Grigory Sokolov Interview

[lightsilverdust]

Oh, guys, sorry, I tried to post the translation, but the comment was way too long so I posted a few small pieces instead and I think some of them have dissapeared.

[bozotheda]

@lightsilverdust Thanks anyway for trying.

[lightsilverdust]

Conductors, who truly love music are very very rare. I need a conductor who has a talent of accompaniment, because there is one interpretation in our relationship - it'smagic. And you know, the more a person has to say himself, the more interestingly he can accompany.

[lightsilverdust]

You can divide conductors into 3 categories: first is the conductors, which are a pleasure to play with - it is an extremely small category, the second is the conductors, which do not hamper - it is a quite large category from a quantitative point of view, and conductors, which get in your way, which actively hamper.

[lightsilverdust]

I never liked competitions, but unfortunately it was the only way to gain access to the stage in the past. The most pleasant thing is when everything depends on you, when you have everything in your hands. Even a slightest, minimal intrusion already affects the final result. When you play with an orchestra there are 100 people and conductor.

[lightsilverdust]

From my point of view internal world has a meaning in art and in a way is an object of art. I do not think that those two worlds (internal and external) interact, but ofcourse you cannot be absolutely autonomous. There is no evolution in art, but there is change - you can see it from examples of many great people. There is initial perfection.

[lightsilverdust]

I always say that in my life everything happened backwards, because usually people start playing piano, then violin and then become conductors and I have experienced all that when I was 4.

[lightsilverdust]

So when I was 4 my parents invited a teacher and asked her what they should do with me and the teacher advised to wait for a year and then get the piano. When I was 5, piano appeared in our house and my first intention was to become a conductor, but after I got the piano and started playing I forgot conducting.

[lightsilverdust]

My parents were not professional musicians, my dad played the violin a little bit, but there definitely was a love of music and art at home. They noticed that when I was 3 or 4 years old and heard music on the street it was very hard to take me away from that place. We had a lot of vinyl records at home and I used to stand on a little chair and 'conduct 'all the operas, all ballets.

[lightsilverdust]

It is very rare to find an 'easy' instrument, but on the other hand these 'healthy', 'sporty' pianos are not really pleasant, they can't do anything.

[lightsilverdust]

After 1 hour of playing in the air conditioned room, you will not be able to recognise the piano from the regulatory point of view. There is nothing more damaging to the instrument than a concert in the open air - it is simply not a professional attitude to the instrument. In the beggining of its life the piano demands the temperature of 20-22 degrees celsius just like a child. You can't understand why it is crying, what does it want, but you need to understand what hampers it.

[lightsilverdust]

Pianos for me are like human organism. Just like human organism it gets old, gets sick and dies. Just like humans - one dies at 20, some at 40, 50 so does the piano - it is somehow genetically predestined. Why is piano so different from violin? Because you get the sound differently, and the soft material on the piano hammers is very sensitive to the change of temperature.

[lightsilverdust]

I need to find out what the grand piano can do, what does it want, what does it not want, I have to understand it and it is probably interested in understanding me, I also have to choose the piano. The piano for me is an equal partner, something with its own character, with its own habits, with its own life and we have to find a common ground.

[lightsilverdust]

Then Grigory Sokolov says: Our profession is very strange, we somewhow find the way to understand (or comprehend) what is theoretically impossible to comprehend and what a man is not even meant to comprehend. During that day (the day of the concert) there shouldn't be any events, there shouldn't be any movement around for one simple reason -

[lightsilverdust]

Ok, I will translate. The Lady in the beginning says: The arrival of this musician is always an event, for which people are waiting for the whole year, just as they would be waiting for the arrival of a Human Myth - Richter or Horowitz for examle, who would be giving a concert. And this is not an exhagerration, he has virtuosal technique, rarest individuality and the depth of interpretation. Today he is one of the best pianists in the world.

[anacojocariu09]

Ich habe Sokolov live gesehen ...Er hat über 15 mal BIs gemacht ....Toll !

