1.  A few works of classical music that you adore:

There are too many to name, and it would be hard to pick just one.  But my desert island work is probably Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings (buy on Amazon). When I heard Gergiev conduct it in St. Petersburg, I got goose bumps. I also adore Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements (buy on Amazon). It is monumental.

2.  Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Anything with von Karajan.

3.  Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

I am a big jazz fan. I love really sexy jazz, especially by some of the great pianists, including Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner. For me, this is real relaxation music.  Classical music isn’t relaxing for me, because I’m always listening for a possible ballet!   My all-time favorite is Ray Charles.

4.  Music that makes you cry – any genre:

There are moments driving into New York City on the West Side Highway that I know that I’m a sucker for Tchaikovsky. There are passages in his Romeo and Juliet overture that make my tears flow. I say to myself, how can anyone pick the notes like he could? He was a sublime melodist.

5.  Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Delibes. It may be that everyone will get their due ultimately if they are good enough – though it may take some time. I can’t remember which composer said it, but I think it was Saint-Säens who said, and I paraphrase, “I am not in the big leagues with the big ones – Bach, Beethoven and Mozart – but on the second tier I’m as good as they come.”

6.  Possibly overrated work(s) or composer(s):

I will leave that question for others to decide.

7.  Live music performance(s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Ray Charles at the Koch Theater in the late ’80s – though it was the State Theater then.

8.  A few relatively recent films you love:

I never see movies: I fall asleep!

9.  A few films you consider classics:

West Side Story was the reason I came to America. Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins made me come to NYC! All I wanted to do was to go snapping my fingers on the Upper West Side and dance around in sneakers!

10.  A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

I am very much into political science. I enjoyed Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat – a great book.

11.  Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

I never throw in the towel.

12.  Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

I wish I spoke better English.  After 40 years I speak pretty well, but my vocabulary hasn’t really expanded enough. [Editor’s note: After a lengthy conversation with Mr. Martins, I can assure you that his English is quite impressive.]

13.  Three things you can’t live without:

My family, cheese and wine, and music.

14.  “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Listen to music and have cheese and wine with my wife and daughter at home!

15.  “People are surprised to find out that I…”

I can’t answer that question, as I have no idea what people think of me!

16.  “My favorite cities are…”

New York City.

17.  “I have a secret crush on…”

[Look of surprise including sly grin.] When I was very young, it was Jane Fonda.

18.  “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Cigarettes. I don’t smoke much, but enough – like President Obama.

19.  “I’d really love to meet – or to have met…”

It would have been interesting to meet JFK and to see what he was like one-on-one.  I’m sure he would have been impressive.

20.  “I never understood why…”

In NYC, you can have all these cultures side by side getting along. NYC is an example that it can work, but it obviously doesn’t work everywhere else. Why not? If it can work here, why not there?

BONUS QUESTION:

21.  Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q:  What would you do if you had the chance to do it all over again?

A:  I’d become a conductor! Many things interest me. I wanted to be a lawyer, an architect, a soccer player, but my real love is music. I imagine having been trained since age three, playing instruments and becoming a conductor – much more so than becoming a composer! A composer sits in isolation and writes and creates sounds out of nowhere – pretty astonishing. A conductor gets to recreate that sound and bring it to life.  I watch Fayçal Karoui [music director of New York City Ballet] with such envy. Why can’t I do that?

Compiled and edited by Albert Imperato.  For permission to post or print this interview write to aimperato@21cmediagroup.com.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

Verdi’s La Traviata; Bizet’s Carmen; Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet

2.  Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Callas‘ Traviata; Turandot with Pavarotti and Sutherland

3.  Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

Alannah Myles; Anastacia; Tiziano Ferro; Whitesnake; John Butler

4.  Music that makes you cry – any genre:

It can happen with any genre, any piece, any time when it collides with personal matters…

5.  Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Salieri

6.  Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Out of respect to art and the creative process, I wouldn‘t say such a thing. Art and music always stay subjective and a question of taste.

7.  Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

My first rock concert: Bonfire; Arabella in London with Hampson and Mattila

8.  A few relatively recent films you love:

Das Leben der Anderen

9.  A few films you consider classics:

As Good As It Gets; Traviata by Zeffirelli

10.  A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

Eat, Pray, Love – it helped

11.  Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

I did everything by myself… also the mistakes

12.  Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

I can‘t remember names!!

