關於 describe a world without music ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

《我的幸福5/2 週末》

*週日下午兩點誠品信義書店「廿世紀典範人物」新書分享會，我下午二時開始演講，離上次在台灣大學公開演説。快半年了！分享會報名一小時預告已額滿，但TVBS電視台慷慨的支持。派出SNG車，屆時TVBS文茜的世界周報YouTube 及世界周報Facebook 都將同步直播。

*新書分享會後我將直奔高雄衛武營，參加劉孟捷（李斯特巡禮之年）鋼琴獨奏會。這是劉孟捷回台，最重要的一場音樂會，我目睹他用盡了一切心力。過去即使21歲時在費城代打缺席大師的音樂會，劉孟捷都未曾如此緊張。他此次回台，手術前為了沒有遺憾，共舉行三場音樂會：其中4/17與5/30皆是與國家交響樂團NSO合作：530那一場指揮是呂紹嘉。但他告訴我，某些曲目對他而言，是Piece of Cake ：惟獨衞武營這一場，曲目由他自己決定，現場錄影，並且找了金曲獎錄音師同步錄音。

5/2衛武營-劉孟捷鋼琴獨奏會《李斯特巡禮之年》購票連結
https://www.opentix.life/event/1384752689074294784

劉夢捷明白他即將面對一個大手術，手術風險之外，他的免疫系統疾病，將使他的康復之路更長。

沒有人可以預知未來，為了圓他的夢，醫院每天都要求他早上、晚上量血壓，報告直接傳給院長。振興醫院院長魏崢雖然是亞洲第一把心臟外科醫師，但也不敢大意。

畢竟這個人的生命那麼脆弱，他的心臟主動脈剝離，那是實質的「心碎」了：但他仍有詩，仍有音樂夢。在生命的交接處，在白日與黑夜的交义口，劉孟捷想為他的音樂生涯，留下最美好的紀錄。

他選擇了李斯特。

在這場音樂會前，他甚至以英文寫下了自己與音樂、疾病的半生回顧：如李斯特的巡禮，有仰望，有沉思，有失落，有幽微的疼痛。他以詩篇般的演奏模式，傾訴，詠嘆。他曾得到天賦，也走過死蔭的幽谷。命運是一層又一層的黑影逼近，老天爺隨時想帶走他。

而他已不再流淚，不再沉浸於悲愴告別：因為對他而言活著並不容易，他要讓自己更深刻的抓住每一分時光之美。

如果時間和空間，正如哲人們所形容的
都是不實際存在的東西：那從不感到衰敗的太陽，也不會比我們了不起多少！

他如艾略特的詩句中所形容的：我們為什麼要如此貪心總在祈禱，想活上整整一個世紀？

蝴蝶雖僅活了一天，已經歷了永恆。

當他的身軀如露水還在藤蔓顫抖時，他送給我們一場「完全浪漫又超技的李斯特」。

等音樂會結束了，至少有一張CD，一段YouTube 影像：不論孟捷代表生命的那朵鮮花是否枯萎，他彈奏如天使的音聲不會飛離，它會停留在那夜，繼續釋放芬芳。

這是盡生命之力、之情獨奏的音樂會。劉孟捷説：這樣當他走進手術室時，會少一點悲傷。

或許快樂的日子本來就不多，但讓這場「完全李斯特．完全劉孟捷」的獨奏會放出神聖的光彩吧！

我必將赴會，不會錯過！我知道此刻的獨奏會，很難複製，因為它綜合了太多的情感、愛念，釋放與生命的抒情。

*劉孟捷為此次獨奏會寫下的文字：This past year has seen some unprecedented changes in the world. Many lives have been lost and many have changed. The world has changed while many of us confront the uncertainty of the future.

For most musicians, life has changed. For months, we have been conducting our lessons online, and concerts have mostly stopped or become an online experience as well. More time has been spent learning how to improve the online teaching experience than one could have imagined. While I have felt the duty to continue teaching, the format the pandemic requires for teaching leaves me unwilling to spend more time than I have to.

And truly, I have had other things to deal with. When the pandemic started to worry the American public in March, I was in the middle of a tour with the String Quartet-in-Residence at Curtis, the Vera Quartet. However, our concerts were canceled, and everything came to a sudden halt.

I felt the universe had sent me an unexpected gift, as I had also just received some terrible news concerning my worsening aortic arches and a diagnosis of kidney cancer. The sudden halt in my professional schedule seemed perfect in its timing. I was able to settle into a monastic existence, to simply practice and attempt to heal.

