Translation of excerpt from the Magazine : MANAGER today
After entering this field of piano concert performance and facing many tough obstacles throughout my journey, I needed to closely examine the finer details and challenges that I came across such as traveling and encountering society on a day to day basis. Sometimes these obstacles hindered my ability to concentrate fully and focus 100% of my attention on my performing career. The challenges that I have faced could not be learned from being a student or textbooks. These were life lessons that I would take with me for the rest of my life. Everything that I have experienced thus far has molded me into the person that I am toda
No matter your social status or class, everyone must face the same life experiences as the next person. Without these experiences, an individual will not fully know what the world is like. Music is a part of the world, and without a thorough understanding of this subject matter, one will be impeded by many obstructions.
Classical music has been in existence for hundreds of years now. All music has different historical backgrounds and each style of music has their own interpretations along with ideas. To the performer, this is a huge challenge to master because each individual has his or her own ideas and personality. It is difficult to escape from other people’s ideas and to create their own soul.
In fact, all the pressure and difficulty of the challenges I had encountered did not prove to be a bad thing. Even beyond that, it was a relief to resolve them and deepened my life experiences. When fully comprehended, the truest feelings within me and the deepest thoughts I have will be reflected on the pieces I play.
This growth within me is difficult to explain and even harder to understand, but the change inside me can be seen in the quality of my performance. From my technical skills, amplitude, artistic expressions, emotions, unique interpretations, and sensitivity, there is an enormous difference in my presentation that cannot be learned nor mastered in one day. Everyone can simply play the piano, but to really become one with the instrument is to have a personality and mind of its own. The true art behind piano is not to simply play the notes of the music but to feel the music being played.
When I play the piano, my true feelings and story of the music come to life and the meaning of the song is conveyed through my fingers. I do not memorize the notes of the music, instead I let them come to me. It feels as if one painting is constantly changing scenes from a sunny landscape to a cloudy day. The weather, colors, and atmosphere are harmonious and the music comes from within my soul and my heart.
This uniqueness is what distinguishes me from others. This is the art of creativity. We all play the same notes but every individual plays so in a different way. Even though the same theme is being depicted, two people who carve it with similar material will have a different outcome. The finished product will not be the same. With me, I simply use the sound of the music to play the piano. When I play, I give my complete emotional involvement and resolute commitment; when I perform, I never cease to touch the audience’s heart. This is my devotion, and it will never change.
