Listening to the Repertory: What the Piano Can Say in the Hands of Gilels

This famous Prelude (G minor, Op. 23, No. 5) by Sergei Rachmaninov is played by the Russian Pianist Emil Gilels. This performance is remarkable for his human, his personal sound. The texture is incredible in this; the melodies and the inner voices getting special treatment in so many ways, his amazing, unflagging energy and sense of timing.

The most incredible clip of Gilels can be found linked here (along with other war footage) of him playing this Prelude as a young man for Russian Soldiers about to enter combat. Please look this up- you won't regret seeing him (beginning at minute 1 hour 10 minutes.) Shortly after that you will see Sviatoslav Richter, (Hey, anybody heard of the Revolutionary Etude in C sharp minor? That record player is a bit fast!) and then followed by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli! Emil Gilels was allowed by Soviet Russia to make tours accompanied by government officials. Once when Franz Mohr, (one of the greatest piano technicians ever) had a rare moment with him alone, he said, not knowing what the response would be; "I'd like to give you this," and gave him a Bible. Gilels snatched it out of his surprised hands and in a second it had disappeared into his coat. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, "You don't know what this means to me!" He did not know what happened afterwards. It was perhaps the only time they were together like that. Franz Mohr tells this story in his book My Life With the Great Pianists.

Music Education #1: Environment

Many parents ask me "What can I do to give my own child a good education in music?" I can not give a comprehensive list that will guarantee success, but maybe I can give some tips, little by little on different posts, as I go through this blog that you may find helpful.

Children are products of their environments, and though they have innate capabilities, your first question need not be "is my child talented?" because that has little bearing on the initial basis of his musicality: How many vastly talented children have there been who have never even seen a piano before? Their environment gave them no chance! So give your child the best advantage of a musically rich environment from the beginning by the following:

1. Play regularly yourself (If you don't know how, learn some basics!)
2. Keep a tuned piano the house, as well as any other instruments you like
3. Take your kids to recitals and musical events
4. Listen to recorded music to your child throughout the day long
5. Sing

(For listening, I recommend Bach especially among classical composers because of his perfect logic and polyphony. His musical language is the most complex and beautiful of all composers. Why not Mozart, as in "Baby Einstein and the Mozart effect"? Yes Mozart was a genius too, and well worth listening to, but if you want to produce a bit of a Mozart yourself, why listen to Mozart's output? Listen to his INPUT! He listened to Baroque Music! And the greatest exponent of Baroque music is Bach.)

Recommended Reading: "Nurtured by Love" by Shinichi Suzuki. This is the "mother-tongue" method, which, if you do Suzuki method or not, can really affect your child's beginning. We don't actually use Suzuki repertory at home, currently, nor do we play the violin much, but I do like the philsophy of Shinichi Suzuki, and having the general atmosphere of music, each of my children has an interest in music that I can build on.

Some of our all-time favorite listening:

The Well-Tempered Clavier (I & II) by J.S. Bach (performed by Andras Schiff)

Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies

The Irish Tenors

Beethoven Piano Sonatas and Concertos

The Best of LAGQ (I think we have listened to that CD more than 70 times!)

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3

Joaquin Rodrigo Guitar Concertos (awesome Spanish music!)

J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

Handel: Water Music

Dvorak: New World Symphony

Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor

Playing music is not absolutely necessary to life, but it enhances it tremendously. If you want to go with me on this journey of teaching your children to enjoy and to play music, come along: it gives your child a rich, natural heritage to enjoy.

Next Music Education Post: Finding a Teacher