I see many musicians itching to be concertizing again, and many stepped into new territory, performing on the internet. Many took time to develop new podcasts, and to write new materials for their art. Sadly, many have struggled as they have fallen into desperation without any concert incomes. Altogether the music industry seems to be in peril, and many worry about how music and musicians will survive.

However, I had my own survival to think about. Having been through many difficult experiences in my life, I knew this might be the most difficult I would encounter. My Doctors describe me as a walking time bomb. My condition could be lethal at any moment if my blood pressure gets out of control. So while others wrestle with the fate of the music industry, I’ve needed to face my own fate and mortality.

Playing concerts can mean many things to people. At different times throughout my life, I’ve felt the need to express different aspects of myself. When I was young, I wanted to embody the spirit of romanticism, playing lots of Chopin and Schumann. Then there was a period of time when I wanted to challenge myself by showing off pyrotechnics. I had a brooding period where I turned to the pathos of Rachmaninoff, and then felt the need to return to the purity of Schubert and nobility of Brahms. Throughout this pandemic, I wanted to play Bach. Through Bach’s music I found a kind of spiritual sanctuary.

In considering the program for this concert, I felt again the urge to play music that reflects my current feelings and state of mind. The title of today’s recital, “Years of Pilgrimage” seems to fit exactly what I am experiencing.

Liszt wrote several volumes of “Années de pèlerinage” throughout his life to reflect on thoughts he had during his travels. He links his philosophical thoughts to the scenery which inspired them. “Au Bord d’un Source” describes feelings of rejuvenation while standing next to a clear stream of water, a symbol and source of life and energy. It seems to say, when the stream is so pure, life can be so full of joy.

In the Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este (The Fountains of the Villa d'Este), the water has a magical and supernatural quality, as Liszt himself wrote in the inscription: "But the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life,"( from the Gospel of John.)

For me, I have never felt more connected to Liszt than when he looked upon the valley of Obermann and questioned the meaning of existence. At this moment in my life, I often find myself reflecting my experiences of what I see and read into philosophical musings. Perhaps many people come to a time when this is so.

In all this I have felt gratitude for the love stories and sonnets that one can romantically indulge in, and for storms so violent that they threaten to destroy one’s spirit, even the hell-bound journey which brings up questions about the purpose of life…

On this journey, I felt full and alive as a human being. Looking back on this journey, I am grateful for everything, whether happy or sad, to have made an impact, found and imparted meaning to this life.

The unusual time of this pandemic has marked a milestone for me. I have journeyed back home, and as it happened, this is the first time I have spent so much time in my hometown Kaohsiung in over 35 years. It’s particularly nostalgic to play these pieces as some of them were significant in my early musical career. Vallée d’Obermann was the piece I played in my first competition at the junior high school level, in which I won first prize on the national level, which allowed me to be qualified to apply for a special permission to study abroad. This meant my dream to be educated as a musician could be continued in an environment where I could develop fully. In the following year when I was 13, I won the first Asia-Pacific Youth PIano Competition with the Dante Sonata. The competition catapulted me into national attention as I was headlined in several newspapers, and especially since it was held in Kaohsiung, I became a local hero as well. During the same event, I had a fateful meeting with one of the important influences in my life, Mr. Gary Graffman, who then mentored me throughout not only the years when I was studying at Curtis, but throughout my illness and recovery as a pianist. Right before I departed to study in Philadelphia, I played my first solo recital throughout Taiwan, and along with the Dante Sonata, I also performed the three sonnets.

It’s perfect that now, back in Kaohsiung, all these memories have flooded back into my head. I feel so lucky to have been born here, and to have met my first teacher, Chin-Li Lee, who inspired me on the path to become a musician. Prof. Alexander Sung filled me with dreams of becoming an artist. I am grateful for his belief in my talent, when he chose to give a 12 year old such philosophical pieces to play.

Having once again spent some months in Kaohsiung, I can freshly appreciate the source of inspiration it once was for me. I have returned to the source to heal. Having already glimpsed hell’s gate several times, battered and weathered by the storms of life, I know there is a reason life is this way, and it all will be alright.

