Sergio A. Mims writes:
The classical music musicians
magazine Final Note has just recently posted an interview with the
acclaimed pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear in which he talks about
his early interest in classical music as a young child, his career, his
compositions (including Callaloo which was just recently released on the
Orchid Classics) and working with the Chineke! Orchestra.
Final Note Magazine
August 2019
Interview and photos by
Frances Marshall
Described as ‘one of the greatest pianists of his generation’, Stewart Goodyear met with Final Note Magazine to talk about his path into classical music and how to safeguard the future of the industry.
Tell us about your first experiences with music.
I felt like music was my life from
the very beginning…It was what made my heart beat. My father died of
cancer a month before I was born, and I knew him through his record
collection that I was constantly going through. His collection consisted
of records of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd…and two box
sets of complete symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.
What brought you into the world of classical music?
The first moment I heard those box
sets, something electric sparked within me. To me, classical music was
freedom of expression, and limitless creativity…a music that inspired so
many different interpretations and responses. Being a painfully shy
person as a little boy, it was through this music that first gave me the
hunger to communicate and share my feelings with friends, relatives,
and eventually with audiences and new listeners. I was 3 years old when I
decided that I had to be a classical musician. There was no other
choice for me.
You’ve performed with many of the world’s finest orchestras, what is the secret to achieving the optimum collaboration with an ensemble?
Keeping that hunger to communicate. I
love collaborating with artists, and every ensemble that I have the
honour of working with breathes new life within me. Every rehearsal,
performance and recording is a learning and deeply inspiring experience,
and makes every moment forever new and exciting. When I work with a
conductor and all the members of an orchestra, I feel like we are
collectively feeding off each other, and sharing our personal thoughts,
philosophies and feelings through the power of musical interpretation.
You frequently work with the renowned Chineke! Orchestra, tell us more about your work with this group.
We first worked together last summer,
performing at Queen Elizabeth Hall, and then recording Gershwin’s
Rhapsody in Blue, and my suite for piano and orchestra, “Callaloo”. A
year later, we toured these two pieces in seven cities in the UK. Every
moment working with these wonderful musicians was an immense joy, and
getting to hang out with them was a blast! I have great memories of
riding together to different cities on our tour, talking about our lives
and our start as musicians, toasting life with a pint of beer, and
revelling in the feeling of camaraderie and support.
When and why did you begin your work as a composer?
To me, composing music was
inseparable to interpreting other composers’ music. I have always been
enthralled by how each composer shares their own personal voice with the
listener, and have wanted to do the same. I was 8 years old when I
first started composing…I went to a choir school in Toronto, and my
first compositions were motets for my choir to sing. I wanted to devour
every orchestral score there was, learning about timbres and colours,
and write for orchestra…..that was my dream!
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