Merrit, Grigory Sokolov, Studying…

Hi there! I hope you are well. This week has been a really productive one. After the lessons with Merrit, I have been practising his tips and I went to the practice room and practiced for hours just focusing on the few points he suggested would help me. I must say I am really glad to get his advice at this moment in time. In my journey as a singer during the last year or so, I have dedicated so many hours re considering, experimenting, challenging my own way of singing, in order to organize better my singing and the way I do music. I believe we keep recycling information all the time, and during my talks with several tenors of great success, they all keep coming back to the basics of singing. Some of them experimented more, and some had a very clear idea and great guidance since the beginning. For me, the path has been one of plenty of experimentation, so as learning how not to sing in a way heheh! Thanks God I have gone not too far off the road, but I admit sometimes it feels like it, even if you are actively singing. Also among the great tenors on their own level, they ask the tough questions about singing, interpreting, being truthful and mostly learning about themselves or better “knowing yourself”. I believe singing is never reaching the destination of vocal perfection but the constant travelling to the destination. As the old said, as long as you are singing you will always be pursuing excellence, you never arrive, is always a constant travel. Because our instrument is not only our voice but also our body, everyday slightly different and much needed attention is also to the mental side of our profession. So, together body, mind and spirit play a trinity all codependent and coworking  with each other. All is about balance and knowing how to access it, every day, every sound.

This week I had the pleasure to hear for the first time a veteran of the piano, his name Grigory Sokolov. He played Bethoven and Schubert. He played so intimate yet powerful, the way he made music in this concert was very impressive. On top of that he gave like 7 encores, so the concert was much longer and most of the audience remained at their seats, enjoying every piece he offered. I am glad Aki mentioned that she really wanted to listen to him. She saw him many years ago and she was enchanted by him. I was reading his biography and it seems like his journey has been interesting and challenging one as well, I will definitely look to his recordings and get closer to his interpretations. I also want to ask around my colleagues pianists what do they think about Sokolov, just out of curiosity and because by no means I am an expert in appreciating piano, so I want to know the impressions of my friends who are close to that instrument.

I keep doing my daily reading and exercise routine and also my morning pages. I hope you are well and please take care. See you next week.