Meng-Chieh Liu
April, 2021

*劉孟捷衛武營《李斯特巡禮之年》演奏會中，包括李斯特以佩脫拉克三首情詩譜寫的鋼琴琴詩：這三首情詩是從大詩人佩脫拉克一百多首情詩挑出來的，詩本身就很優美，依此激發李斯特的浪漫主義創作靈感，成為琴藝上最困難演奏，但也特別細膩溫柔的琴詩。

這三首分別是：
〈佩脫拉克第47號十四行詩〉〈佩脫拉克第104號十四行詩〉及〈佩脫拉克第123號十四行詩〉。
Franz Liszt（1811-1886）: Sonetto 47 del Petrarca, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca, Sonetto 123 del Petrarca, from Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année: Italie

李斯特於1846年先出版藝術歌曲《三首佩脫拉克十四行詩》（Tre sonetti del Petrarca），再改成鋼琴獨奏版。

三首佩脫拉克十四行詩
中譯：焦元溥（元溥也是友情贊助，特別準備音樂資料，周日南下，聆賞劉孟捷的樂曲，並且陪同他盯著錄音共三天）

〈第47〉
祝福每天、每月、每年，
所有片刻與鐘點、時間與季節，
在那美麗的原野，

我為一雙眼眸魂縈夢牽。

祝福初遇時的甜，
與愛同在、受苦不停歇，
如弓箭刺穿令我淌血，
傷口永留感動在我心間。

祝福一切我發出的聲音，
當呼喚著我深愛的女郎，
渴望、嘆息、淚濕滿襟。
祝福我寫下的文字遠揚，
歌頌她的芳名，萬古長新。
我心永屬於她，無人能闖。

〈第104〉
我找不到和平，也無意打仗，
我恐懼、我期望，燃燒又冰透。
我向天飛升，卻躺在地上，
我一無所有，卻又擁抱整個宇宙。

我身陷囹圄，監牢又開敞；
我不受囚禁，卻銬著鎖頭。
愛情不讓我死，也不讓我飛翔；
不要我活，也不准我逃離悲愁。

欲看卻無眼，啞口還在發言，
我甘心殞滅，卻仍高聲呼救，
我痛恨自己，但仍愛著他人。

憂傷滋潤我，淚水伴隨笑臉，
生命不足惜，死亡也不煩憂；
我淪落至此，都是妳啊，我的愛人！
〈第123〉

我在塵世見到仙子的美，

她天堂般優雅無與倫比。
想起她讓我悲傷又歡喜，
所見如幻夢迷霧與幽黑。

妳的可愛眼睛使我落淚，
多少次讓太陽也要妒忌。
我還聽到四周發出嘆息，
移動了山嶽停止了河水。

愛情智慧憐憫憂傷財富，
在淚水中形成甜美聲響，
奇妙和諧世上未曾目睹。
天堂追隨著音樂的流淌，
雖然枝上樹葉並未飛舞，
空氣與風息卻充滿芬芳。

5/2衛武營-劉孟捷鋼琴獨奏會《李斯特巡禮之年》購票連結
https://www.opentix.life/event/1384752689074294784

เรื่องของจังหวะ...

บทความนี้ได้ข้อมูลมาจากหนังสือที่ดีมากๆๆๆๆเล่มนึง อรอ่านหลายรอบมากเพราะเขียนดีจริงๆ หนังสือชื่อ The Practice and Science of Drawing โดย Harold Speed
แนะนำว่าให้ไปหามาอ่าน คนที่ชอบศิลปะจะสนุกสนานไปกับมันมาก. ไม่จำเป็นต้องวาดรูปได้ก็สนุกเพราะมีข้อมูลลึกๆชวนคิดเกี่ยวกับศิลปะมากมายแบบที่หาเล่มอื่นเทียบยากค่ะ

ขออภัยถ้าอ่านแล้วงงๆ อาจจะแปลเป็นภาษาไทยไม่ค่อยถูกต้อง ช่วย comment แนะนำได้เลยนะคะ🙏

คำว่าจังหวะในบริบทของศิลปะนั้นพูดถึงพลังของลายเส้น, น้ำหนัก และสี โดยคำนึงถึงการจัดวางของมันว่ามีผลต่อความรู้สึกของเราอย่างไร เปรียบง่ายๆเสมือนกับเสียงของโน้ทดนตรีในบทเพลง
ทำนองในดนตรีนั้นส่งผลต่อความรู้สึกของมนุษย์แบบไม่ต้องการคำอธิบาย. ดนตรีและจังหวะในภาษาของเส้นและสีสันในโลกของศิลปะก็ทำงานแบบเดียวกัน. มันคุยกับเราได้เหนือการใช้ภาษาพูด
บางทีการเขียนภาพเหมือนจริงมากๆก็เป็นอันตรายต่อการสูญเสียจังหวะไปเพราะถ้าหากศิลปินให้ความสำคัญกับการคัดลอกสิ่งที่เขียนมากไปก็อาจจะส่งผลทำให้เขาลืมเรื่องของจังหวะในลายเส้นและสีซึ่งถ่ายทอดออกมาจากภายในและเป็นหัวใจสำคัญของการสื่ออารมณ์เหนือคำพูด