[miker2001]

He is saying that the music flows from his fingers, that he simply plays it the way it is written, per the instructions from the original composer, and he does nothing, he is only the conduit.

(Look it, I dont know more than two words of Russian, but I know this man is the greatest living pianist, and as such, this is what he would say. )

[LionMrSimba]

Per gli italiani: ho la traduzione in italiana dell'intervista. Scrivetemi, se interessa.

[GREENHAYZZZ]

TRANSLATE to English ............please somebody ........... What an adorable young boy he was too.

[esdvog]

un mito!..

[hiho0202]

What is he playing 2:16?

[paolaalessandra12]

CAN ANYONE TRANSLATE IT,PLEASE???MANY OF US DON'T SPEAK THE RUSSIAN....

[afertyus1000]

@paolaalessandra12 NIET! LOL

[uhfqacdfkml]

@paolaalessandra12

Ok, I can. He said:

0:30: In fact, we have a very strange profession, for we manage to understand thing which are theoretically not possible to understand and one´s also incapable to understand.

1:50: This day (the recital day) have to be without any events. Generaly I don´t like to have any "movements" on this day. Because of one simlpe reason: I have to investigate all possibilities of the piano, what it wants and what not. What I should tell to the technician to do.

[uhfqacdfkml]

...I have to know exactly...I have to understand it as completly as possible, but maybe it´s interesting to understand me. Besides, I ´ve to choose the piano. Piano is an equal partner for me, it has own character, own habits und we have to find a way to understand each other.

2:37: I think a piano is similar to a humankind (livingthings). Unlike a violin, it can be ill, get old and finaly die, it´s very similar to people, one die in 20s, an another one in 40s, 50s, 60s and so on.

[uhfqacdfkml]

4:20: A piano demands 20-21 degri. It´s like a child: you don´t know why it cries, what it hurts but you have to understand what it desturbs. Rarely you will find an instrument as widely in sound as simple in handling. The sportiest or "healthiest" pianos are not comfortable for me, they can not anything.

5:30: My parents weren´t professional musicians, my father played a violin a bit, but musik was always important in my family.

[uhfqacdfkml]

5:00:When I was 3-4 year old one realized that if I heard a musik somewhere I kept unmoved on a spot. We had a lot of musik record and as a child had a small chair and a stick and I directed all operas, ballets we had, than when I was about 4 yeas a musik teacher told to wait a year, thus I started to learn piano with 5 year. In the beginning I wanted to be a condactor, but than I only wanted to be a pianist.

[titusbeertsen]

@uhfqacdfkml and @lightsilverdust , thank you so much for your translations. I had been wondering for a long time what Sokolov was saying here. Very interesting interview, and a giant musician. Thanks.

[Lenochka1107]

Очень интересно!!

[drkujavec]

Solamente un genio podría hablar de esa manera tan simple. Y sin jactarse de nada, con una humildad y sinceridad que le honran, como a todos los grandes genios, quienes exigen siempre el máximo de sí mismos sin llegar a estar nunca contentos.

Mi más profundo respeto y admiración a Grigory Sokolov

[nbharakey]

If somebody want to know...

At start he is playing Mozart Sonata No.14 in C minor.

At 5:00 he is playing Haydn Sonata No.53 in E minor.

[tokamak116]

Thank you for this beautiful video! Does anyone know what Sokolov is playing from 7:06 to 7:36? please let me know

[bozotheda]

@tokamak116 Glad you like it. Not sure about the piece. Sounds like it might be something by Couperin.

[agniyavishta]

@tokamak116 Bach or probably his son C.Ph., it's not clear, seems to be an exercise about a famous choral. That can be found in any Bach free choral editions for organ, that's BWV sevenhundred something I don't remember now. The choral name is the one 'Wer nur den lieben Gott...'

[tokamak116]

@agniyavishta thank you! You are right

[csoy31]

@tokamak116 JSBach's music

[tokamak116]

@csoy31

thank you!

[nbharakey]

Что он играет от 3:00?

[4785689]

@nbharakey chopin mazurka op.50 no.3

[nbharakey]

@4785689 Thanks for fast reply!