Vegetarian Musicians

The world today is becoming more aware of the health benefits of the vegetarian/vegan diet. As a vegan, I strongly believe the saying, "we are what we eat," in the sense that the foods we feed our body will directly translate into how we feel, perform, and act.
I decided to research if the vegetarian lifestyle had any influence on classical musicians and composers, and was surprised at what I found...

Apparently Richard Wagner, german composer, was a vegetarian, and promoted the lifestyle in his book "Religion un Kunst (Religion and Art)", in the Bayreuther Blatter as well as in separate essays.

Wagner influenced Gustav Mahler and Alexander Scriabin to become vegetarian, who was also a part of the 1st All Russia Vegetarian Congress. 
Mahler wrote the words below to a friend:

"For the last month I have been a total vegetarian. The moral effect of this way of life, with its voluntary castigation of the body, is enormous. I expect nothing less than the regeneration of mankind. I advise you to eat suitable food (compost-grown, stone-ground, wholemeal bread) and you will soon see the fruit of your endeavors."

Yehudi Menuhin, American born violin virtuoso was a passionate vegetarian. He was also a committed supporter of many social and environmental causes. 

Glenn Gould was a vegan and a strong supporter of animal welfare. Quoted from him, "As it happens, animal welfare is one of the great passions of my life, and if you’d asked to use my entire recorded output in support of such a cause, I couldn't possibly have refused.” 

Knowing just how influential the vegetarian/vegan diet was in the lives of some the most well known and respected musicians, I am inspired to continue my passion of supporting animal rights and the vegan lifestyle in order to enrich my health and life as a musician. 

Lady Gaga's Redefining Oscars Performance

Unfortunately, I did not watch the Oscars, but what really caught my attention was the hype and talk of  Lady Gaga's performance. I was curious to see what her new crazy outfit would be, remembering her past costumes as a slab of meat or the one as an egg.. But to my surprise, Lady Gaga was wearing a modest, sparkling white gown and sang various songs from the "Sound of Music" as a tribute to the musical. After watching the video, I was left feeling impressed and amazed at how beautiful her voice sounded. She received a standing ovation and I couldn't help but feel happy for her success! I believe that this is the best performance of her career, especially because she has finally stopped using extravagant  and explicit props and costumes as a way to hype up her performances. I applaud her bravery and courage to be different and sing something so well known and difficult. I am hopeful that now the world will realize that Lady Gaga is actually very talented and when one actually has something to offer the world, there is no need to use crazy costumes or strange props and ideas to prove otherwise. Her courage and hard work has obviously payed off and has inspired my to work hard towards my own goals.

Stephen Hough: Faith and Music

Stephen Hough is a pianist I have always admired, but I recently discovered that music isn't the only thing that he is passionate about. Hough is also a devoted Catholic and had even considered becoming a priest. One would expect that Hough's piano playing would probably be heavily influenced by his stout religious faith, but his case is quite the contrary. Hough wrote a column describing his thoughts on faith and music, and how there is no relationship between the two. "
My faith shapes me (although not as much as it should), and then that "me" plays the piano or composes. Faith does not work directly on the materials at hand. Whether I play a good concert tomorrow nigh, or whether the Mass setting I finished writing two weeks ago for Westminster Cathedral is inspired, has nothing to do with whether I prayed before or during the process." He also talks about how his faith has improved his mental and physical health, and how this in turn has affected his playing in a positive way. His practice of prayers has helped his physical mental energy, and suggests that musicians should practice meditating of praying as well. Hough also points out that before each of his concerts, he always takes the time to feel grateful to have the opportunity to walk on stage and share the music he will play to his audience.

I am now inspired to think this way, and try meditating as well to see if it helps with my mental clarity. :)

The Art of Failure

I feel that one thing all musicians have in common is the obsession over perfection. Whether it may be a whole piece or just a two bar phrase, we musicians want everything to be "perfect". We dread the thought of wrong notes, mistakes, or memory slips.. but what if we changed the way we thought about success? I decided to take a step back and look at the flip side: failure.

 "The Art of Failure" is an article from The New Yorker, written by Malcom Gladwell about how even the most experienced and professional people will fail, because no matter how much we practice or work, failure is inevitable. He used a very interesting example of the invincible professional tennis player, Jana Novotna's unexpected failure during her last round of the Wimbledon finals. Leading 4-1, she was just one point from being the champion, but at the tournament with everyone's eyes on her, her performance plummeted. She hit an overhead straight into the net, and missed her own serve twice, causing her to take home the runner's up trophy. When professionals at the top of their kind even fail, how can I expect to always succeed? As Gladwell states, “ We live in an age so obsessed with success.” I agree and believe that as a musician, I should view failure as something that I could benefit and learn from. For example, if a performance or competition turns out horribly wrong, I can use it as a way to step back and evaluate what I can change, either in the way I practice or even my mindset, that may have contributed to my failure in order to prevent it from happening again. I must also add that without failure there is no success; it's what keeps everyone working harder and trying over and over again. 

And in the end, as Disney said, "Failing is good, as long as it doesn't become a habit."

Sarah Chang and Sibelius

Recently, I watched a YouTube video of Sarah Chang performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor. I was so moved by her playing that I felt it was appropriate to dedicate a post on my blog to her performance. Chang is a Korean American classical violinist who graduated from the Juilliard School. She is very well known world wide, and has performed with many major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic.

I have always listened to Chang's renditions of various pieces I've learned, and more often than not, I feel like her sound tends to be quite harsh and scratchy. But what I love the most about her playing is how she always manages to bring so much passion and fire on stage, and I feel like her video of the Sibelius doesn't show it better. From her facial expressions to her hair flips, Chang's playing is very engaging both visually and audibly. Her body movements may be excessive to some, but I feel that it adds to the passion and music.

This video really inspired me in a way that showed me how big a difference it can make to a performance when the soloist physically shows the passions and emotions on stage.