So last tuesday i walk out of work, and a friend proposes to go to the dept store to check a macbnook she's looking at buying.
So we go but get bored after 5 minutes, and decide to go for a drink. On our way out, i almost crash into this guy. look up to apologize, and it 's Arcadi Volodos.
I am no mythomaniacm, and this is why my reaction surprised me. I said, Arcadi? and he conversation was carried out in spanish, i didn't ven think of english. Clearly he wasn't too comfortable in spanish. Told him that we admire him much, rthat we attended his concert in Madrid a month ago and enjoyed it a lot. He said thank you very much and said that he is not used to people recognizing him in Madrid ...
And from there both my friend and just got blocked ...we didnt' really say much, it was so unexpected ... My friend asked for an autograph that he happily signed, we didn't even think of using our cellphones for a picture. Lame as it gets.

So we said thanks and bye , shook his hand, and left. % minutes later we both agreed that was pathetic. Why didn't we tell him to go for dinner in case he was in Madrid and unoccupied, just give him our number in case he was bored in the hotel? He was not performing here this week or anytime soon, i know he studied here for 2-3 years with Bashkirov ... Anyway he looked really humble and very polite. Looks much bigger on stage too. I don't think his hands were too large either. A very nice guy, and made the effort to speak spanish.

I shall remember to take my duma_s goggles off next time i meet someone i admire ... Damn!

That is awesome though I don't know that I would personally invite him out for dinner...

Daniel

Thats an amazing story. I'm not sure he would have accepted a dinner invite from two strangers but what a thrill to be able to meet him. Don't feel bad about being tongue-tied. Its not unlike trying to have a conversation with the girl you've always wanted to meet or ask out. Your admiration gets in the way.

Nonetheless, what a thrill !

...Arcadi Volodos is walking down the street in Madrid, heavily in thought, about a difficult passage in a Bach Invention that he is currently working on. He had just stopped his practising, deciding to go for a walk and give the music some thought. He was thinking about several complex variations in fingering when all of a sudden.....

That would have worked better with a different piece in place of a Bach Invention.

-Jason

I would agree. Somehow I think a musician of Volodos' abilities wouldn't lose too much sleep over a Bach Invention ! Now I on the other hand....

oh cmon... lighten up. it was just trying to imagine a scenario....

Maybe he was thinking of a way to play two or three of them simultaneously...

Haha ... well he seemed very bored, wandering around the computer section of this big store ... maybe he lives here , i don't know ... he used to for a while anyway

Isn't that exciting?

And to think that you just recently attended a concert and could proudly comment on such. I am sure that he was pleased to be recognized and meet some fans.

I have been pleased to meet 6 concert/recording pianists. Talented people, yes, but they have been very pleasant with whom to have conversations.

Eric Himy
Valentina Lisitsa
Jacqueline Schwab
Sue Keller
Elena Hammel and Laura Sánchez (Duo Scarbo )

That last two you might also run into in Madrid! They are a great duet piano team.

Isn't it funny how excellence is not very rewarded tehse days? I mean, take my situation and swap Volodos for Pamela Anderson. There would be a myriad of phnes flashing and people looking at her, but no one recognized Volodos ... sad

Who is Pamela Anderson?

Who is Volodos? (Just kidding...)

That's a reward?

+1. No, really!

What does it mean when someone responds to a post with "+1"?

Regards,

I think it means "me too", or "I agree". If it doesn't, then I'd better take it back.
I know, it's lazy, like LOL, BTW, AATOA(=and all those other acronyms)

It is a reward yes. I think someone expressing his sincere gratitude and admiration to an artist is probably the best reward an artist can get.

I agree, altho I would think one has to be sensitive to the individual. Some might appreciate it, some might not. But I would disagree a little bit that "excellance isn't rewarded". It may not be rewarded "en masse" but that doesn't mean the rewards are meaningless.

Just the same, I played a piece perfectly the other day, and right afterwards I looked outside, and there were no fans lining up.

Well it's a start, now if you can just pull it off in front of an audience, over and over, you will soon have fans

I can only think of once in recent memory where I played a piece to my contentment in front of someone else. A few guests had snuck in halfway through the piece, it was a tricky piece (for me), every note was shining with clarity, the phrases, dynamics, rhythm - it all came together and I was thrilled in my heart that there were witnesses... Maybe it will happen again some day (maybe lightning strikes twice?)

Vlodos is the performer's performer. I find him tremendously exciting even if he doesn't always seem to observe the best interests of the composer. But I guess we all take liberties from time to time.