Secrets of the stodgy
Last Thursday, I performed "A Scary Thing" for a bunch of students and faculty at Webster, which is quite an animated piece. I could hear people's stunned reactions during the piece as if to say "What's going on here??" That's always a good reaction. No, I'm not kidding.
Which brings me to the issue of taste, particularly in the arts.
You see, while there are a number of professionals and laymen who seem to enjoy and value what I do, there are some that not only don't enjoy it, they'll go out of their way to disparage it.
That's the stuff that's particularly enjoyable for me. 95% of the time, anyway. The other 5% of the time, it bothers me b/c I don't set out to get under people's skin. People like that seem to be manipulative and jerky. I do what I do because I'm very sincere about it. If it gets under your skin in a positive or negative way, that's only a compliment to me.
The professor of piano at Webster is one of those people. He's apparently spent some more-than-negligible amount of time with students and, assumedly, faculty, whining about what I do.
Keep in mind, this is someone who's spent many years and countless hours perfecting his craft of piano performance in the tradition of many before.
On the other hand, while I certainly take some influence from tradition, there's no one that I know of that has the kind of background that I do, or composes and performs in the way I do. No one before now or currently. Therefore, I stand out more.
I've always identified in some way with some of the more rebellious among us, the kind of thing that's summed up very well in Scooby-Doo: "...you meddling kids!!! [shaking his fist bitterly]"
Of course, people like Leonard Slatkin, one the most well-known living classical music figures in the world, and Barbara Liberman, the principal of keyboards for the St. Louis Symphony, connect positively with what I do.
I remember when I met Taki Sugitani from the St. Louis Symphony, and he asked me:
"Is there a professor of piano at Webster?"
"....yeah..."
"Well, what does he think of what you do? Clearly, it's remarkable!"
"I seem to aggravate him."
This was impossible for Taki to understand.
But actually, I'm suprised there isn't MORE of a percentage of people like this professor, people who when I look them in the eye, I can see a kind of respect, maybe even admiration, though they'll probably never admit it, and will only reveal their over-the-top consternation, which in turn reveals more about them than they seem to realize.
It seems that people have a very hard time understanding and accepting this. They think that accomplished musicians can't possibly feel threatened or challenged.
If they could see what I see, they'd know.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue living my life. Hopefully the next time someone complains about it, I'll be in the right mood to see the absurdity in it like I usually do. Good day.
Which brings me to the issue of taste, particularly in the arts.
You see, while there are a number of professionals and laymen who seem to enjoy and value what I do, there are some that not only don't enjoy it, they'll go out of their way to disparage it.
That's the stuff that's particularly enjoyable for me. 95% of the time, anyway. The other 5% of the time, it bothers me b/c I don't set out to get under people's skin. People like that seem to be manipulative and jerky. I do what I do because I'm very sincere about it. If it gets under your skin in a positive or negative way, that's only a compliment to me.
The professor of piano at Webster is one of those people. He's apparently spent some more-than-negligible amount of time with students and, assumedly, faculty, whining about what I do.
Keep in mind, this is someone who's spent many years and countless hours perfecting his craft of piano performance in the tradition of many before.
On the other hand, while I certainly take some influence from tradition, there's no one that I know of that has the kind of background that I do, or composes and performs in the way I do. No one before now or currently. Therefore, I stand out more.
I've always identified in some way with some of the more rebellious among us, the kind of thing that's summed up very well in Scooby-Doo: "...you meddling kids!!! [shaking his fist bitterly]"
Of course, people like Leonard Slatkin, one the most well-known living classical music figures in the world, and Barbara Liberman, the principal of keyboards for the St. Louis Symphony, connect positively with what I do.
I remember when I met Taki Sugitani from the St. Louis Symphony, and he asked me:
"Is there a professor of piano at Webster?"
"....yeah..."
"Well, what does he think of what you do? Clearly, it's remarkable!"
"I seem to aggravate him."
This was impossible for Taki to understand.
But actually, I'm suprised there isn't MORE of a percentage of people like this professor, people who when I look them in the eye, I can see a kind of respect, maybe even admiration, though they'll probably never admit it, and will only reveal their over-the-top consternation, which in turn reveals more about them than they seem to realize.
It seems that people have a very hard time understanding and accepting this. They think that accomplished musicians can't possibly feel threatened or challenged.
If they could see what I see, they'd know.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to continue living my life. Hopefully the next time someone complains about it, I'll be in the right mood to see the absurdity in it like I usually do. Good day.
posted by KENNY at 4:38 PM
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