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15 Questions
Hi! How are you? Where are you?
Hi, I'm fine thank you. I'm in Switzerland.
What’s on your schedule right now?
I’m reading Pushkin's Eugene Onegin – more precisely, Tatiana's letter scene in this opera of Tchaikovsky and playing his Romeo and Juliet on the piano to find out how I can render what I call the "theme in quest for love" in Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto.
What is your earliest musical memory?
Me, playing some notes with a lot of curiosity.
Was there a deciding moment, which made you want to become an artist?
I wonder if one can in fact decide to become an artist, maybe it rather imposes itself on you. For me, there wasn't a deciding moment. Even today, I'm questioning myself and I have to convince myself about it every day - there are always a lot of doubts.
How satisfied are you with life as an artist?
I'm a very dissatisfied musician full of gratitude.
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
When tears pour for unknown reasons and I forget that I even exist. Each performance is like a kind of exam where the president of the jury is the composer himself - and we'll never know his judgment.
How do you balance your personal emotions and the intentions of the composer in your interpretations?
It is a question of finding harmony. It occurs when the public, me and the composer become one.
In which way, would you say, is your cultural background reflected in your performances?
I don't really feel a nationality in my music making. Music is so universal.
How would you describe and rate the scene for classical music of the country you are currently living in?
I'm living in Switzerland and it is fantastic.
Do you consider it important that more young people care for classical music? If so, how, do you think, could this be achieved?
Sure, it can be enchanting for people of all ages. For example, to get back to it, nobody can resist the "love theme" of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. The battle between the Capulets and Montagues is also very efficiently expressed and sublime. You can’t but feel it.
How would you rate the importance of the Internet and new media for you personally?
Indispensable.
What’s your view on the relationship between musical education and music?
Indispensable.
You are given the position of artistic director of a concert hall. What would be on your program for this season?
Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, at least twenty times.
How would you describe the relationship with your instrument?
"Neither with nor without you", something like Truffaut's film "La femme d'à côté"
Have you ever tried playing a different instrument? If yes, how good were you at it?
I play the violin badly. As for piano playing, my Goddess is Callas.
Image by Mat Hennek
Homepage:
Hyun-Jung Lim at Harrison Parrott
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