Concert Pianist Alexander Peskanov
Alexander Peskanov
Concert pianist Alexander Peskanov visits the-piano-studio.com to join us for our Conversations series, in which we talk with various piano luminaries and chat about their areas of expertise.
In Conversation with Alexander Peskanov
Alexander Peskanov is an acclaimed concert pianist, author, and composer. Born in Odessa, Ukraine, he immigrated to the USA in 1973 and studied at Julliard School in New York. He has appeared as a soloist with many international orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
He has collaborated with famous musicians including Maurice André, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Yo-Yo Ma, and he also appears frequently as a soloist and lecturer throughout the United States. He is the author of a series of six books entitled The Russian Technical Regimen for the Piano. Alexander is the founder of Piano Olympics and started the International Piano Exchange in order to teach students and teachers Russian piano techniques.
Alexander Peskanov – inside the mind of a concert pianist…
1) Can you give us a brief overview of the Russian School of Technique?
In the Soviet Union, I graduated from the Stoliarsky School of Music, which was considered a special music school, and later completed two years at the Odessa Conservatory. My first piano teacher, Rosalia Leontievna Molodietzkaya and later, her son, Emil introduced me to the great traditions of the Russian Piano School.
From the first lesson with Rosalia, I learned about the implementation of gravity and how to convert weight into sound, utilizing the wrist motion. She was never telling me to work on my technique but rather work on my sound, making the piano sing. During our lessons, Rosalia would repeatedly ask me the same question: “Are you comfortable?” And if I wasn’t, I would have to immediately stop playing, drop my arms and resume playing only after the tension was gone. My first exercises helped me to gain control over my fingers and wrist, understand how to release weight, use the tips and pads of my fingers, plus many more tricks, like sliding the keys, flying finger technique, etc.
Rosalia used to tell me:
Rosalia was a pupil of two great piano teachers, Levenshtein, pupil of Theodore Leschetizky and Teofil Danilovich Richter, the father of the legendary Sviatoslav. Unfortunately, I studied with Rosalia only 4 1/2 years, since she had breast cancer. Her son, Emil continued working with me after she passed away. As a student of a special music school, I had to pass two major technique exams, at ages 11 and 15.
After graduating from Juilliard School and making my debut with the National Symphony Orchestra, under Mstislav Rostropovich, I wrote six books, entitled The Russian Technical Regimen for the Piano, published by Willis Music. Soon after, I became the founder of the Peskanov Piano Olympics program that incorporated the great traditions of the Russian Piano School and technical syllabus that was used in special music schools in the USSR.
2) Can you describe to us the years / weeks / days / hours leading up to a performance?
Being a concert artist is living a life filled with mystery. Sometimes you know ahead of time about your upcoming concerts, but it is not always the case. There were many times, when I had to play difficult works on very short notice. In retrospect, a meaningful and efficient practicing is always beneficial for anything that might occur much, much later in the course of your life. I feel that the first 4 1/2 years of studying piano with Rosalia Molodietzkaya was my best preparation for playing with major orchestras in major concert halls many years later.
3) What things do you take into consideration when you are putting together a concert programme?
I usually take two criteria into consideration:
1. I will enjoy playing the program myself
2. The audience will be entertained and kept involved throughout the performance
If one of the these criteria is not met, then the artist is left at a disadvantage and the program contains a poor choice of repertoire. For a recital program, it is also extremely important to pay close attention to the order of the program.
4) In your opinion, what is one of the hardest pieces to perform in the piano repertoire and why?
At different stages of my life, I felt that certain works were more difficult yet more desirable to play.
When I was at Juilliard, I wanted to learn Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto but my teacher, Ania Dorfmann was not eager to teach this piece. Perhaps, because it was not in her repertoire or the fact that she had small hands. I tackled this piece when I was engaged by the Annapolis Symphony and had to learn it in one month. This was quite a challenge but after the performance, I no longer considered it difficult and set my sights on Prokofiev Concerto #2.
Two seasons ago, I challenged myself to learn Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue – a monumental work. This piece helped me to rediscover the music of Bach. Over the years, I tackled all Chopin, all Beethoven and all Fantasy programs. Perhaps, I find this to be the most challenging – to perform an evening of one composer’s works and highlight different aspects of the music.
5) What are your thoughts on memorization? Why do you think that concert piano is one of the few instruments where the artist is expected to perform from memory?
I guess Franz Liszt should be held responsible for playing piano repertoire by heart! I feel strongly that memorization helps to understand music on a much deeper level. In many cases, it is more manageable to memorize compositions like Chopin Etudes or even chamber music works by Schumann or Brahms. Concert pianists are expected to perform from memory simply because the piano has 88 keys and it is extremely difficult to read the score and watch that your hands are striking the right keys! The flip side is that piano students often attempt to play from memory even before learning pieces properly. The outcome can include wrong notes, rhythms, articulation, etc.
6) What is a surprising thing that most people don’t know about being a concert pianist?
Perhaps, it is the amount of mental practicing, away from the piano, that is done while at the airports riding taxis, dining in solitude… Being superstitious, eating at certain time before the concert, wearing old shoes since they are more comfortable, and many other strange things.
7) What would you tell someone who wants to be a concert pianist? Would you encourage them or discourage them and why?
I always like to encourage students to reach for their fullest potential, whatever that might be. Becoming a concert pianist is definitely not for everyone! Personality, musical sensitivity and the ability to communicate with your audience is critical. This natural prerequisite must be present at a very young age. Finding the right teacher to nurture and facilitate talent is of utmost importance.
Important Links
Read more about Alexander Peskanov on Wikipedia or visit his personal website here. If you want to see some of his performances, please visit his YouTube channel here.
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