การพยายามหาความสัมพันธ์ในธรรมชาติระหว่างรูปทรง, สี ,ลายเส้นและ น้ำหนักเพื่อนำมาสร้าง ‘จังหวะ’ ในรูปภาพนั้นเป็นงานของศิลปิน. คุณไม่ควรที่จะลดละความพยายามนี้แม้ว่าคุณกำลังหมกมุ่นกับดีเทลวิจิตรและเหมือนจริงขนาดไหน
ภาพที่ไร้จังหวะก็ไม่ต่างอะไรกับดนตรีไร้ทำนองที่น่าเบื่อ

Line and mass
ถ้าเราถอดชิ้นส่วนของรายละเอียดในรูปภาพทุกรูปและมองทุกอย่างแบบ abstract เลย เราก็จะเห็นได้ว่ามันมีส่วนประกอบหลักๆคือ เส้น(line) และ กลุ่มก้อน (mass) บางคนก็พูดว่าเส้นนั้นเป็นแค่ขอบของกลุ่มก้อน หรือกลุ่มก้อนนั้นเป็นเพียงพื้นที่ระหว่างเส้น. จะคิดหรือมองแบบไหนก็ตาม 2 สิ่งนี้คือส่วนประกอบหลักๆของทุกๆรูปภาพ

ภาษาของเส้น
Unity and Variety
ภาษาของเส้นนั้นสามารถทำงานได้ด้วยตัวของมันเองโดยไม่ต้องอาศัยความเป็นรูปธรรมลองนึกถึงเส้นเรขาคณิต มันสื่ออารมณ์แบบ abstract ได้ด้วยตัวของมันเอง ตามธรรมชาติส่วนใหญ่แล้วภาษาของลายเส้นก็มักจะทำงานเป็นเรื่องเดียวกันกับสิ่งที่มันเป็น ยกตัวอย่าง ลองนึกถึงภาพของแม่น้ำเราก็จะนึกถึงเส้นแนวนอน คงประหลาดถ้าพยายามใช้สามเหลี่ยมอธิบายความเป็นน้ำ

ทีนี้เวลาพูดถึงคุณภาพของลายเส้น อยากให้คิดเป็น 2 แบบหลักๆคือ
1. Unity - ความสามัคคีกันเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกัน
2. Variety - ความหลากหลาย

*สองอย่างนี้ดูจะขัดแย้งกันแต่มันขาดกันไม่ได้ *

ความสามัคคีเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกันคือทักษะการบริหารเอาหลายๆสิ่งเข้ามาอยู่รวมกันได้อย่างมีเอกภาพ แต่ก็จะไร้ชีวิตชีวาหากขาดความหลากหลาย

ยกตัวอย่างของภาษาของความสามัคคีก็คือ เส้นที่มีความซ้ำๆ เส้นที่เว้นเท่ากันหมด เส้นตรง วงกลม เส้นขนาน เป็นต้น
เส้นที่มี unity มากที่สุดจะเป็นอะไรอย่างอื่นไปไม่ได้นอกจากวงกลมและเส้นตรง

ยกตัวอย่างความหลากหลายของเส้นนั้นอาจจะง่ายกว่า มันก็คือความไม่เท่ากันในรูปทรงต่างๆไม่ว่าจะเป็นอะไรก็ตาม แต่ถ้าพูดถึงรูปทรงที่มีความหลากหลายที่สวยงามก็คงหนีไม่พ้นรูปไข่ ตัวอย่างที่ดีคือรูปทรงของใบหน้ารูปไข่งามๆ เพราะการเลี้ยวตัวของเส้นรอบไข่นั้นไม่มีความเหมือนกันเลยแม้แต่จุดเดียว ต่างจากวงกลมซึ่งเลี้ยวในจังหวะเท่ากันเป๊ะรอบวง

ในหนังสือมีการยกตัวอย่างยาวเหยียดมากๆในเรื่อง unity และ variety แต่ขอยกแค่บทเดียวมาพูด

แล้วจังหวะแบบไหนหละถึงงาม
พูดตรงๆว่าเรื่องนี้ไม่มีกฎตายตัว สิ่งที่หนังสือเอามายกตัวอย่างนั้นก็เป็นเพียงแค่ตัวอย่างที่นึกตามได้ง่ายและมีให้เห็นในธรรมชาติ