13.  Three things you can’t live without:

iPod, telephone and computer

14.  “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Go out into nature, best on horseback

15.  “People are surprised to find out that I…”

If I would tell you, the surprise is gone

16.  “My favorite cities are…”

Paris, Vienna and Geneva

17.  “I have a secret crush on…”

Bruce Willis

18.  “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Chocolate

19.  “I’d really love to meet…”

Carlos Saura

20.  “I never understood why…”

Opera-singers must be “divas“

Complied and edited by Albert Imperato. For permission to post or print this interview write to aimperato@21cmediagroup.com.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

There are so many! Eugene Onegin. Everything by Rachmaninov! Piano Concertos by Mozart – No. 23 is my favorite, particularly the second movement.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

There are millions! Alexandre Tharaud’s Rameau Suites; Perahia’s Bach albums; Caballé singing Trovatore, especially “D’amor sull’ ali rosee”

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

Ella Fitzgerald; Bill Evans; Take Six.

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

Some of the ones I mentioned in the first question, especially the second movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, and Caballe singing “D’amor sull’ ali rosee” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore. And Maria Callas singing “Addio del passato from the third act of La Traviata.

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

I like Hummel’s music, such as his Piano Concertos. He was a dear pupil of Mozart.

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Verdi sometimes. Sometimes he goes for facility, but Falstaff, Otello and La Traviata are undoubtedly masterpieces.

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Philippe Caubère is a French actor who did many plays that he wrote himself – improvisations telling us his story and his experience with Ariane Mnouchkine who is a famous theater director in Paris. She has a company called La Theatre de Soleil that is justifiably famous.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

I’m actually too busy to go to the movies very often, but I saw and loved Slum Dog Millionaire.

9. A few films you consider classics:

Anything by Frank Capra, especially It’s A Wonderful Life.

10. A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

Stefan Zweig’s memoir The World of Yesterday is difficult to describe but people should read it! Balzac’s Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes. I loveHamlet – it’s written centuries before Freud, but is so amazing in its psychological insight.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

My fruitcake – I have a wonderful, simple recipe. I’m a very good baker. And my new long nails! I used to bite them, but it’s great to get rid of an addiction!

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

I won’t tell you!

13. Three things you can’t live without:

A view, flowers and humor.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Go to the sea.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

They don’t find out anything about me. I keep it secret.

16. “My favorite cities are…”

New York and Paris.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

I won’t tell you! Okay, I wouldn’t call it a crush, but I loved the young William Holden – especially in Picnic with Kim Novak.

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Pastries.

19. “I’d really love to meet…”

Peter Ustinov. I just love him. He was brilliant and very, very funny.

20. “I never understood why…”

People have to obey silly rules.

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: I don’t like questions!

A: [silence]

For more on Dessay, including discography and upcoming calendar, visit www.natalie-dessay.com.

A prolific recording artist, with releases on both major and independent labels, Rousset has a distinguished discography that includes the complete harpsichord music of Couperin, Rameau, d’Anglebert and Forqueray, the great keyboard works of J.S. Bach, and a host of baroque operas – including lesser known French works and important scores that he discovered.

1.  A few works of classical music that you adore:

Monteverdi Eighth Book of Madrigals; Mozart Così fan tutte; Schumann Piano Concerto; Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Harnoncourt/Gruberova Concert arias/Mozart; Gardiner Idomeneo/Mozart, S.Richter Waldszenen/Schumann; Abbado Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune/Debussy

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

I’ll have to get back to you on this one!

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

So much in Mozart; second movement of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto; Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Leonardo Leo, a great composer

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Vivaldi and Donizetti

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Krystian Zimmerman piano recital in Menton festival (when I was a child) and Les Troyens by Berlioz in Paris conducted by Gardiner with Susan Graham and A.C. Antonacci.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut; Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises

9. A few films you consider classics:

Fellini’s La dolce vita; Godard’s Pierrot le fou; Lynch’s Mulholland Drive; Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard

10. A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. Why? Because it teaches me to live better.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

Being sincere and truthful (it has cost me some effort!)

