Guest
On a tour of Japan last month, playing Classical music with a brilliant pianist (Vital Stahievitch!), and with very little preparation time, it felt like the right occasion to perform the Arutunian Concerto (for only the 2nd time in my life). This is a gorgeous piece of music, with lots of rich melodies to sink your teeth into. Since I’m not a full-time devotee or an expert on the stylistic details of this genre of music, my goal was simply to exist in a flow-state, and allow for a certain amount of spontaneity to occur with regard to the interpretation. I was apprehensive to post a full recording, but thanks to mounting pressure after that short, cheeky post the other day, I’ve been encouraged to put it out there in full. I know you already know the piece. I would encourage you not to sing along, or compare this recording to your expectation of what it “should” sound like. Just take it in, as it is, and hopefully you’ll be treated to some delightfully surprising moments. It’s definitely not “perfect”, but it is honest. For me, that’s more important. Since it’s often used as a competition piece for younger players, there’s often a lot of stress associated with it, which limits the possibility of real musical exploration. That’s a shame considering how expressive the piece can be. I’m very happy to offer this recording (complete with all the excessive coughing, opening of candy wrappers [watch me eventually “smile” with daggers at the oblivious person responsible] and other would-be distractions) as an antidote to that stress. I invite you to be fully present, as we were, and to give your inner-adjudicator a smoke break. One of the best things we can do for the music we play is to savor every delicious note, and play from the heart, as Arutunian clearly wrote this piece from the heart.
