Dr. Fanny Waterman is a fascinating person, energetic and knowledgable. Her insights into piano performance were valuable. She is also very honest and straighforward, great qualities for any human being!
Toshi Ichiyanagi has been a major contemporary composer. Aleksei premiered his Inter-Konzert for piano solo in varoius European countries. Aleksei has also facsimilie copy of Ichiyanagi work composed for John Cage memorial.
Dr. Herbert Howells, composer, musician and great person! I remember how he once ran to catch a London bus by trying to jump onto it (there are no doors), tripped, fell, and broke his bone. He was already in his 80s! It did not dampen his spirits at all!
Lazar Berman often stayed at home. In Italy, he would live at our home. I remember one morning he woke up and was saying that he slept so uncomfotably! We went to check to bed. Because of his heavy-set, he broke the bed legs and slept on a slope! Also, I was practicing several of Chopin' etudes and I liked to play one etude with one hand, the other, with another hand. Berman really advised me not to do that. He himself was ambi-dextrous, meaning he could write different sentences simultaneously with both hands. However, in music practice, he was very much against it. He said never do it. Concentrate!
Cristina Ortiz has real training and class. So many pianists now fake their double thirds and double sixths by playing them half-staccato. We discussed this with her how it is not correct. Of course you can play much faster by half staccato-ing them, but, you further away from the style of music. Legato...legato! Difficult but correct!!!
-Aleksei Takenouchi
In Hyde Park, London, Lazar Berman and I area relaxing. He had a heavy schedule and needed time off. I suggested to go to Hyde Park where we fed the sparrows and just tried to forget the concert stage. He was tired because he had to learn many new concertos for his repertoire in a short time of period.
-Aleksei Takenouchi
I was accepted by Jakov Flier to study at Moscow Conservatory, and although I was only 14 at the time, he arranged that I would be with him. However, Soviet-Japanese political relation was at its lowest because of northern island dispute and the Soviet Minister for Education personally refused to give me visa. My mother wrote to Carlo Zecchi explaining him the situation and he accepted me as his student and we went to Taormina, Sicily to meet him and stay in Italy.
I had premiered his Sonata no. 2, "The Fire Sermon" on several countries and later met Einojuhani Rautavaara in Helsinki
Alas, Don Campbell has passed away recently. Author of the NY Times Best Seller, The Mozart Effect, Don and I had many creative conversations about music and education. His ideas on Tomatis' work, how its studies to stimulate the brain were very revolutionary and helpful.
My parents knew many Russian musicians, amongst them, Sviatoslav Richter and his companion Nina Dorliak whom I also met in Rome, Italy. Both of them were just titans. On the occasion of this photo, I remember Richter bringing some souvenirs and music from Russia on behalf of Elena Goldenweiser, widow of Alexander Goldenweiser. Richter had such an amazing imagination and would recount to my father different stories he had imagined with various Rachmaninoff Preludes. His favorite composers were Debussy, Wagner, and Chopin. He thought that Debussy's Etudes were the epitome of piano composing.
Concert pianist Cristina Ortiz with Aleksei Takenouchi
Lazar Berman and Aleksei Takenouchi relaxing in London