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

Getting angry too easily

13. Three things you can’t live without:

My harpsichord, a lover, and a project for the future

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Go to my place in Tuscany in the hills and dream

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

Am more tender than they expect me to be.And that I actually press my own olive oil with the olives I grow!

16. “My favorite cities are…”

Paris, San Francisco and Florence

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

Chocolate

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Sweets

19. “I’d really love to meet – or to have met…”

Montaigne

20. “I never understood why…”

I insisted being a musician, but now I guess I have to keep on…

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: Do you think human being is going to survive the crisis of civilization we are living now?

A: Our civilization is like an adult in his 40s having his crisis and having the choice of getting fat or having plastic surgery or just deciding to concentrate on “higher” matters, like philosophy, arts and ethics. Everything is still possible, but getting fat is probably the most likely.Valuing the head, the intelligence, and not the body is something requiring great maturity, I suspect.

Xuefei has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs, including a successful performance at the BBC Proms, and an interview for “Woman’s Hour” on BBC Radio 4. In 2009 Xuefei performed at the Brit Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Xuefei was the subject of a documentary by CCTV in China.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

There are too many to list, but some of the many that come to mind include Dvorak’s New World Symphony; Bach’s Cello Suites; Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto; Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp; Debussy’s Claire De Lune number Three; and most of Chopin’s music.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Again there are many I could list. A few that come to mind immediately include Jacqueline du Pre’s recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto; Rostropovich’s recordings of Bach’s Cello Suites; the album John Williams Plays Spanish Music; Together by John Williams and Julian Bream; The Complete Guitar Recordings by Agustin Barrios

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

I like all sorts of music, not just classical. For example, I enjoy listening to the Beatles, Pat Metheny, Edith Piaf and Charlie Parker. I like listening to the sound track of Black Orpheus by Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim. I am also amazed by the Meeting of Spirits live performance by Paco de Lucia, Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin. Recently I have been listening to Portuguese Fado music; a particular favorite is the singer Mariza. I also enjoy the Cuban music of the Buena Vista Social Club.

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

Many pieces make me cry. Certain sections of all the music I listed in answer to question 1 can make me cry. I also get moved to tears when I perform some pieces, for example the slow movement of Rodrigo’s Concerto De Aranjuez, or Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

For guitar, I think the works of Giulio Regondi (a nineteenth century composer and guitar prodigy), and Silvius Leopold Weiss (a prolific composer, great lute player, and a contemporary of Bach) are underrated.

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

In my opinion, some of the sonatas in the guitar repertoire are over rated. Sometimes guitarists play sonatas just for the sake of playing longer pieces. However I think the piano and violin, for example, have many great sonatas to choose from. The fact is that there are very few truly good sonatas for guitar. However, there are many wonderful pieces in smaller form for the guitar.

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

The first time I heard John Williams play live in China, when I was still a teenager. He played the Spanish repertoire and the music stayed with me. Most recently, I recall a concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Bernard Haitink in Beijing’s new National Centre. It was so memorable to hear one of the world’s best orchestra’s with a great conductor, playing in the new magnificent hall in my home town of Bejing. I also got the chance to shake hands with the conductor following the concert.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

I enjoyed seeing the movie Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep. I also enjoyed watching Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts. I saw that movie three times. I also enjoy the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, starring Yun-Fat Chow, and directed by Ang Lee. As a Chinese person, I think this movie has greater meaning to me, as the English sub-titles do not really convey the subtlety of meaning that is present in the Chinese dialogue.

9. A few films you consider classics:

Some of my favourite include the movie Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour. I also like The Ladykillers with Peter Sellers, and It’s a Wonderful Life with James Stewart. The Pianist by Roman Polanski. Knowing about the history and culture of China, I am also deeply moved by the movie Fairwell my Concubine with Kaige Chen.

10. A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

My diary! Many books have influenced me at different times and in different ways, but the one constant companion is my diary. I play many concerts all over the world, and need to have a close eye on my calendar.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

I am most proud of the fact that I have been given the opportunity in life to enjoy music, and bring music to people around the world. It is a great privilege.

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

I get embarrassed if I am having a bad day performing on-stage.

13. Three things you can’t live without:

Music, my guitar, and my computer.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Take myself shopping! I also like to stay at home, read magazines, and put on some music.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

am quite lively and humorous. Many people seem to expect a Chinese person to be more serious and demure.

