When I was very young, I remember my mother telling me about a friend of hers in Germany, a pianist who played a symphony that wasn't permitted, and the Germans came up on stage and broke every finger on her hands. I grew up with stories of Nazis bre...
My family was musical on both sides. My father's family had a famous flautist and a classical pianist. My mother won a contest to be Shirley Temple's double - she was the diva of the family. At 8, I learned how to play guitar. I used to play songs fr...
It still amazes me how many musicians aren't really interested in engaging with their audience at all. Alfred Brendel, a pianist for whom I have the greatest respect, has described performance as a sacred communion between the artist and the composer...
I am the pianist of the duo, although Aleksey does pretty good... you know we've written more and more stuff where he has to play the piano. But you know, to be very honest, I actually went into music because I wanted to be a composer and a conductor...
I grew up in this industry. I'm a third generation actor, and I believe strongly that life and career are two different things. Career is inside my life. I'm also a photographer, a pianist, and lots of different things, so my life consists of so many...
My only wish would be to have 10 more lives to live on this planet. If that were possible, I'd spend one lifetime each in embryology, genetics, physics, astronomy and geology. The other lifetimes would be as a pianist, backwoodsman, tennis player, or...
I took some lessons as a kid but trained myself by ear. I did it the way jazz musicians used to learn years ago, which is to play records and slow them down to figure out the notes. At first I tried to imitate Red Garland, who was my favorite jazz pi...
[Vincent is looking at the 12-fingered pianist] Irene: You didn't know? Vincent: Oh, I knew. Irene: It's amazing, isn't it? Vincent: Twelve fingers or one, it's how you play Irene: That piece can only be played with twelve.
[Szpilman is discovered by the Polish army, wearing the German dress coat given him by Capt. Hosenfeld] Wladyslaw Szpilman: No. Please. I'm Polish. I'm not a German. Polish Soldier: Then why the fucking coat? Wladyslaw Szpilman: I'm cold.
Wailing Woman: Why did I do it? Why did I do it? Why did I do it? Halina: She's getting on my nerves. What did she do, for God's sake? Father: She smothered her baby.
Dorota: I nagged Jurek for weeks and weeks, and at last he gave in and said, "Allright, come with me tomorrow." So I came and... they bombed the station! Wladyslaw Szpilman: Meeting you like that was absolutely wonderful. Dorota: Really? Wladyslaw Sz...
Yehuda: [regarding the underground newspapers] These will start the uprising. Majorek hides them in his underpants, and leaves them in toilets. Majorek: As many toilets as I can find. Germans never use Jewish toilets. They're too clean for them.
Dorota: I'll get a doctor. Dorota's Husband: You can't, it's too dangerous. Dorota: I'll get Doctor Laczek, we can trust him. Dorota's Husband: Dorota, don't be ridiculous, he's a pediatrician. Dorota: He's still a doctor.
I've always been interested in both writing and music. When I first started getting published, I also worked as rehearsal pianist for the Boston Ballet, touring with them all over the U.S.A. and Europe - I wasn't making enough money from writing to s...
That Raymond was something," Nestor said. "Very talented." "Perhaps not the best pianist." Bocha grimaced apologetically, as if compelled to put that evaluation on the record. "He used to tell me he was basically faking it on the piano," Pescatore sa...
When I was first starting out as a kid, I tried to pad my resume with everything I had ever done - ice-skate, carry a tune. I can't dance for my life, but I can learn, so I'll tell people I can dance. I play the piano - I'm a really good pianist, act...
I joined an all-girl band in Detroit and, although I was a pianist and drummer, I was asked to play bass because no one else wanted to. When I strapped it on, it fit me as good as my leathers. At the first gig we played, I looked out at the audience ...
Wladyslaw Szpilman: I'm not going anywhere. Halina: Good. I'm not going anywhere either. Mother: Don't be ridiculous, we've got to keep together. Wladyslaw Szpilman: Look, look... If I'm going to die, I prefer to die in my own home. I'm staying put.
Feather Woman: Excuse me, have you seen my husband, Izaak Szerman? A tall, a tall handsome man, with a little grey beard. No? Oh, excuse me. Goodbye, sleep well. But if you see him, write to me, yes? Izaak Szerman!
Real data is messy. ...It's all very noisy out there. Very hard to spot the tune. Like a piano in the next room, it's playing your song, but unfortunately it's out of whack, some of the strings are missing, and the pianist is tone deaf and drunk- I m...
And at the same time, I had my very first concert at the age of 16. I hadn't heard a symphony orchestra before, and I was so deeply impressed I said I have to be a conductor.
