.
November 10, on the train from Moscow to Smolensk
I have just had a bowl of instant hot Korean noodle soup I had bought back in Chita, and I can't begin to describe how wonderfully familiar this moment feels. Very often, at home I make hot ramen or udon noodles from scratch. It's one of Lucille's favorite dishes, and among so much insipid food, it does feel like a blessing. I have the luxury to be traveling by myself in the SV class. In this compartment there are just two quite comfortable beds and even an unhooked TV set. I wish all my travels, or at least my night trains had been in SV, but apparently most trains don't have this class of service.
Novgorod was quite nice, although I was too tired to go out and visit it. The concert took place in the beautiful Filarmonia within the city's stunning Kremlin. Somehow I have the impression that I won't find as warm a welcome in the cities around Moscow as I had encountered in Siberia. People so far tend to be more professional and somewhat colder. But it is too early to judge. Having said that, after the concert I met with some wonderful young people, but I had to rush off to catch my train.
I slept most of my way back to Moscow and met Ilya at the station. Actually I had to call him, as my train arrived at 530 in the morning and his alarm clock hadn't gone off. About 30 minutes later he took me on a night car tour of Moscow. The capital city looks just stunning. Beautiful buildings, monuments, clean streets and just pure glitz provided a stark contrast to some of the Siberian cities I had visited. To me this divide simply doesn't seem right. I spent time with Ilya, first at a ridiculously expensive average café then at his room in the Moscow Conservatory's dorm. The rooms are newly renovated, a far cry from the rooms I had heard of from friends who attended this venerable institution. The only downside is that you have to share it with another person and have to use the common bathrooms, which is quite an experience. On my necessary visit there I witnessed something no one should ever see. Without being too graphical, it looked like an explosion had happened at a very inopportune time. But then again, rent is almost free in a city where real estate prices are equal or superior to New York City's.
Speaking to Ilya gave me a glimpse on how tough it is to survive here. He's juggling various jobs, and although he was good enough a bassoonist to enter the conservatory, a musician's dream come true, and to play in the State Orchestra, he couldn’t find the time to practice. He is seriously contemplating quitting and dedicating himself fully to the concert promotion business.
On Wednesday, I will have what they call a free day. That is, arrival at 6 in morning, and departure from the airport at 2 am...
I will finally meet with Igor, the creator of the tour, to probably discuss my next visit here. I would like better conditions, but after learning all the parts that come into play organizing such a big tour in Russia, I really don't know what to ask for. Distances are what they are and more air traveling will also mean going back to Moscow all the time and more layovers. Also getting to the airports and dealing with the unpredictable Russian air schedules (and safety records) might not be a good idea. Asking for a night in a hotel in each town, will mean a much longer tour, for the same number of concerts. All these problems are realities Russians have to be confronted with on a daily basis. I guess I can put a firm limit to the length of the tour and the duration of my train rides....we'll see.
I will arrive in Smolensk at 4pm, play and come back to Moscow with the night train which will get me there again at 5am. I realize I am on a very strange time schedule here. I basically sleep whenever I can, or whenever I collapse, and it is mostly during the day, before the concerts. Then most of the day is spent traveling. The most encouraging aspect of all of this is the strong need I have to make fresh music every night, in spite of everything. In a strange way all of this is bringing me closer to my music.
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