I love my job.
"...the reasons for love should remain a thing of mystery," Kissin on music.
Evgeny Kissin has returned to South Korea. The tall, pale-faced figure emerged before the press Wednesday in Seoul, softening his intense air with a bright smile and, with that unmistakable mound of dark, untamed curls, looking almost anachronistic in the image-obsessed, Mozart-meets-MTV era. Like his otherworldly presence, he seems to carry on the world on his own pace.
The 37-year-old pianist took the world by storm as a child prodigy and has since been ranked alongside Rubinstein and other historic artists. International competitions, the usual rite of passage for musicians, were never necessary _ ``yes, I have never participated in a concours, so I don’t know anything about them and they don’t concern me,’’ he said in a matter of fact manner. The people who are unable to forget him as a 12-year-old braving Chopin concertos don’t bother him either. ``Even though the human life span has become longer in the 21st century, there has to be a problem if people regard a mid-30-year-old as a child prodigy,’’ he said, throwing the room into a rumble of laughter. ``People who remember me 25 years ago do not concern me. The idea of a child prodigy is neither good nor bad, and it is in fact natural for an artist to show talents at an early age,’’ he said.
In his youth, Kissin flirted with composing, but now he concentrates on playing while occasionally transcribing some pieces of music for the piano. He gives less than 45 performances a year because he needs rests in between, which is not surprising. But even during his break, Kissin spends six to seven hours in front of the piano daily -- musical genius doesn’t appear out of thin air. It’s been a quarter of a century since his debut but he finds that music becomes increasingly difficult. ``My ideals become higher everyday,’’ he said.
On stage, he is famous for giving encores, up to 16 in Naples. In 2006, the Russian finally made his long-awaited debut here, and made certain that it was unforgettable with an hour-long encore of some 10 songs. When ticket sales opened in January for his recital Thursday, tickets sold out in less than five hours. Kissin said he always has three to four encore pieces ready but plays off the top of his head if the concertgoers want more.
``Ever since performing in Korea for the first time three years ago, I’ve been saying that Koreans are the most heated and passionate of audiences, even more so than Italians. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s performance,’’ he said. Other things Korean that left an impression include performances by maestro Chung Myung-whun and Korean-Russian soprano Nelly Lee, and ``bibimbap’’ (Korean mixed vegetable rice). Like his long encores, he spoke to reporters about music at length, speaking with long pauses and choosing his words carefully in his native tongue.
For this young maestro, music is a subject of unconditional passion and mystery. He chose a repertoire of Chopin and Prokofiev for the recital here, simply choosing what he likes. Is this is a treat for his staunch fans?
``It is a tribute to the composers, and it is about sharing something I like with the audience. I feel thankful if the listener thinks it is a gift to them,’’ he said. He is, however, unwilling to give a reason for his favorites. ``I hope to never be able to answer that, and I wish all of humanity would never be able to either, because the reasons for love should remain a thing of mystery,’’ he said.
For his music, he said he is inspired by other art forms and life itself, and thinks a lot about the actual ballet while playing Prokofiev’s ``Romeo and Juliet,’’ which he offers Korean fans tonight. Someone who spends a great deal of time listening to recordings at home, Kissin prepares for concerts by listening to relevant albums by other artists. For Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8, he strongly recommends the rendition by Elis Gilles, who premiered the very piece in 1944.
Kissin performs tonight at the concert hall of Seoul Arts Center. Call (02) 751-9606.
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