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Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt]

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Posted on October 2, 2014 at 22:11:28
Todd Krieger
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Posts: 37333
Location: SW United States
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 Several months ago, I posted a clip of recent Sayaka Shoji performing (don't remember the piece), and recall John Marks' comment about her playing with the violin scroll severely "drooped" toward the ground.... I personally noticed a seemingly "indifferent" appearance to her playing, even though the performance was still very good......

I stumbled across a Shoji performance from five years ago of Prokofiev's First VC (link), and see a striking difference in her playing. She didn't "droop" the scroll at all, I think John would be impressed with her form here. She seems a lot more intense as well. It was a fabulous performance.

This gives me an impression that Shoji may have lost her passion to perform..... It's kind of depressing in a way, because I really thought she'd be a top violinist for years to come..... Without the "babe" qualifier. In her teens, she was world class. But in recent time, it seems like her playing hasn't been quite the same. (I think of another musician I really liked, pianist Ayako Uehara, who seems to have faded out of the scene altogether.)

I don't know if it's the grueling schedule, the constant critical review, or change of interest as one matures..... But it's rare to see performers these days so promising. I hope Sayaka Shoji someday regains the passion that she had in her teen years.

 

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RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 3, 2014 at 08:21:47
rbolaw
 As you say, touring as a soloist is as physically and mentally grueling a job as you can have in the arts, and many young "super talents" retire from that aspect of their careers at a relatively young age. I don't think it means they have lost their passion. It certainly doesn't mean they don't play well any longer.

What John Marks was talking about had less to do with her passion and more to do with her unconventional technique. That could be caused by anything, including back and shoulder problems.

I think you will continue to hear good things from Shoji in the future, but probably not frequently and not live in your home town. Only a handful of musicians thrive on that kind of life. Meanwhile, in the category of attractive young Asian [correction: Korean-American] female violinists, you can enjoy the fine work of Sarah Chang.

 

Maybe Naida Cole is an example, posted on October 3, 2014 at 11:59:57
andy evans
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 Naida Cole apparently still concertises, though she's a doctor these days. Don't know if she burned out or just heeded another calling.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 4, 2014 at 22:04:08
learsfool
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Posts: 1001
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 Hi Todd - rbolaw is correct. A great many young violinists and pianists in particular "lose their passion." A more commonly used term in the music business would be "burn-out." Remember, these are people who had even less of a "normal childhood" than the average professional musician did. Often there is a "stage mother" type, too, driving them to practice insane hours, with what is really a pretty limited repertoire. Playing the same music over and over and over again with very little variety will lead to "burn-out" in a great many cases. Soloists have a MUCH more limited rep than orchestral or chamber musicians do.

There are a great many pieces of music I would not miss playing ever again - Bolero comes to mind, the 1812 Overture, etc. There are other pieces of music I have never had the opportunity to play that I would love to do. Another thing most music lovers don't really think about is that the vast majority of professional musicians do not get to choose what they perform. It is chosen for them, even the soloists in most cases. We are paid to play what is put in front of us, and very rarely do most of us have any opportunity to help decide what that is going to be. Yes, we are very fortunate to do what we truly love for a living, but that doesn't change the fact that it is also a job, and there are always aspects of it that are not so great, like any other job. Sometimes you are really not in the mood at all to play, but you must go out there and give it your all anyway. Sometimes you love the piece, but hate what the conductor is doing to it, in which case you feel very conflicted. For me personally, I always try to do my best every night, (even if I am playing a pops show with a particularly bad guest "artist"), but there are times when that doesn't happen, and you have to be able to deal with it in the moment (and afterwards, if something embarrassingly doesn't go well). We are all human.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 5, 2014 at 08:40:06
fantja
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 Absolutely! One must pace himself/herself, as the race is a marathon, not wind-sprint(s).

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 5, 2014 at 09:12:48
Analog Scott
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 "even the soloists in most cases."

Really? All the soloists I know are picking their own repertoire. Which soloists are not? "Most cases?"

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 6, 2014 at 21:01:08
learsfool
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Posts: 1001
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 Perhaps I should clarify that I meant soloists hired to perform with an orchestra. The pieces are normally chosen by the music director (often even if they are not actually conducting the concert - you would be surprised how many times a guest conductor does not have much say in the program they are conducting). If the soloist doesn't know or doesn't want to perform the piece the music director wants, they may suggest another, but a young soloist would not usually have the clout to do this - they are paid to play what is requested of them. For instance, a recent winner of a big competition is invariably asked to play what won them that competition. Sometimes the music director will ask what the soloist would like to play, or give them a choice of several concerti - only the very biggest names might get to dictate exactly what they perform, and even then not always. By and large, the music director is the programmer, not the soloist. This is a big reason why you see so many soloists "burn out" at such a young age - the number of different concerti that they are ever asked to play is a very small one, and boredom inevitably follows eventually.