หน้าคน
ผู้อ่านลองนึกถึงใบหน้าคนที่ดูดี มันจะมีการจัดวางที่มี 2 หลักการนี้ผสมเข้าด้วยกันทั้ง unity และ variety
ใบหน้าของคนเรานั้นจะมีความเท่ากันเป็นสมมาตรของซ้ายและขวา ผนวกกับระยะห่างของการจัดวางนั้นก็ดูมีระเบียบเท่าๆกันแต่รูปด้านprofile ของใบหน้านั้นจะมีความหลากหลายอยู่มาก มีการยึกยือไปมาของเส้นที่เลี้ยวเข้าออกแบบไม่มีอะไรเท่ากันเลยก็ว่าได้
นี่คือตัวอย่างของการทำงานร่วมกันอย่างลงตัวของ unity ความสามัคคีและ variety ความหลากหลาย
นึกเล่นๆดูว่าหากหน้าเรามีความหลากหลายมากเกินไปก็คงจะไม่น่ามองสักเท่าไหร่ อาจจะน่ากลัวด้วยซ้ำ

สรุปคือ
ความหลากหลายแบบไร้ขอบเขตนั้นก็ทำให้เกิดความยุ่งเหยิงและไม่น่ามอง แต่ความนิ่งเกินไปแบบเส้นตรงนิ่งๆก็ช่างน่าเบื่อไร้ชีวิตชีวา

ฉะนั้นจะสังเกตได้ว่าความงามมักจะเกิดเมื่อความหลากหลายนั้นอยู่ภายใต้กฏเกณฑ์ของความสามัคคี

ขออนุญาตแบ่งเป็นหลายๆตอนนะคะเพราะมันยาวเหลือเกิน เดี๋ยวอ่านแล้วจะหลับเสียก่อน
The story of the rhythm...

This article is informative from a very good book. I have read it many times. It's very good. The Practice and Science of Drawing by Harold Speed.
I recommend that you go to read this. People who like art will enjoy it very much. There is no need to draw a picture. It's fun because there is deep information. I think about many art. It's difficult to find other books.

Sorry, if I have read this, I may not translate it in Thai. Please comment and suggest. 🙏

The word beat in the context of art speaks about the power of doodle, weight and color. Considering how it affects our feelings. It's simply like the sound of a musical notebook.
The melodies in music affect the human feeling without explanation. Music and rhythm in the language of lines and colors in the world of art work the same way. It talks to us beyond the use of speaking language.
Sometimes writing a very surreal image is harmful to losing a beat. If the artist focuses on copying the writings, it will make him forget about the beat in the lines and colors that are broadcasted from the inside and the heart of the media. Emotions beyond words.

Trying to find a natural relationship between shapes, colors, patterns and weight to create ' rhythm ' in the photo is the artist's work. You shouldn't lose this effort, even if you're obsessed with Fine and Real Detail.
A can't translate picture is no different than a boring music.

Line and mass
If we take off the detail in every photo and look at everything abstract, we can see that there is a main ingredient in line (line) and group (mass). Some people say that the line is just the edge of that group or group. Just a space between the lines. Whatever you think or look, 2 of these are the main components of every photo.

Language of lines
Unity and Variety
The language of the line can work on its own without concrete. Think of the geometry, abstract emotion by itself naturally. Most of the language of the stripes are the same thing. It's for example, thinking of the river's image. We think of horizontal lines. It's strange if we try to use a triangle to describe water.

Now, when I talk about the quality of the pattern, I want you to think about 2 types. Mainly,
1. Unity - Unity is united.
2. Variety - Diversity

* These two seem to be conflicting but they can't be separated *

Unity is unity. Management skills bring many things together unity. But lifeless without diversity.

For example, the language of unity is repeated, the same line, straight line, straight line, parallel circle, etc.
The line with the most unity will be nothing else, nothing but circles and straight lines.

For example, the diversity of the line may be easier than it is, the unequalities in various shapes, whatever it is. But if you talk about beautiful diversity shapes, you can't escape the oval shape. The good example is the shapes of the face, beautiful oval because of turning. The egg circumference is not the same at all. The same point is different from the circle, which turns in the same rhythm.

In the book, there is a very long example in the unity and variety. But I just lifted up one chapter to say.

What kind of beat is this? It's beautiful.
Frankly speaking, there is no rule. What a book has taken for example is just an example that it is easily recognized and naturally.

