The Straggler: Conversion Experience

many of them performed because it was not only the birthday of the festival but also my own birthday. I told those who were a bit hesitant, ‘You are doing this for me.’

“But I believe the primary reason they come has to be artistic. That it’s nice and joyful here is ‘added value.’ I always ask artists to perform a piece they’ve never played before, or to play with people they’ve never worked with before. Some artists, like Martha Argerich, I try to inspire with new repertoire. She recently learned the Brahms G minor Piano Quartet. When I first asked her to play this, she said, ‘I’m not friends with Brahms.’ But I told her that the piece was really for her. She started working on it and said, ‘Perhaps you’re right.’ Gidon Kremer had never played it. I put the two of them together with Bashmet and Maisky. And it resulted in our Deutsche Grammophon recording, which is coming out in January. Therefore, I feel like a partner in whom they trust. And this confidence is the key element of the relationships.”

About the Author

John Derbyshire

Mr. Derbyshire is a former contributing editor of National Review.

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many of them performed because it was not only the birthday of the festival but also my own birthday. I told those who were a bit hesitant, ‘You are doing this for me.’

“But I believe the primary reason they come has to be artistic. That it’s nice and joyful here is ‘added value.’ I always ask artists to perform a piece they’ve never played before, or to play with people they’ve never worked with before. Some artists, like Martha Argerich, I try to inspire with new repertoire. She recently learned the Brahms G minor Piano Quartet. When I first asked her to play this, she said, ‘I’m not friends with Brahms.’ But I told her that the piece was really for her. She started working on it and said, ‘Perhaps you’re right.’ Gidon Kremer had never played it. I put the two of them together with Bashmet and Maisky. And it resulted in our Deutsche Grammophon recording, which is coming out in January. Therefore, I feel like a partner in whom they trust. And this confidence is the key element of the relationships.”