First perfection, then fame
Print Edition
SOME pianists gain fame at a young age. Rudolf Buchbinder did the opposite. The now 70-year-old took his time to perfect his piano skills and is now a poster child of those great pianists who were recognized late in their careers.
Recruited by the Vienna Academy of Music at age 5, Buchbinder become the academy’s youngest student in the history. He played his first open concert at 9 and was awarded a special prize at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at 20.
As a teacher, he insists that his students read books about composers and their works before playing their pieces — the only way to catch the original intention and characteristics of the piece, he said.
“You are only free to do what you want when you know the original version and the composer’s intention.... The knowledge will help open a door in your brain and help you see how far you can go,” he said.
He’s also a talented conductor and recorded a Beethoven and Mozart piano concerto DVD with the Vienna Philharmonic.
Recently, Buchbinder conducted Staatskepelle Dresden with his piano at the Shanghai Symphony Hall.
Q: Did your understanding of the pieces change with time?
A: My interpretation is changing every day. When you are young, you are often a bit narrow-minded and not flexible. I recorded the complete set of Beethoven’s Sonata three times. The first time was 35 years ago. My interpretation was narrow-minded. Then, 30 years later, a famous critic from Germany told me that I should record the Sonata again since I was free.
When can you be free? Only knowledge makes you free. The more you know, the freer you are. It is like building a house. When the foundation is solid, you can build any beautiful architecture you want. Otherwise, nothing. It is the same in music.
My last record of Beethoven’s work was done one-and-a-half years ago. It was a live recording for DVD. And I promise you that I will never do that again. Three times is enough for me.
Q: Your talent was recognized when you were 5 years old, but you didn’t gain big fame until your later career. How do you see that?
A: I am very lucky that I was never a sensation. The problem of being a sensation is that you cannot repeat the sensation.
It is dangerous for a musician to gain big fame at very young age, especially for conductors. When you have everything at 30 or 35, what do you do at 60?
There is a difference between the record companies today and in the past. In the past, the companies would prepare a career for the young talent. They were thinking about the future. But today, they just think about the next day. They want a sensation after another. Many young musicians are misused.
Q: How do you follow the original version of a composer while adding your own personality?
A: You have to know the original version and the composer’s intention. If you know it tone by tone, then you are free to do what you want.
Q: What is your suggestion for children piano players and their parents?
A: The most difficult thing for the parents is to discover the right talent of the child. Once they discovered it, they have to get him or her a good teacher.
I was very lucky to be recruited by the Vienna Academy of Music when I was 5. I had very good teachers, and most importantly, I never had a lesson when I was alone with the teacher. There was always good relaxing atmosphere in the class, and I learnt to play in public from the beginning.
A teacher plays a very important role to help the children keep on their interest in piano and guide them in the right way.
There was a girl at the master class who asked “How should I hold my hands while playing?” I told her, throw them on the table. That is how you should play.
And, very importantly, don’t practice too much. Nobody can concentrate for more than 6 hours a day. If I sit down at a piano, I have the same enthusiasm and energy like I do at a concert. I never practice a lot, but when I practice, my whole body has to be involved.
Practicing long without concentration is just ruining your hands. Playing an instrument is like an extreme sport. Sportsmen finish their career by 30. Don’t overload your hand. Your fingers are very precious.
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