A human face.
Readers, think about the face of a good looking person. There will be alignment with these 2 principles mixed together with unity and variety.
Our faces are equally as symmetrical of left and right. Annexation with the distance of the alignment is equally organized. But the profile picture of the face is very diverse. There is a lot of the trending. The lines that turn into design are nothing equal.
This is an example of how unity, unity, unity, and diversity variety.
Just for sure, if our face had too much diversity, it wouldn't look at it. It would be scary.

In summary,
Unbounded diversity is messy and unlikely. But too stillness is boring, lifeless.

Therefore, it is observed that beauty is often born when diversity is under the rule of unity.

I ask permission to divide into several episodes because it's so long. I will read it and I will fall asleep.Translated

🎹鋼琴的大千世界/名家名言：「為何稱我為大師？主人在這裡（指著鋼琴），我只是他的奴才。」

— 李斯特著名的弟子，德國鋼琴家、作曲家、教育家 萊森奧爾(Alfred Reisenauer)

Why, there is the master (pointing to the piano), I am only the slave.”

— Alfred Reisenauer (1 November 1863 – 3 October 1907) German pianist, composer, and music educator.

📹 跟隨在李斯特學習長達十二年至李斯特過世(1874-1886)的萊森奧爾，演奏李斯特的第十號匈牙利狂想曲：
https://youtu.be/e12YwuHiQtY

📰 延伸閱讀 - 【李斯特學派 / the school of Liszt】♩.♪
https://www.facebook.com/notes/fan-chiang-yi-%E8%8C%83%E5%A7%9C%E6%AF%85/%E6%9D%8E%E6%96%AF%E7%89%B9%E5%AD%B8%E6%B4%BE-the-school-of-liszt/289155141104454/

———————————————————————1905-1906 鋼琴名家萊森奧爾（Alfred Reisenauer）在美國進行數月的巡迴演出，並接受美國著名音樂雜誌”Etude”的專訪。文章於1906年七月出版，隔年他在德國巡迴演出期間於下榻的飯店房間內過世。

📰 藝術家的養成 - 萊森奧爾的見解
The Making of an Artist - The Views of Alfred Reisenauer.

▪️With Liszt

“When I had reached a certain grade of advancement it was my great fortune to become associated with the immortal Franz Liszt. I consider Liszt the greatest man I have ever met. By this I mean that I have never met, in any other walk of life, a man with the mental grasp, splendid disposition and glorious genius. This may seem a somewhat extravagant statement. I have met many, many great men, rulers, jurists, authors, scientists, teachers, merchants and warriors, but never have I met a man in any position whom I have not thought would have proved the inferior of Franz Liszt, had Liszt chosen to follow the career of the man in question. Liszt’s personality can only be expressed by one word, ‘colossal.’ He had the most generous nature of any man I have ever met. He had aspirations to become a great composer, greater than his own measure of his work as a composer had revealed to him. The dire position of Wagner presented itself. He abandoned his own ambitions— ambitions higher than those he ever held toward piano virtuosity—abandoned them completely to champion the difficult cause of the great Wagner. What Liszt suffered to make this sacrifice, the world does not know. But no finer example of moral heroism can be imagined. His conversations with me upon the subject were so intimate that I do not care to reveal one word.

▪️Liszt’s Pedagogical Methods

“His generosity and personal force in his work with the young artists he assisted, are hard to describe. You ask me whether he had a certain method. I reply, he abhorred methods in the modern sense of the term. His work was eclectic in the highest sense. In one way he could not be considered a teacher at all. He charged no fees and had irregular and somewhat unsystematic classes. In another sense he was the greatest of teachers. Sit at the piano and I will indicate the general plan pursued by Liszt at a lesson.”

Reisenauer is a remarkable and witty mimic of people he desires to describe. The present writer sat at the piano and played at some length through several short compositions, eventually coming to the inevitable “Chopin Valse, Op. 69, No. 1, in A flat major.” In the meanwhile, Reisenauer had gone to another room and, after listening patiently, returned, imitating the walk, facial expression and the peculiar guttural snort characteristic of Liszt in his later years. Then followed a long “kindly sermon” upon the emotional possibilities of the composition. This was interrupted with snorts and went with kaleidoscopic rapidity from French to German and back again many, many times. Imitating Liszt he said, “First of all we must arrive at the very essence of the thing; the germ that Chopin chose to have grow and blossom in his soul. It is, roughly considered, this:（見譜例圖四）

Chopin’s next thought was, no doubt:（見譜例圖五）

But with his unerring good taste and sense of symmetry he writes it so:（見譜例圖六）

Now consider the thing in studying it and while playing it from the composer’s attitude. By this I mean that during the mental process of conception before the actual transference of the thought to paper, the thought itself is in a nebulous condition. The composer sees it in a thousand lights before he actually determines upon the exact form he desires to perpetuate. For instance, this theme might have gone through Chopin’s mind much after this fashion:（見譜例圖七）

The main idea being to reach the embryo of Chopin’s thought and by artistic insight divine the connotation of that thought, as nearly as possible in the light of the treatment Chopin has given it.

