Notes From a Curious Listener

Whenever I speak with Orion Weiss, he is smiling and enthusiastic; and this interview is no exception. Fresh and happy, Weiss is so clearly from a later generation than the other musicians I interviewed. Check out, for example, his answer about his cellphone ring tone. He has four of them; and he has two websites, both of which he is intimately involved with. But, let me start with a question on rehearsing to insure that you also appreciate the intensity he feels about his musical career. 

Do you do anything unusual during practice or preparing for a performance?

Rehearsals are so important. They must be exactly like a performance so that the performance isn't the first time you give it. You need to envision how the performance will be. Right before the performance I have race-horse excitement. My focus is much better. They say, "if the horse isn't excited, don't leave the gate." I have to make sure that my excitement doesn't become anxiety. The excitement is the fun of playing for people, and the anxiety is the desire to do well. Somehow the two come together and make the best performance.

You have only been married (to Anna Polonsky) for 1.5 months. How is it going?

Fantastic. At this festival (Seattle Summer Festival) we are together and it is so wonderful. I hope I can come to La Jolla with Anna sometime. The wedding was beautiful and perfect. And, since we just got married, there has been a lot of attention about how well we play together. That has been fun. Anna's fantastic.

Do you ever get irritated with Anna when you work on a piece together? 

We play a lot of stuff for each other. When we are working on a new concerto, we'll go into our piano room, which has two pianos in it, and play the orchestra part. We like working together. It strengthens our relationship to practice together.

Here is a video where you and your fiancee, now your wife, are talking in detail about composers.  Is it important to play a piece the way the composer wanted it played? 

You can learn a lot by playing other pieces by the same composer. You can get into their mindset.  I wouldn't ever want to do something that is not what the composer wanted; but you do have to pick out the parts of the music that you especially like and work with them.

Curious Listener Note:  If you are in a hurry, fast forward to 2:20 to Adrian Spence's announcement of their engagement and watch Weiss' (adorable) reaction.

I asked Chinary Ung, who has been married to a musician for 43 years, to give you some advice.

Oh great. We have been asking everyone we know for advice. 

Click here to read the entire interview .

Ung's advice, "When one of you is angry, on fire, the other one must be water, not gasoline, and vice versa."

Yes. We tried to do that the whole time we were dating.

Curious Listener Note: Clearly, they haven't had a fight yet.

Being fairly young, 28, have you experienced the change in the business of music or did you simply grow up with it?

We were too late for the time when making a great recording could make you famous. Now, the internet is important to a musician's career. I'm behind with my web presence. Blog posts are too hard. When I am so involved  in music  all day long, it is difficult to be verbal. It is hard to put sentences together.

I can't get your new website to do anything except show stars twinkling and spacecraft orbiting. Any hints you can give me?

It must have a bug in it. My friend takes care of it. I'll have to ask him to fix it. The front page should pop up after the stars shoot.

Your old website news post, "Trouble on the Horizon", is hilarious. But, I have to ask you why the Links page says, "this guy sucks big time" and points to Stephan Jackiw?

Oh thank you. Stephan Jackiw is a very good friend of mine. He complained that I didn't link to his website; so I wrote "this guy sucks big time" about him.  Stephan thought it was hilarious; so I kept it. Maybe I should take it down. I'm worried about what people will think.

Do you have any suggestions on how to change classical music performances so that they would be more enjoyable for the artists and/or performers?

Give artists the opportunity to play music that is meaningful to them, music that they care about. Keep it fresh, enlivened and filled with integrity. That is one of the things about SummerFest, I love playing with all of the musicians that come.

Travel is a large part of your life. How do you make other places feel like home? 

In La Jolla, I always stay with the Nelsons. [Robert Nelson and his wife, Jean Fujisaki] They are so great. I've stayed with them six times now, almost the equivalent of three months; so it feels a little like coming home. On Saturday I'll be home for a few days. I haven't been home since July 6th, just after the wedding.

What is the first thing you will do when you arrive home?

Laundry, practice, take out the old music from my suitcase and fill it back up with the new music.

What will you do for fun?

Anna and I will bike across the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee and eat Korean food at Dong Bang Grill. It is our outing of choice.

What is your ring tone on your phone?

Anna - Star Trek Voyager because of her intrepid nature. I like the triumphant tune, and it excites me when she calls.

My brother, Abraham - Star Trek, Next Generation - we watch Star Trek together so it is appropriate.

Parents - Twin Peaks Theme Song

Everyone else - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly just because I like movies.

Is there anything else?

I guess I don't really have to say it because everyone knows it, but Christopher Beach (President and Artistic Director) is so great. He's just a wonderful person.

Curious Listener Note: Orion Weiss first played for us in 2006 in the Discovery Series which showcases the must-see new classical performers. He's been invited back several times and will play here at the final Schumann concert on Tues, Aug 24 and at the SummerFest Finale Fri, Aug 27th.