Archive.All the interviews of the 'against' of EL MUNDO
Shenyang, 1982. The world's greatest piano superstar faces one of the instrument's milestones: Bach's 'Goldberg Variations'.
Music to unite souls in moments especially divisive, and sad for him
What does a piece of music like the 'Goldberg Variations' tell us about the world we live in? Art, music, has always had a healing power, be it Bach, Mozart or a pop song.
It always gives us hope, spiritual harmony, a vibration in our mind. How? It's like a sixth sense, beyond the ear, as if you can smell the notes.
It is, in short, what makes you feel the emotions of music.
Particularly in the case of the 'Goldbergs', as they are 30 variations, it offers all the possibilities of feelings, from sadness to exultant happiness.What does Baroque music transmit to you? Baroque music, especially in ornamentation, allows a great degree of improvisation.
And that is something that has been lost in classical music, where you are not allowed to change a note.
In that sense, Bach is much more 'free' than the other classical music composers.
And it gives us players so much more 'space'. Why do you think this piece is so legendary? To talk about the 'Goldberg Variations' is to talk about Glenn Gould.
Because he was the one who made this piece become so great.
Before it was hardly known and the great pianists, like Rubinstein and Horowitz, never recorded it. How has your relationship with the 'Goldbergs' been? I was 10 years old the first time I saw a video of Gould playing it.
With his rickety stool and those noises he made with his mouth.
It was something fascinating, because I never thought that you could play with that movement, with that trauma, that joint, that 'ligato'.
I never thought that I could do something like that.
But after studying the Barenboim and Murray Perahia recordings, I started watching it.
Andreas Staier instructed me in Germany to look beyond the piano.
And when I met Nikolaus Harnoncourt for the first time, in 2006, he taught me that baroque music cannot be 'framed'.
That is why I wanted to soak up the spaces in which he lived, the churches of Arnstadt and Leipzig.
So when I played next to his grave, in the church of Santo Tomás, I really took it all in.
And it's wonderful when you feel connected to Bach. One of the fascinating things about Bach is his interest in African music. Great musicians have always loved and respected other cultures.
Because a great artist respects the human being and civilization, it does not matter if they are from Africa, India or wherever.
And the same happens to the rest of us: we love to be inspired by other cultures, to feel our own more intensely.
That is the reason why I, as a Chinese, play Western classical music.
But that does not mean that I deny my culture: to protect yours you have to respect others. How are you doing not being able to go on tour? I think there is nothing that can replace a live concert.
But at the same time, you have to be realistic.
With the arrival of this pandemic, we have to continue enjoying and sharing our music with people, even if it is not face to face.
A good music recording can be comforting.
It is true that these are crazy times and we are very impatient for this to end.
But still, we need to feel united as humans.
This virus can divide us, which is the worst thing that can happen to us, because the world has to walk together.
I sincerely hope that this disease does not separate us.
And music can be a way of 'hugging' our friends. Covid-19 started in China, their country of origin, but in Spain it has been especially devastating.
How have you lived it? I have many friends who live in Spain, like my manager, who are my second family in Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid.
I miss them so much, so as soon as we have a vaccine, I'll 'shoot' it and travel to Spain to play for you.
So please wait for me, we can all be together soon. What do you think that in the US there are those, like Trump, talking about the "Chinese virus"? I feel enormously sad, because I also have many friends in the US.
Likewise, there is my school and my foundation, as well as a lot of family.
I am concerned, again, by this divisive moment.
And I hope it stops, because things like that don't help at all.
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