“It is not so much the performer’s duty to play mere notes and dynamic marks, as it is for him to make an artistic estimate of the composer’s intention and to feel that during the period of reproduction, he simulates the natural psychological conditions which affected the composer during the actual process of composition. In this way the composition becomes a living entity—a tangible resurrection of the soul of the great Chopin. Without such penetrative genius a pianist is no more than a mere machine and with it he may develop into an artist of the highest type.”

▪️A Unique Attitude.

Reisenauer’s attitude toward the piano is unique and interesting. Musicians are generally understood to have an affectionate regard for their instruments, almost paternal. Not so with Reisenauer. He even goes so far as to make this statement: “I have always been drawn to the piano by a peculiar charm I have never been able to explain to myself. I feel that I must play, play, play, play, play. It has become a second nature to me. I have played so much and so long that the piano has become a part of me. Yet I am never free from the feeling that it is a constant battle with the instrument, and even with my technical resources I am not able to express all the beauties I hear in the music. While music is my very life, I nevertheless hate the piano. I play because I can’t help playing and because there is no other instrument which can come as near imitating the melodies and the harmonies of the music I feel. People say wherever I go, ‘Ah, he is a master.’ What absurdity! I the master? Why, there is the master (pointing to the piano), I am only the slave.”

▪️The Future of Pianoforte Music.

An interesting question that frequently arises in musical circles relates to the future possibilities of the art of composition in its connection with the pianoforte. Not a few have some considerable apprehension regarding the possible dearth of new melodic material and the technical and artistic treatment of such material. “I do not think that there need be any fear of a lack of original melodic material or original methods of treating such material. The possibilities of the art of musical composition have by no means been exhausted. While I feel that in a certain sense, very difficult to illustrate with words, one great ‘school’ of composition for the pianoforte ended with Liszt and the other in Brahms, nevertheless I can but prophesy the arising of many new and wonderful schools in the future. I base my prophecy upon the premises of frequent similiar (sic) conditions during the history of musical art.” These are Reisenauer’s views upon this matter.

Continuing, he said: “It is my ambition to give a lengthy series of recitals, with programs arranged to give a chronological aspect of all the great masterpieces in music. I hope to be enabled to do this before I retire. It is part of a plan to circle the world in a manner that has not yet been done.” When asked whether these programs were to resemble Rubinstein’s famous historical recitals in London, years ago, he replied: “They will be more extensive than the Rubinstein recitals. The times make such a series posssible (sic) now, which Rubinstein would have hesitated to give.”

As to American composers, Reisenauer is so thoroughly and enthusiastically won over by MacDowell that he has not given the other composers sufficient attention to warrant a critical opinion. I found upon questioning, that he had made a genuinely sincere effort to find new material in America, but he said that outside of MacDowell, he found nothing but indifferently good salon-music. With the works of several American composers he was, however, unfamiliar. He has done little or nothing himself as a composer and declared that it was not his forte.

▪️American Musical Taste.

Reisenauer says: “American musical taste is in many ways astonishing. Many musicians who came to America prior to the time of Thomas and Damrosch returned to Europe with what were, no doubt, true stories of the musical conditions in America at that time. These stories were given wide circulation in Europe, and it is difficult for Europeans to understand the cultured condition of the American people at the present time. America can never thank Dr. Leopold Damrosch and Theodore Thomas enough for their unceasing labors. Thanks to the impetus that they gave the movement, it is now possible to play programs in almost any American city that are in no sense different from those one is expected to give in great European capitals. The status of musical education in the leading American cities is surprisingly high. Of course the commercial element necessarily affects it to a certain extent; but in many cases this is not as injurious as might be imagined. The future of music in America seems very roseate to me and I can look back to my American concert tours with great pleasure.

▪️Concert Conditions in America.