16. “My favorite cities are…”

I love the history, architecture, romanticism and culture of Paris and Granada. I love the bustle, the food, and the mix of East and West that you can find in Hong Kong.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

dogs – particularly golden retrievers, but I can’t keep one as I travel a lot.

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Leaving my guitar in its case for a couple of days, and having a break from practice.

19. “I’d really love to meet (or to have met)…”

The guitarist Segovia would be on my list as he was probably the person who established the guitar as a concert instrument. I would also love to meet the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as I love the cello, and his music. The composer Isaac Albéniz would also be on my list as I am going to record his music this summer.

20. “I never understood why…”

I always try to have a clear answer to any question I am asked. I am realizing more and more that there isn’t always a simple answer to all questions, and that finding an answer is not always the way to deal with life. Music can help provide some meaning and light for these darker corners in our life.

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: Would you like to come and perform in The White House?

A: Yes !

Complied and edited by Albert Imperato. For permission to post or print this interview write to aimperato@21cmediagroup.com.

Following his run in the Donizetti classic, Filianoti sings the title role in Gounod’s Faust at France’s Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse. In September he returns to the United States for Elisirperformances at Los Angeles Opera.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

Massenet’s Werther; Cilea’s L’Arlesiana; Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes; Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress; Verdi’s Ballo in maschera, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. All works of Mahler and Chopin.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

All tenor recordings of Aureliano Pertile, Alfredo Kraus, Tito Schipa and Fritz Wundrlich; Carlos Kleiber in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

When I don’t work or study I don’t like to listen any kind of music. Since I spend so much time in my life singing, I prefer to do something else.

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

Usually I cry when I don’t sing as I would or should, but also listening the fabulous music composed Ennio Morricone, Chopin and Puccini.

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Cilea’s L’Arlesiana and Gloria; Manfroce’s Ecuba

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Mascagni, Giordano, and a lot of modern music

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Every time Alfredo Kraus sung he taught me how to use my voice. Every minute in which my son Riccardo (4 years old) performs for me like a tenor – he is surely better than his father.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

Elizabeth – The Golden Age; A Beautiful Mind; La Vita è Bella; Il postino;Hamlet

9. A few films you consider classics:

Psycho; Rebecca; Schindler’s List; Amarcord; Jules and Jim.

10. A few books that are important to you (and why):

In my opinion every artist must read these books. There is not a real reason but for me it was a route. Vladimir Nabokov: The Real Life of Sebastian Knight; Henry James: The Lesson of the Master and Real Thing; Richard Powers: The Time of Our Singing. These others are my best classic, deeply engraved in my soul: Italo Svevo: The Confessions of Zeno; James Joyce: Dubliners; Everything by Italo Calvino…and many, many others.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

First of all, my beautiful wife Annalisa and my little son Riccardo, who are part of everything in my life. After of all my tenacity and my constancy, to understand how many things in this world are so useless or without importance, and false in comparison, with the love of our family and our real friends.

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

My totally incapacity with everything of scientific or mathematics; to always forget the name of people just a few minutes after I speak with them; sometimes to not be able to shut up and to say anything I think.

13. Three things you can’t live without:

My family, my music, my books.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Go inside myself

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

I am sooooo stubborn!

16. “My favorite cities are…”

Reggio Calabria, New York, London, Barcelona, Madrid.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

No secret, please!!!…but sometimes during the night I awake looking for …dark chocolate, sorry.

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

To love so much to sing.

19. “I’d really love to meet…”

Myself from the outside to see how many things I have to change and my grandmother (she is no longer with us) to tell her about my baby, my career and to see in her eyes that she is proud of me.

20. “I never understood why…”

It is so difficult to be accepted and to be appreciated by people for who we really are.

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: Why are you giving answers to this stressful questionnaire?

A: Because I am trying to reveal more of myself, so people that who come to listen me sing can decide if I am only a simple tenor or also a good boy. At least I hope.

Cabell has a successful and critically acclaimed solo CD, Soprano – on the Decca label – and her Musetta was recently singled out for praise in the Robert Dornhelm film, now on DVD, of La bohème, with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915; Puccini’s Turandot, Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony 3, “Sorrowful Songs”

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Anything by Mirella Freni; Anne Sofie von Otter’s Artist Album; Teresa Stratas’s Weill recordings.

