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Fiddling for the Future
Y: Yang Rui, Presenter of CCTV English Program
Dialogue为未来而演奏 P: Itzhak Perlman, musician Y: What does it take to make an outstanding musician? P: A lot of work and a little bit of talent. You know, a great violinist said that to make a great violinist you need 98 percent of perspiration（汗水） and 2 percent of inspiration. Y: But many people believe that talent is more important in making a musician because a great number of people study music yet only a few can achieve success. P: Well, the only thing I can say to you is that if you have talent and you don't have the discipline（训练，磨练), then the talent is not going to help you. Y: Discipline is what we are good at in Asia. P: Discipline of the working habit, how you practice everything, that's what is very important to combine with talent. Just talent by itself is a promise that may not be fulfilled. But if you don't have the talent and you have the discipline,you could still be a good musician, only something will always be missing. Y: I am one of those Chinese parents who are very keen to encourage their kids to learn to play musical instruments. My 13-year-old son is now learning to play the piano. I am very much interested to know what advice you can give on this point. P: If you have a kid who has some talent, that's one thing; if you have a kid who has extraordinary talent, that's another thing. Actually, extraordinary talent,in my opinion, is a challenge for parents because what happens is that parents often do a lot of pushing. Sometimes those kids would have to sacrifice（牺牲） th eir childhood because they have to practice a lot on top of their normal school work. Y: So you mean parents shouldn't push so much, but then how can they get their children disciplined? P: As a parent, you have to see what the child likes. You have to see if the child has some kind of passion and love for music. You can't just say 'I want my child to study music.' That's not enough, because if the child thinks 'I am doing this only because you want me to.' of course he or she won't be very happy. Y: I am afraid few kids understand what dedication and commitment really mean. P: One of my kids is quite talented and is trying several kinds of instruments like trumpets（小号） and drums. So I thought we gave him some lessons, but he said, 'I don't want any lessons.' 'Why not?' I asked, and he said, 'Because I don't want to practice.' So right now I think he is sort of teaching himself. That's no t the way I think it should be, but he is happy. Then I just leave him with whatever makes him happy. So for me, there has to be something coming from the child that suggests it is worth pushing. Y: Now let me ask you something about your personal experience as a musician. You said you hate to imitate（模仿） others, you want to have your own style. How do you define your own style? P: I can't. You know, one of my students said someone has done a very good imitation of your style. I tried to imagine what an imitation of my style would be like. But I couldn't figure it out, because I just naturally play the way I play. Everybody is like that. You know many kids listen to the recordings and try to imitate the recording but the result is not always good. Y: But in other fields of art, people start by imitating, for example, in painting, dancing and singing. P: But then they have to make their own. Y: You are an excellent violinist, I wonder what you can tell us about the charmof violin compared with piano? P: All I can tell you is that any musician, no matter what kind of instruments he is playing, has to have the feel of what he wants the instrument to sound like.That's true with violin and that's true with piano as well. If ten pianists playthe same piece the sound will never be exactly the same. Y: We know you played the music for the film Schindler's List（《辛德勒的名单》）, is that something to do with your Israeli background? P: Well, the film is about Jewish tragedy and the holocaust（大屠杀), but the music itself has a wonderful flavor and I feel very comfortable playing it. Y: How do you feel about your life? P: I am very happy with what I do with my life. I am one of the lucky people who can work for their own interests, especially when the work is art. What could be better than that? And right now I do much more teaching than I used to. When I hear a student play, I see the progress he or she has made, and that's a great reward for me. So I consider myself very lucky because I do things I love to do for living. Not everybody can do that. To be enthusiastic about your life is very important. Itzhak Perlman Biography
Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv（特拉维夫，以色列港市). He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show（美国一著名电视节目，多译为“艾德·苏利文秀”）in 1958. Soon he won the prestigious Leventritt Competition（“李汶屈特奖”国际小提琴比赛）in 1964, which led to a burgeoning worldwide career. Since then, Itzhak Perlman has appeared with every major orchestra and in recitals and festivals throughout the world. His recordings regularly appear on the best-seller charts and have won fifteen Grammy Awards. And he has been honored with four Emmy Awards, most recently for the PBS（美国公共广播公司）documentary Fiddling for the Future, a film about the Perlman Summer Music Program and his work as a teacher and conductor in that program. Numerous publications and institutions have paid tribute to Itzhak Perlman for the unique place he occupies in the artistic and humanitarian fabric of our times.Newsweek magazine featured him with a cover story in April of 1980. President Reagan honored Perlman with a "Medal of Liberty" in 1986. In December 2000, President Clinton awarded Perlman the "National Medal of Arts". |
Undeniably
the reigning virtuoso（乐器演奏名手，艺术名家） of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys
superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his
charm and humanity as well as his talent, he has come to be recognized
by audiences all over the world who respond not only to his flawless
technique, but to the irrepressible joy of making music which he communicates.
His recent release brings together the best of the violinist's recordings
for the label, including chamber and symphonic music as well as classic
film themes.