Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has been called "brilliant," a "genius," "eminent" and "fabulous" by media reviewers the world over. Back home in Norway, however, Andsnes attracts much less media interest and coverage than local sports stars.
Gifted Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes wins glowing headlines abroad, but doesn't get nearly as much media attention at home.
Just this past spring, for example, Andsnes won front-page accolades in newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle for concerts held during a solo tour. The Washington Post also ran rave reports of Andsnes' concert appearance in the US capital, while respected French newspaper Le Monde wrote two years ago that reviewers should stop referring to Andsnes simply as "one of the best pianists of his generation." They should rather agree that Andsnes is "the most important pianist of our time."
All the media hype almost makes Andsnes himself blush. He's arguably much more famous overseas than he is at home, but he takes it in stride. In a revealing portrait of the artist as a still-young man, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv wrote over the weekend that Andsnes doesn't mind the lack of media hype at all. He does find it puzzling, though.
Not least since Andsnes just wrapped up a stunning international tour this spring, during which he played 24 solo concerts with the best orchestras on the world's most important classic stages. He can command fees of up to USD 40,000 for an evening, wrote Dagens Næringsliv (DN) and he can pretty much play what he wants to play.
"But the entire solo tour proceeded without a single telephone call from Norwegian media," Andsnes reflected. "Not even after I'd played before 2,800 people at Carnegie Hall in New York.
"That's absolutely OK for me," he told DN. "I just think it's odd, compared with the massive coverage given to sports. Art is often only in the news if it's in connection with a competition. We've become so incredibly results oriented."
Born to play
Andsenes, who hails from the west coast island of Karmøy, is said to have hands that were designed for playing the piano. He's been playing since childhood, with some time out for a marching band. He's now 38, has been traveling more than 200 days a year for the past 20 years and maintains a schedule that can be booked for years in advance.
He spent the past week in the idyllic southern coastal town of Risør, where he is artistic director for the annual Risør Festival of Chamber Music. He won rave reviews there as well, but could wander down the town streets without attracting a lot of attention.
He seems to be trying to spend more time doing such things, living life beyond the countless hotel rooms where he sleeps when he's not at his homes in Bergen or Copenhagen. He admitted to being seriously involved for the first time in a romantic relationship, with a sweetheart from northern Norway, but he also remains committed to his work as a pianist.
"I can't imagine another life," he told DN. "To be able to go so deep into something, that's a privilege."
Andsnes studied at the Bergen Music Conservatory under Czech professor Jiri Hlinka. His web site says he's also received "invaluable advice" over the years from the Belgian piano teacher Jacques de Tiège, who, like Hlinka, has greatly influenced his style and philosophy of playing. Last year, Andsnes himself became a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
When time allows, Andsnes escapes to the Hardanger mountains where he reportedly enjoys walking, skiing and the peace of Norwegian nature.
Andsnes will be playing at another chamber music festival in Lofoten next week and in Oslo on July 20. Then it’s off to performances in Copenhagen, Germany, Switzerland, Salzburg and Milan, before he leaves for Brazil in September, Japan in October and other concerts around Asia in the autumn.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2513594.ece
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