Fili’s world

Even though it’s been over 12 years ago I still remember it quite clearly. My friends and I would skip class to go play some basketball and hang out and David would ignore our social pressure and go play the piano. Back then, we couldn’t really get it, it was almost social blasphemy to prefer playing the piano over shooting hoops with the guys, but David kept on going with his 10+ hours a day venture into the world of music.

I’m really proud of him. Of all the friends I have I think his story is the most amazing one and I am honored that he’s my friend. Down here in the blog, for almost a year now, I do my own little promotion of his latest CD, that even I - with my complete lack of understanding in classical music - can sense that it’s something very unique.

Every once in a while - about twice a year - David would arrive in Israel to give a concert in his home country, he would give me a ring and we’d sit down for a beer. I would then listen with great interest to his global adventures and his life as a solo artist making his way up the world of classical music, wondering how many people get to live their dreams. He has made a remarkable decision in life to devote himself to music, with almost unreal self discipline and passion that I’ve rarely seen anywhere else.

David will be playing Beethoven’s second concerto tonight at the TelAviv Museum on 20:30 today, and has been interviewed for Haaretz with an article appearing this morning. The article hasn’t been translated yet, so I’ll give it a shot (with the impossible music jargon):

When Mozart took a chance (Noam Ben Zeev)

“The glory of the past can sometimes be a burden” says David Greilsammer, so “you can’t just swallow what you’ve been fed”. The young musician, who launched his new album in Israel this week, will play Beethoven’s second concerto in TelAviv.

Ever since winning first place for the pianist competition in the Juliard school two years ago, David Greilsammer is doing wonders. A new album conducted and played by himself has been launched in Israel this week, there’s another album in recording, a documentary about his has been running in the US and he has already given concert in Japan, Italy, Taiwan, Sweden, the UK and many more. Tonight, the young pianist who studied with Yaheli Wagman at the music academy in Jerusalem will play Beethoven’s second concerto in the new piano sessions with the Israeli Chamber orchestra (Tel Aviv Museum, 20:30).

From Juliard, an institution that prides itself on excellence, David doesn’t only keep good memories but also wishes to disconnect : “In Juliard the admission test is to play a sonnet by Beethoven and that’s already a statement on the mental and esthetic world of the students” he says. “When you walk around the school halls with your sandwich and hear the music being played your taste in music is being directed, and when you hear what students are playing in concerts and what music is discussed on breaks - then you realize it is really being set.”

“Once, in a Juliard hall I saw 3 posters for finalist recitals and they were completely identical, not only the classical romantic pieces that my colleagues picked from the endless piano repretuar, but also in the order it was being played. It was a warning sign, one of those things you just can’t forget”.

The passion to go his own way and not only to follow his school’s legacy - “being young means expressing yourself, something of your own” - has brought David to choose Mozart’s early work for his first album. “After 6 years in Juliard, if they would ask us to recall a Mozart piece we might be able to remember 10 out of his 27 concertos. There are very famous pianist who’ve had a wonderful carreer who have never dealt with those Mozart concertos”.

“There must be a reason - maybe those are not as good?”

“Not as good? I tend to think it’s because they’re very bold and daring, not avoiding taking chances [...]“

For his album the record company picked out an orchestra and a conductor but David refused “I couldn’t picture Mozart’s early work with a traditional sound of a big orchestra” he says, “so I told the producer - leave everything to me, I’ll arrange the orchestra and I’ll conduct it”, and so he did, he chose friends and conducted and the result is gorgeous.

David has played Schumann, Beethoven and Mozart his whole life. Only now is he starting to look into the present and the changes being made today : “The glory of the past can sometimes be a burden, a world that has been laid set and ready is dangerous. Teacher teach this way today, but nowadays I no longer accept it”.

“And what can a classical artist, who’s art lays in the past, do about it?”

“He must research and not be intellectually lazy - both in art, academy and politics.”

The way the music is performed is as important to his as the repretuar and after 3 years he decided on a unique edit for a new solo album. “I chose fantasy as the subject for all that it represents - imagination, dreams and vision that can lead us to a creative emotional freedom.” [...]

[ Tel Aviv, Israel, February 21st, 22nd, 2007
Israel Chamber Orchestra
David Greilsammer, Piano; Gil Shohat, Conductor
Beethoven  Piano Concerto no. 2]

More on David can be found here - http://davidgreilsammer.com/