Garrick Ohlsson
Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat 7:30 p.m. May 29 and 30 and 2:30 p.m. May 31 Age: 61 Hometown: White Plains, N.Y.
Moment he knew the piano would be his career:“The most serious moment in my life was when I was 16, and I went to hear a recital of (Emil) Gilels at Carnegie Hall. I had heard a lot of great pianists, but this time I was sitting onstage very near him. And I suddenly realized how good I wasn’t. Just every aspect of piano playing and musical art — I realized I’m just a little kid. I remember I had a new seriousness about my own work after that.”
Recent project he is excited about:“The recording I would like to mention is not new, but it is slightly news, because my complete works of Chopin, which I recorded for Arabesque, have been reissued on the Hyperion label. That is a hefty 16-CD set. It is out since November or December last year.”
Challenge of playing the piano:“The old adage (is) that it’s hard to make a piano sing, because all you have in a piano is the beginning of a note and the sustaining of a note. And it doesn’t sustain. It makes a diminuendo, no matter what you’re doing. So, all the crescendos, all the singing sound, all the illusion of massed instruments — that’s all an illusion, and that’s what we have to control. The hardest thing, like every piano teacher has ever said, is to make the instrument sing rather than just be an instrument of percussive beginnings of notes.”
Thoughts on the concerto:“I’ve played it lots and lots in my life — happily — because it’s such a monumental, great piece. It’s one of the most popular ones.”
Thoughts on his fellow pianists:“I have to confess that I have never heard him (Thibaudet) live in a concert. I heard a bit of a rehearsal once, and I’ve met him, but I can’t say I know him well. I don’t often get a chance to go hear other pianists, but I’m certainly familiar with Jeff’s work ever since he won the Rubinstein Prize.”
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
