Pianist Jerome Rose Inspires Students

Pianist Jerome Rose gives a master class last week in southern Seoul. Side by side, teacher and student play and converse through music on two grand pianos. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Pianist Jerome Rose gives a master class last week in southern Seoul. Side by side, teacher and student play and converse through music on two grand pianos.
/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hyo-won

``It's fortissimo, fortissimo!'' exclaimed the pianist, as a young student tried to catch up in playing Franz Liszt's ``Dante Sonata.'' ``I don't understand how you can do that without switching the pedal.''

This is Jerome Rose, one of America's most distinguished pianists, giving a master class to young students in Seoul. He was in town for a recital at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 29, and had contacted the local Yamaha Artist Services to offer the free tutorial the following day.

``Listz, being the greatest pianist in the world, played like he was the greatest pianist in the world,'' Rose encouraged the 17-year-old student to play with confidence. ``Bravo,'' he said, ending the heated lesson on a happy note.

``All of music is in many ways autobiographical; it's an expression of your imagination and life experience and the life experience of the music you're representing,'' Rose told The Korea Times after giving his second lesson.

Rose has been seen all over the world stage since making an international debut in his early 20s. A Gold Medallist of the International Busoni Competition, he also has critically acclaimed recordings of Liszt, Chopin and Beethoven under his belt.``What I was trying to do with this young man was show him that (the `Dante Sonata') is a dramatic episode after the reading of Dante's `Inferno.' This is an absolute tome form of music, which Franz Liszt wrote from his years of pilgrimage. The years of pilgrimage are basically a representation of his entire life.

``And I don't think the young man playing the piano really understands where this piece fits into Liszt's life. He will in time… I did not have time to explain all of this to him,'' he said.``In order to understand music you have to understand life ― I think this has been said a million times by a million different people. You play who you are,'' explained Rose, emphasizing once again that who you are is an extent of one's imagination, talents, passion and human experiences, and ability to identify with the music.

``You and the music are one. When somebody sits down to play, they are living the music and the music lives through them. They are the body, the mind and the spirit of the music. The great performance is the synthesis of the body, the mind and the spirit,'' said Rose.

Five aspiring musicians each received one-hour lessons from the pianist, while some 150 people stopped by. Playing all afternoon could have easily been enervating, but explosive energy and dramatic tension pierced the air throughout. Students, parents, teachers and professional musicians came by to hear the open lecture, including up-and-coming pianist Kim Tae-hyung, 22, the first Korean to win the City of Porto International Piano Competition.

Through the master class, Rose said he hopes to inspire: ``All you can do is excite a certain imagination. That's all you hope to do in one lesson. It's to say, yes, there is music, and there is a world of drama, performance and imagination that you can aspire to. You, too, can be an artist. That's all you have to do, to inspire someone to the importance that they have, in the moment they sit down to play.''``It was so inspiring and stimulating,'' said Jeong Yong-hwan, 17, who tackled the ``Dante Sonata'' with Rose. A third year student at the elite Yewon School, he studies under Kim Dae-jin, one of Korea's most prominent pianists.

``Korean teachers usually focus on the detail, but Mr. Rose emphasized the overall feel of the piece,'' said Jeong. ``(Rose's) performance is so powerful ― it really prompts me to read Dante's `Inferno' and practice extra hard,'' he said.But Jeong wasn't the only one moved by the experience. ``Yes (it's inspiring to play with these young students) ― it's like planting a seed and seeing it grow. This is true for any teacher, it's like having children. It's very exciting,'' said Rose, who currently teaches at his alma mater, Mannes College of Music.

``The children in Korea are very special as you know,'' he said. ``The parents are very dedicated to their children. It's a very special society, and the children are very important to them. And with education being triumphant in the culture, unlike many societies, Korea is striving today,'' he said.

``I've long been dreaming of studying in the United States,'' Jeong said. ``After the lesson with the English/Korean interpreter, I realized that I needed to polish up my English,'' he said.

Yamaha Artist Services Seoul (YASS), located in COEX, southern Seoul, provides a platform for rising young talent by providing recitals and master classes with top musical experts. Jeong, for example, had attended a master class with Russia's celebrated Mikhail Voskresensky in 2006 for Chopin's ``Polonaise'' and won the Bechstein Samik Piano Competition the following year with the piece.

To learn more about YASS, visit www.yamaha-music.co.kr (in Korean)