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

Liz Wright’s Dreaming Wide Awake; all Alana Davis albums; Stevie Nicks; Fleet Foxes; Coldplay; anything by Ricky Ian Gordon.

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

Everything listed in the first question – I guess that’s why I like them so much!

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s)

Fernando Obradors; Kurt Weill; Maurice Delage’s Quatre poèmes hindous (Four Hindu Poems) – these are amazing!

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

No comment!

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Renée Fleming in Thaïs at the Chicago Lyric Opera (2002); Denyce Graves, also in Chicago, in a recital at the Chicago Symphony Center (1998 I believe); Sarah McLachlan and Sting in Rochester, NY; Audra McDonald at the Chicago Symphony Center.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

Sideways; Hot Fuzz; Gangs of New York; Gladiator; The Notebook; Lord of the Rings; Waiting for Guffman.

9. A few films you consider classics:

It’s A Wonderful Life; Disney’s Sleeping Beauty; The Color Purple; A Christmas Story; Young Frankenstein.

10. A few books that are important to you (and why):

Eat, Pray Love – it’s so honest, without pretension. She takes a personal journey that could be any of ours, and it really urges you to self-reflect; George Orwell’s 1984 – This is one scary book, but has always been one of my favorites for its strange ability to be intensely relevant at all times, but also pretty entertaining; Echkart Tolle’s A New Earth – I’m always interested in hearing another fine opinion on the state of the world and mankind. There are some very interesting observations in this one that ring true.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

I’m pretty disciplined, and I’m proud of that. Not a lot of alcohol, no smoking (ever!), and most of my friends and family know I’m not much of a talker before a performance. Not so easy, but call me old fashioned.

I’m proud of my Cardiff win because I never thought I could have sung in a competition on prime time television (I get stage fright). So, I guess I’m proud of having conquered that stage fright.

I’m proud that I don’t compromise on the people in my life-I have the best friends and family!

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

My love of 80s music. Guilty pleasure I guess! I also am a history buff, which makes me pretty nerdy at times.

13. Three things you can’t live without:

My electronics (what did people do 20 years ago?); my friends; spirituality.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Read. Good old Kindle – Oprah was right.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

Can go a month without singing at all. Some singers I know say they’d go crazy if they didn’t sing every day.

16. “My favorite cities are…”

Edinburgh, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, New Orleans, Florence.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

Wentworth Miller, Sendhil Ramamurthy (from “Heroes”…wow!), Blair Underwood, Calvin Harris

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Well, besides 80’s music and medieval history, I’m a TV girl – it’ll fry your brain. I don’t care. I also love to eat at Wendy’s. Also, I love “Flight of the Conchords” on HBO – I don’t think I feel guilty about this one, though.

19. “I’d really love to meet…”

Barack Obama, Sting, everyone in question 17, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Stevie Nicks, Oprah, Deepak Chopra.

20. “I never understood why…

Construction starts at 7am in NYC. Is there no God?

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: What would you do if you were not a singer?

A: I would go to school to become a creative writer. I’ve always wanted to write, since I was 9 years old, and competition never stopped me in the past!

His diverse repertoire ranges from Mozart and Beethoven, through the Romantics to Janáček and Schoenberg as well as works by contemporary composers, including commissions from Leon Kirchner and Lewis Spratlan.

With a reputation for intriguing programs, artistic maturity and versatility, the 28-year-old American pianist has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2005 Leonard Bernstein Award and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Mr. Biss’s newest recording as an EMI Classics artist is a CD of Mozart Piano Concertos 21 and 22 with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Two previous recordings—all Beethoven and all-Schumann recitals—won an Edison Award and a Diapason d’Or Award, respectively. Mr. Biss blogs about his life as a musician at www.jonathanbiss.com.

*1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

Obviously, far too many to mention, so I’ll just include some recent fixations: Schubert’s Schwanengesang; Haydn’s Creation; Kurtág’s Játékok; Janáček’sJenufa; Beethoven’s Op. 127.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Szigeti and Bartók playing Beethoven, Debussy, and Bartók’s own music at the Library of Congress; Schnabel playing Mozart’s A minor Rondo; more or less everything we have of Dinu Lipatti (which is not nearly enough).

