Canadian pianist and McGill alumnus Robert Silverman (LMus’60, BMus’64) returns to Schulich with excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. A masterful musician and highly respected pedagogue who has graced concert stages around the world to critical acclaim, Silverman remains dedicated to his craft and his ongoing discovery of what lies in within the score.
Montreal audiences were last treated to Silverman’s playing during his 80th birthday year in 2018 at Pollack Hall in an all-Chopin concert. It was a highlight of Piano Homecoming and also served to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Dorothy Morton Visiting Artist series, which Silverman initiated in honour of his former teacher at McGill. Silverman was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013 and his comprehensive discography ranks among the largest of any Canadian pianist in history. Silverman is frequently heard on CBC and has recorded for EMI, Stereophile, Marquis Classics, OrpheumMasters, and Isomike.
In anticipation of the concert, we connected with Robert Silverman over email to find out what’s on his mind these days.
What are you most looking forward to in sharing this concert?
Communicating my awe at Bach’s genius and my utter enthusiasm for his music.
What should every student leave Schulich knowing?
They should know
a) as much about themselves as possible;
b) that they are not the centre of the universe;
c) how to engage in critical thinking; and
d) if they came here to specialize in a particular subject, to become as good at it as they can possibly be — and to know the work of those giants in whose steps they are following.
If you had a mantra/philosophy/phrase for where you are right now, what would it be?
As the great cellist Pablo Casals once said when asked why, at the age of 90, he still continued to practice: "I’m finally beginning to make some progress."
What advice would you give to your starting-at-university self?
Try to make only half the mistakes that you made the first time.
What is the advantage to being a lifelong student?
That we’re so lucky to be in a field that is limitless in its possibilities.
How do you approach revisiting works in your repertoire? Do you go in with a particular intention?
I never take down an interpretation from a shelf, blow the dust off, and trot it out for an audience. I always start learning it from scratch.
You have quoted German philosopher, mathematician, and logician Wilhelm Leibniz, saying "Events do not take place in time, they express time.” Is this project also a reflection/extension of that idea? If so, how?
Not specifically. In general, music is time that we organize and listen to. (Richard Wagner has Gurnemanz teach Parsifal the same lesson.)
What lessons from this past year will you carry forward?
Come to my concert and find out for yourself.
— Bach’s music and Silverman’s words: no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon —
Words and Music | Bach in Tempore Covidorum: How I Kept My Sanity for 15 Months
Saturday, November 13, 2021 | 14 h | Tanna Schulich Hall
Free with reservation | Proof of vaccine required