“One of the great difficulties, however, in concert touring in America is the matter of enormous distances. I often think that American audiences rarely hear great pianists at their best. Considering the large amounts of money involved in a successful American tour and the business enterprise which must be extremely forceful to make such a tour possible, it is not to be wondered that enormous journeys must be made in ridiculously short time. No one can imagine what this means to even a man of my build.” (Reisenauer is a wonderfully strong and powerful man.) “I have been obliged to play in one Western city one night and in an Eastern city the following night. Hundreds of miles lay between them. In the latter city I was obliged to go directly from the railroad depot to the stage of the concert hall, hungry, tired, travel worn and without practice opportunities. How can a man be at his best under such conditions—yet certain conditions make these things unavoidable in America, and the pianist must suffer occasional criticism for not playing uniformly well. In Europe such conditions do not exist owing to the closely populated districts. I am glad to have the opportunity to make this statement, as no doubt a very great many Americans fail to realize under what distressing conditions an artist is often obliged to play in America.”

Till I Know What Love Is(I'm Never Gonna Die) from AIMYON TOUR 2021“FELL in LOVE with the WOUND & the DEVIL”.

AIMYON TOUR 2021“FELL in LOVE with the WOUND & the DEVIL”
May 12  Asahikawa civic culture hall ,HOKKAIDO
May 14  Obihiro civic culture hall ,HOKKAIDO
May 23  Yonago convention center-BiG SHiP- ,TOTORI
May 27  Kochi prefectural culture hall-Orange- ,KOCHI
Jun 2  Yokkaichi city cultural center-1- ,MIE
Jun 4  Hamamatsu-Act city- ,SHIZUOKA
Jun 11  Saga civic culture hall-Large- ,SAGA
Jun 12  Kawasho hall(Kagoshima civic culture hall-1-) ,KAGOSHIMA
Jun 23  Hokuto culture hall(Nagano prefectural culture hall-Large-) ,NAGANO
Jun 26  Kawaguchiko stellar theater ,YAMANASHI
Jul 1  Iwate prefectural hall ,IWATE
Jul 11  Utsunomiya city cultural hall ,TOCHIGI
Jul 15  Rohm theatre Kyoto-Main- ,KYOTO
Jul 16  Osaka castle band shell ,OSAKA
Aug 2  Festival hall ,OSAKA

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
AIMYON：

Genuine & authentic are the perfect words to describe Aimyon, a guitar-strumming storyteller of today’s youth in Japan.  
 
Without a doubt she is one of the biggest artists in the Japanese music scene.  She has fans around the world and those in Taipei and Shanghai were lucky enough to see her perform live in their cities.
 
She has had constant hits including “Naked Heart”, “Let the Night” (each with 100 million streams certified by Billboard) and “Marigold” (first ever Japanese song to hit 100 million streams, and racking up 200 million streams to date) to name a few.  She is one of the first artists in Japan to truly flourish through streaming platforms where young music listeners come to discover new music.  Fans are always looking out for the visual sides of Aimyon as well:  Her music videos are never over the top but entertaining, real and soothing.  Aimyon’s favorite artwork designer Tondabayashi Ran also knows how to add Aimyon flavor to each release, helping to create her distinct world.


Official YouTube
https://youtube.com/user/aimyong

Official Twitter
https://twitter.com/aimyongtter

Official Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/aimyon36/

Official Weibo
https://weibo.com/u/7099412531

AIMYON TOUR 2020 "MEAT・MEET"

2020.11.30 / 2020.12.01
-OSAKA-
OSAKA-JO HALL

2020.12.09 / 2020.12.10
-AICHI-
NIPPONGAISHI HALL

2020.12.12 / 2020.12.13
-SAITAMA-
SAITAMA SUPER ARENA

2020.12.18 / 2020.12.19
-KANAGAWA-
YOKOHAMA ARENA

2020.12.26 / 2020.12.27
-FUKUOKA-
MARINEMESSE FUKUOKA

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
AIMYON：

Genuine & authentic are the perfect words to describe Aimyon, a guitar-strumming storyteller of today’s youth in Japan.

Without a doubt she is one of the biggest artists in the Japanese music scene. She has fans around the world and those in Taipei and Shanghai were lucky enough to see her perform live in their cities.

She has had constant hits including “Naked Heart”, “Let the Night” (each with 100 million streams certified by Billboard) and “Marigold” (first ever Japanese song to hit 100 million streams, and racking up 200 million streams to date) to name a few. She is one of the first artists in Japan to truly flourish through streaming platforms where young music listeners come to discover new music. Fans are always looking out for the visual sides of Aimyon as well: Her music videos are never over the top but entertaining, real and soothing. Aimyon’s favorite artwork designer Tondabayashi Ran also knows how to add Aimyon flavor to each release, helping to create her distinct world.


Official YouTube
https://youtube.com/user/aimyong

Official Twitter
https://twitter.com/aimyongtter

Official Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/aimyon36/

Official Weibo
https://weibo.com/u/7099412531