Prior to 1954, no human had ever run a mile in under four minutes. It was an athletic barrier that seemed impossible to break. But then, on May 6, Roger Bannister made history with a time of 3:59. But perhaps more remarkable than Bannister’s record is that hundreds of runners have shattered the four-minute mark since that eventful day in 1954. What was once thought impossible became the new standard, and in the words of Jean-Luc Picard, “things are only impossible until they’re not.”
Likewise, when Nikolai Rubenstein first encountered Tchaikovsky’s newly composed B flat minor piano concerto, the pianist dismissed the work as unplayable. He told Tchaikovsky to cut his losses and scrap the concerto. Conrad Tao recently sat down for an interview with Reichel Recommends and said that he has trouble empathizing with Rubenstein’s sentiments. “The concerto is inescapable,” he said. Almost 125 years after its first performance, the work has enjoyed widespread popularity and has simply become a standard in any serious pianist’s repertoire.
Tao, who is coming to Provo and Salt Lake City to perform this seminal concerto with the Utah Symphony and guest conductor Andrey Boreyko, is as accomplished as they come. He’s won an ASCAP award for composition eight years in a row, and he tours extensively as both a concert violinist and pianist. And, oh yes, he’s eighteen.
I asked Tao if he ever finds that his age and “prodigy” status hinder audiences from engaging his music on its own terms. He said that he doesn’t know how much his
audiences focus on his age, but he insists, “my age is largely irrelevant to what I do as a musician.” And although the term prodigy has various connotations, Tao chooses to find it flattering.
I also asked him what he thought sets this particular concerto apart from the others. “The sheer abundance of beautiful and memorable melodies. They come one after another.” Truly, Tchaikovsky spills the banks of lyricism in this piece. To use his own phrasing, I think this “stronghold of a concerto” is well suited for Tao. It is a vigorous and youthful work, and like all the great concerti, it maps out a hero’s journey. Although the word has been overused in recent years, the music is truly epic. Its famous and bombastic introduction opens a work full of sensitivity, virtuosity and triumph.
Also on the all-Russian program are Liadov’s tone poem The Enchanted Lake and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
CONCERT INFO:
What: Conrad Tao, piano, Andrey Boreyko, conductor, Utah Symphony
Venue: Abravanel Hall
Time and Date: 8 p.m. Jan. 6-7
Tickets: $17-$51 ($5 higher when purchased on day of performance)
Phone: 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787
Web: www.utahsymphony.org
ALSO:
Venue: de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, Brigham Young University
Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 5
Tickets: $17 reserved, $14 seniors and BYU alumni, $10 with BYU or other student ID
Phone: 801-422-4322
Web: www.byuarts.com