A friend residing in California’s Central Valley, e-mailed a link to a consciousness-raising interview with Jeremy Denk that aired on the City Arts and Lecture Series. (Location: Linda Ronstadt’s home in San Francisco) It was a joyful, music-loving celebration, exploring so many dimensions of creativity at the piano that are rarely shared in the Classical music media. Within an often ignored cosmos of a musician’s connectivity to human existence with its ups and downs–or as Denk terms it, “the sublime and ridiculous of life’s counterpoint,” we have his unique voice resonating above the din of Classical musician related stereotypes, cliches and platitudes. Inevitably, he brings his art to life with a contagious spin of expressively colorful references that feed in and out of his playing.
In his recently published memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine, a play on the identified lines of the Treble staff, the pianist soars above the “notes” and into the bliss of music-making that has a universal human connection. He frames his artistry through the lens of literature, philosophy, even chemistry, with a well-defined time travel through the works of Old World composers such as Byrd and Gibbons, going forward to Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and landing in the contemporary cosmos of Ligeti. His emotion packed artistry knows no limits as he is philosopher, poet, balladeer, vocalist, story teller and even jokester in his piano playing. He fleshes out every dimension of humankind in his recitals and recordings, to the unerring delight of his growing audience of listeners.
Denk loves to juxtapose composers in a half and half progam serving of Ligeti followed by the J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations. He can be just as adventurous with a William Byrd/Orlando Gibbons recipe spilling into Beethoven’s Appassionata. The permutations and combinations of works are an instant draw for the pianist, and likewise, for presenters who promote his modern-day mix of tradition and tradition-breaking repertoire.
With a Renaissance-like profile, Jeremy Denk is a welcome contrast to the singular pursuit of competition-seeking young pianists, seduced by the declaration of a “winner,” who “will least offend jury members.” (paraphrase Denk) While the pianist ekes out some positives attached to meeting deadlines through the gladiator arena— building one’s level of playing, etc, he basically steers away from a tension-filled competitive environment, preferring a growth enduring, selfless path of daily epiphanies and enlightenment which he generously shares far and wide.
To this end, Denk is well read, retrieving excerpts from Madame Bovary–or lines of James Joyce that intertwine his love affair with music, the piano, the opera, chamber music, etc. His passions are infinite and diverse–always infused into his creative universe. In this spirit, he’ll sift through Proust while juxtaposing comical Seinfeld episodes that meander into interviews. “There’s a rhythmic pulse to comedy,” he insists, that relates to tempo running through music –never does he rule out the comical dimension of Beethoven, Mozart and other great composers’ works that have conspicuous infusions of humor. At the drop of a hat, Denk, seated at the piano, will play specific bars and sections of music that give validation to his verbal assertions about the fun side of composer’s personalities. (These demonstrations are ear-catching and attach his soulful, though imperfect, singing voice.)
When Denk explores performance anxiety, he’s quick to promote “natural breathing” as an antidote, or more specifically he quotes, Gyorgy Sebok on “the depths and regularity of breathing.” Sebok was one of Denk’s most influential teachers (Indiana U.)
(As an Oberlin memory reminder that ties in with Denk’s recollections, Gyorgy Sebok came to Oberlin during my student years and delivered an awe-inpiring masterclass at Warner Concert Hall that focused on the “singing tone,” a prominent signature of Denk’s playing.)
Following in Sebok’s footsteps, right into the present, Denk, in his own teaching, advises a complete here and now immersion in a piece, funneling in feelings, emotions just as actors do. Along with relaxed breathing, it’s an escape from gripping nerves that tighten muscles.
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Denk’s years at the Oberlin Conservatory that commenced at the precocious age of 16, drew out a few degrees of separation. I attended the “Con,” years before him, and recall cello student, Norman Fischer, who’s regaled by Denk as a memorable mentor in the chamber music milieu. Denk admits that he’s traveled through many faculty studios collaborating with vocalists, string and wind players, expanding his horizons beyond the boundary of a solo piano practicing journey.
Jeremy Denk’s Bach is as impressive as his living, breathing renderings of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert works, etc. As a tribute to his monumental memory, he’s performed all the Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier without a score or iPad on the rack. Simply astounding!
Finally, in my ecstatic embrace of everything Denk, having its adolescent analog to my love affair with Van Cliburn after his Moscow triumph, I’ve ordered Every Good Boy Does Fine and I’ll promptly reserve a ticket to Denk’s February 12, 2023 piano recital at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. This one I won’t miss! And maybe as one Obie to another, Denk will autograph my copy of his book.
from Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten)
https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2022/12/29/jeremy-denk-pianist-embraces-a-humanistic-approach-to-music/
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