Obviously someone who is giving a solo recital will choose the repertoire, I was not speaking about such cases.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 7, 2014 at 01:44:05
Analog Scott
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Posts: 9933
Joined: January 8, 2002
 Interesting. I really only know a few classical soloists personally, Yuja Wang,very well, Jean Yves Thebaubet and Guatier Capucon rather casually. They pretty much pick their repertoire. But perhaps they are the exception rather than the rule.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 7, 2014 at 22:16:20
learsfool
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Posts: 1001
Joined: August 4, 2008
 Hi Scott - yes, in a sense they "pick their own repertoire" in that they obviously pick which pieces they are going to learn. However, this is going to be based on what they think will win them competitions, at first, and then later on, what they are going to be asked to play when hired. An example - even someone like a Yuja Wang is not going to convince very many people to program say a Bartok concerto, or a MacDowell concerto, even if they badly want to play it. She would have much more negotiating clout than a relative unknown, but she is still going to end up playing something they think their audience will want to hear, especially in a smaller market. I'm sure if you googled what she has played with orchestras in the last few years, it is pretty much going to be the same normal Russian concerti heavily dominating that list, with some Chopin and Liszt and maybe some Brahms thrown in (or Grieg or Schumann). The variety comes much more in the solo recital part of their careers.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 9, 2014 at 16:37:39
Analog Scott
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Posts: 9933
Joined: January 8, 2002
Interesting stuff. Yuja pretty much plays what she wants to play. I guess, fortunately for her, her taste in music is fairly commercial. She most often plays the Rach III and the Prok II and III. Those are her three favorite concertos. She has also played the Bartok II. She has declined at least one date with a major orchestra over program material. I have no doubt that her reps have the daunting task of making her choices fit the dates they book for her. But she does get her way. I can give you one example off the top of my head. After playing with Dudamel for the first time at the Hollywood Bowl the Dude pretty much lost his shit over Yuja. He just went bonkers and gushed. Right on the spot he invited her to tour with him and the L.A. Phil for the up coming anniversary tour and all but asked to record with her. Dudamel wanted to do the Schoenberg concerto because of it's ties with the L.A. Phil. Yuja said yes to the tour and said yes to recording but no to the Schoenberg. So Dudamel suggested they do Rach I because of some sort of connection to L.A. (I forget the details) Yuja said yes. Then months later she said she wanted to do Rach III. This was after the season had been set for the L.A. Phil and programs had been printed. This was for both her artist in residence stay in L.A. and for the tour. Guess what they played? I have also been with her at recitals where she changed part of the program on the day. I have no doubt that this level of freedom to choose belongs to a very small group of musicians. But, Yuja decides what Yuja plays. And now she is getting more specific about which conductors she will play with.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 10, 2014 at 08:29:41
rbolaw
 You are right that bigger names like Yuja Wang have more leverage, but you are also right when you say, "I guess, fortunately for her, her taste in music is fairly commercial."
The irony is, you would think that with modern audio technology, when almost any music from anywhere in the world can be instantly downloaded to a computer or smart phone, people would begin to have broader tastes.
That may be happening, but only very slowly.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 10, 2014 at 16:47:06
Analog Scott
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Posts: 9933
Joined: January 8, 2002
 In her case it was that she grew up with a mom who was a ballet dancer and constantly had Russian symphonic music playing. I think Yuja actually has a pretty broad range for a 27 year old. And there are plenty of war horses that just aren't interesting to her. DG asked if she would record Pictures at an Exhibition. She said no. She likes the orchestral version better. She plays a lot of Ligeti and Scarlatti. Kind of the opposite ends of the stick. Very little Mozart and no Bach. But you know what? She is listening to new and somewhat obscure stuff thanks to Spotify. I actually have turned her on to Peter Gabriel/Genesis and Steely Dan.

I agree with your comment about people in general and broader taste. We are very lucky in L.A. that the Phil kind of forces a broader program on their audience but in careful doses.

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 10, 2014 at 21:00:33
learsfool
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Posts: 1001
Joined: August 4, 2008
 Hi Scott - you are correct in what you say. However, as rbolaw says - if Yuja had a desire to play nothing but Macdowell or Saint-Saens or CPE Bach, she would very quickly lose bookings with orchestras. Even if she disliked the Russian concerti, she would HAVE to play them if she wanted any kind of career. They are musts, and she would not have a career (on the orchestral circuit, that is) without knowing and playing them, no matter how good she was. And yes, there are very good pianists out there that fall into such a category. They mostly play chamber music or do accompanying.

Has Yuja done much chamber music, by the way, or is her career mostly recitals and concerti performances?

 

RE: Can Young Musicians Suddenly Lose Their Passion? (Babe Alert) [yt], posted on October 10, 2014 at 21:17:47
Analog Scott
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Posts: 9933
Joined: January 8, 2002
 She does a lot of chamber music. Her two favorites to play chamber music with these days are Gautier Capucon and Leonidas Kavakos. She used to be a regular at the Santa Fe chamber music festival.

 

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