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

Sarah Vaughn; Radiohead; Gabe Kahane; Art Tatum.

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

The emergence of major in literally any minor key work of Schubert.

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Mendelssohn – somehow our age misconstrues his incredible sense of proportion as a lack of passion. Dvorak – I think people have the idea that really great music shouldn’t be that much fun. Five years ago I would have said Janáček, but I think he’s slowly getting his due.

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Oy, lightning rod. I have a lot of difficulty with Shostakovich – aside from all the complicated political questions, his music has never felt emotionally honest to me. But I’m weary of saying “overrated.” I don’t think that the people who love his music are wrong just because I don’t feel what they feel.

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Leon Fleisher’s Carnegie Hall Recital in 2003 – his first two-handed recital there in over four decades. Aside from all the extra-musical significance, it featured the most remarkable performance of the Schubert B-flat Sonata that I ever hope or expect to hear.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

Man on Wire; Life is Beautiful; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Being John Malkovich.

9. A few films you consider classics:

A Day at the Races; Raising Arizona; Dr. Strangelove; Love and Death. I like my classics quirky.

10. A few books that are important to you (and why):

Oh, again, too many. Recently, Philip Roth’s The Ghost Writer. I love all the Zuckerman novels, and it was interesting to see him as a young man/artist, negotiating the line between taking his work seriously and taking himself too seriously – a line with which I am familiar! And I just reread Charles Rosen’sThe Classical Style, which is probably the only book (not by a composer) to have seriously influenced the way I think about music.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

That I met my deadline for finishing this interview.

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

The crippling neurosis that makes answering 20 simple questions such a problem. My limitless capacity for sitting in front of a television (quality of programming not relevant).

13. Three things you can’t live without:

Music, family, and Korean food.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Turn off all my portable electronic devices even though I’m not on an airplane. Listen to music which a) is not classical, and b) does not include a piano. Go to Marlboro.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

Love Tchaikovsky. Have an encyclopedic knowledge of tennis trivia. Only learned to use chopsticks at the age of 26.

16. “My favorite cities are…”

New York, Amsterdam, London, San Francisco.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

What sort of secret crush do you advertise on PlaybillArts??

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Gelato, which I consider to be a perfectly acceptable breakfast (not to mention lunch and/or dinner), and on which I spend the sort of money annually that others spend on automobile maintenance.

19. “I’d really love to meet…”

Barack Obama. Stunningly unoriginal, but very true nonetheless.

20. “I never understood why…”

Some people in the United States are so fanatically opposed to the National Endowment of the Arts, when a stick of gum costs more than most people’s tax contribution to it.

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: What concerns you most about the state of music in the 21st century?

A: I’m glad you asked. I worry that young musicians are being asked to adjust to the changing world (good) from a marketing point of view, not an artistic one (very bad). If musicians don’t at least start out from a place of energetic idealism, they are doomed to spend their lives doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons.

Ian Bostridge is widely acclaimed for his deeply expressive and intense performances on the opera stage, in the concert hall with the world’s leading orchestras, and in solo recitals.

The London native was a post-doctoral fellow in history at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, before embarking on a full-time career as a singer. His Oxford historical monograph, “Witchcraft and its Transformations 1650 to 1750,” was published in 1997.

Bostridge’s extensive discography, mostly for EMI Classics – with whom he records exclusively – includes many award-winners and Grammy nominations. His latest project, Schubert: Schwanengesang, was released on the label last month. Frequent collaborator Antonio Pappano serves as conductor/pianist.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring; Beethoven op. 110; Ades’s Asyla.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure:

Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations; Janet Baker singingFrauenliebe und Leben with Martin Isepp; Fischer-Dieskau singing Wozzeck.

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings:

Bob Dylan

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre:

The end of Mozart’s Figaro; “Zerfliesse” from Bach’s Johannes Passion; the second fugue in the last movement Beethoven’s Op 110.

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s):

Gasparini; Conti; William Boyce’s Solomon; Mendelssohn.

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s):

Mendelssohn’s Elijah

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:

Fischer-Dieskau in recital in London; Rostropovich playing Bach in Matsumoto.

