FEEL OF THE COOL PEDALS

Pianist performing at NAC discusses music, design

Q You will be performing Grieg ’s Piano Concerto in A Minor with the NAC Orchestra. What was your first connection with the piece? A

I played this piece the first time when I was 16 so I have had quite a long relationship with it. I remember at that time, because the music is rather simple, very often people see it as a concerto for beginners. And I always wanted to do something unique and special and it never really worked out. Only after three or four years, I came to the conclusion that maybe that’s the wrong approach and then I started actually stepping back and trying to see the entire piece as a bigger picture, and trying to listen to the music and myself. In the end, I figured that the beauty actually lies in the simplicity.

Q Was that a revelation for you? A

Yeah, definitely. It’s also very tricky in putting together with the orchestra. It’s really not easy. Everything is written in a way that it can easily fall apart so you have to play everything in one breath basically. It took me a couple of years to figure that out. It definitely changed my approach, and also towards music in general.

Q You’ll be performing with conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen for the first time. How do you feel about playing with someone you’ve never worked with before? Does it keep it fresh? A

Definitely, and that’s what music is about. Of course everybody has an opinion on how it should be played, and of course, I prepare my part and I see things a certain way, but then you come to a new venue, and I think the joy of a live concert is that you are being flexible in that moment. You react to the acous- tics and the surrounding and the musicians around you that you’re working with, and you try to basically produce a sound that is the most appropriate for that environment and atmosphere. Also, the acoustics changes from an empty hall to a filled hall so it never is the same. It’s sometimes completely different from what I have practised. I can meet a new orchestra and new conductor and we play two concerts and sometimes they can be completely different from each other.

Q Sounds exciting. A

Yeah, I like this excitement. Sometimes you don’t know where the journey is going. I like to be surprised on stage, too. I’m definitely not somebody who’s into routine. I dislike that word. Music deserves freshness, and a certain kind of humble attitude towards the music, too, to always restudy the score and discover new things and try to develop your own view, and find something you might have missed before.

Q You’ve been playing piano since you were four years old. What drew you to classical music in the first place? A

My parents. My mother studied piano and my father has nothing to do with music, but they had a friend who gave a recital in Munich. I was born and raised there. They just couldn’t find a babysitter that night so they took me. I was three years old. They took me to this recital and I just remember I was mesmerized by the power the pianist had over the audience. I don’t remember what was played, but I remember the audience was silent for two hours. That impressed me a lot.

Q It made you want to play? A

I thought if I learn this language, if I could master this language, people would listen to me and understand me. So that was the reason I said after the concert to my mother that I want to become a pianist. She was against it, so I had to fight for it for a year or so and then she finally gave in, and then my parents took me to my first piano teacher.

Q Why was your mother against it? A

She’s a musician herself, and she thinks that children should have all doors open, all opportunities. She didn’t want to limit that just because of her profession, and also because she wanted her children to learn to become normal people and not crazy musicians.

Q And then you became one of those “crazy musicians.” When did it become obvious it was going to be your life? A

That’s an interesting question because the word professional was not part of this at all. I started taking lessons with my teacher and I remember he gave me some Bach Inventions so the first two or three years I only played Bach. I always forgot time as soon as I started playing the piano. I would sit there for three or four hours and it just went on. I have to say I was very lucky because I was never at a point where I had to question everything and ask myself if I can really go on and make a living from it. Everything came step by step. Music was my language, my identity and where there was music, people welcomed me.

Q You collaborated in designing a line of handbags last year. How did that happen? A

I always like drawing, and I’m very much interested in design, interior design, architecture, fashion design. The bag-designing thing was rather a coincidence. This brand was interested in a collaboration and I told them that I always have problems finding the right bag because I want functionality and esthetics combined in a certain way and I never find this kind of bag. I told them what I imagined and I basically drew it on a paper, and then he came up with the idea to make a signature line. It was fun project, and it’s very nice to finally carry a bag that basically does everything you want.

Q I love the shade of green you chose. A

I didn’t know at that time that it was going to become the colour of 2017. We picked this green because I always liked it very much, and suddenly I saw green bags and green clothes and green things everywhere. It was a coincidence. We’re going to do a second line and I will pick different colours. I like colour accents. I don’t have many coloured clothes, but it’s nice to have one accent.

Q Classical musicians usually have to wear black, right? A

If you play in an orchestra, yeah. I certainly don’t wear black all the time. I think you should dress how you feel. I’m pretty much against dress codes, and rules in concert halls. Two or three hundred years ago, there was not such a thing. Nowadays, you are not allowed to clap between movements. You shouldn’t cough, and there are so many rules like this. I think it actually drives especially the younger generation away from concert halls. You want to be relaxed and if you feel you’re not relaxed, you cannot open yourself to music.

Q Is that why you perform barefoot? A

I love shoes, but I just don’t wear them on stage. I’m always barefoot at home, and that’s how I feel most comfortable. That’s why I do it on stage as well. Also when you have all the spotlights on you, it gets really hot on stage so it’s actually nice to feel the cool pedals. There’s a little chill. This is actually a nice extra

effect.

Q You used to say in interviews that you didn’t want to burn out by the time you turn 30. Your 30th birthday is coming up in August. Have you found the right balance? A

I remember I was saying that. It is very interesting because it’s a constant process of getting to know yourself. I think it’s very, very important to find out where your limits are and to accept those, and that’s why I’m not playing more than 70 concerts a year. That’s a good number for me. It might change, but at the moment that’s my limit and I don’t do more. I also need some time for myself. I always take two months of vacation in summer. I’m very fortunate to have a very close connection to my parents, and to my family, and it’s important for me to spend quality time with people who are dear to me. lsaxberg@postmedia.com Twitter @lynnsaxberg Instagram @lynnsax