8. A few relatively recent films you love:

Bolt; Fargo

9. A few films you consider classics:

Les Enfants du Paradis; Fanny and Alexander; North by Northwest

10. A book (or two) that is important to you (and why):

War and Peace – so human, so big and engrossing; Villette – extraordinary, phantasmagoric; my wife is an expert on the Brontes.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:

My children

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by:

My athletic incapacity

13. Three things you can’t live without:

My wife, my daughter and my son

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…”

Go for a walk on Hampstead Heath.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…”

Had a great grandfather who was a goalkeeper for Spurs.

16. “My favorite cities are…”

London, New York and Paris.

17. “I have a secret crush on…”

It wouldn’t be a secret if I said…

18. “My most obvious guilty pleasure is…”

Biting my nails.

19. “I’d really love to meet – or to have met…”

John Updike, who died only a month or so ago.

20. “I never understood why…”

People think science has anything to do with religion.

BONUS QUESTION:

21. Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer to that question):

Q: How did you get together with your wife?

A: She asked me to Paris.

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For full details on Schubert: Schwanengesang and Ian Bostridge’s other releases, visit EMI CLASSICS.

1. A few works of classical music that you adore:Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress, all of Hugo Wolf’s lieder, and everything Mozart.

2. Classical music recordings that you treasure: RCA’s recording of Manon with Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, and Julius Rudel, and a rare Marlboro Recording of the Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzer with Benita Valente, but it was stolen while I was at the Marlboro Festival!

3. Favorite non-classical musicians and/or recordings: Dave Mathews Band, Coldplay, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, John Mayer, Simon and Garfunkel

4. Music that makes you cry – any genre: Music I studied with my mother, movie soundtracks, a lot of classical music, some patriotic American music, and the John Williams composition they played at President Obama’s Inauguration!

5. Definitely underrated work(s) or composer (s): Grieg and Respighi.

6. Possibly overrated work(s) or composer (s): I don’t want to pass judgment on something that someone worked so hard to write.

7. Live music performance (s) you attended – any genre – that you’ll never forget:I’ll never forget watching Maestro Riccardo Muti rehearsing Respighi’s Pini di Roma in Italy. It was spellbinding.

8.A few relatively recent films you love: Jeux D’Enfants, The Dark Knight, Spanglish, Garden State, The Notebook, Sex and the City, Secretary, and all Clint Eastwood’s recent films.

9. A few films you consider classics: An Affair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle, The Notebook, American Beauty, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Braveheart

10. A few books that are important to you (and why): F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby because from the moment I opened the book I was transported – it is so captivatingly written, and I always wanted to play Daisy Buchannan. Yann Martel’s Life of Pi because in reading it, I saw how positive my faith is.

11. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re most proud of:I’m most proud that I speak three languages, because I studied so hard to acquire them: two months in Sienna, two months in Paris, and two months in Vienna, over three consecutive summers. I’m also a bit nerdy in that I’m pretty proud of how organized I am – I love making lists!

12. Thing(s) about yourself that you’re embarrassed by: I crack my neck and I’ve been trying to quit forever!I hate that about myself!I’m also embarrassed by the list-making – it’s so nerdy, and the only time I don’t make a list is when I’m on vacation, but even then it’s a strain not to get a piece of paper out!!

13. Three things you can’t live without: LOVE, my loved ones, my notebooks/lists, and my iPod.

14. “When I want to get away from it all I…” watch Sex and the City or any romantic movie, go on vacation, or turn my phone and computer off.

15. “People are surprised to find out that I…” won an Emmy as a television show host in Los Angeles when I was sixteen and appeared in the Ridley Scott movie Hannibal.

16.“My favorite cities are…” Los Angeles where I grew up, Paris, Amsterdam, Lyon, Berlin, San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago.

17. “I have a secret crush on…” Brad Pitt, Robert Redford in Barefoot in the Park, Ryan Gosling in the Notebook, and Roger Federer.

18.“My most obvious guilty pleasure is…” my favorite science fiction show FARSCAPE!I find it difficult to watch the Sci-Fi channel since they cancelled the show!!

19. “I’d really love to meet…”President Obama, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Whitney Houston, Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood. If deceased people can be included I’d need more space to respond because there are loads of people from the past who I’d love to meet…

20. “I never understood why…” people litter in the movie theaters. There are big bins outside precisely for the disposing of your food and drinks after the film, and yet people always leave their food and trash all over the theater!