The music from the movie Schindler's List won an Oscar and a Grammy award. Composed for the violin and clarinet, the music has touched the hearts and souls of many people. The performer who played the clarinet was Giora Feidman, who is considered the King of Clarinet. Combining musical characteristics from different regions, this Jewish, world-class music master has created his own unique character. He has been renowned in the music world for over half a century. In his performance of both classical and modern music, he has developed the tone of the clarinet in a stunning manner. Feidman is fully booked till February 2008. However, after several re-arrangements, he was able to squeeze two days out of his busy schedule to join the last two days of the Holiday Wonders Show hosted by the New Tang Dynasty TV Station (NTDTV) on Broadway, New York. In his house at West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, he was interviewed by The Epoch Times.
Feidman's Father Was His First Teacher
Born into a Jewish music family in Argentina, Feidman ascribed all his success to two of his great teachers: one taught him to play the clarinet; the other was his father. Both of them passed away two years ago when they turned 92 years old. Feidman benefited greatly from their teachings. They taught him that performing is to serve society. His father once said: "It is unavoidable that people will admire you. But don't let people admire you. Don't go to performances to show off. Music is sharing."
Talent is Given by God
Feidman thinks that whether you play well or not, or who you are, is not that important sometimes. Everyone simply does what he was arranged to do. He said"I was a great clarinetist, because God gave me a job. Today, I'm 70, I think I was 65 or 66 when I discovered that truth". He says that if a musician truly keeps a peaceful mind to play pure music, his own character is being elevated at the same time.
The Performer Gives Life to the Instrument
Feidman thinks instruments have lives, "The clarinet wasn't born as a clarinet, it was pre-determined to become a clarinet…The wood has a memory of being a tree. She was born to a tree, she doesn't want to be a clarinet." Therefore, just like man uses his legs to walk, musicians need to control the instruments, suppress any bad quality of the instruments to let them emit elegant sound.
Harmony is the most important factor for an orchestra, not the instruments. "I played many years in this philharmonic orchestra (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra). There is a great cellist from Russia, Rastropovich. We played in the center of the concert, and this gentleman played one of the best things in the world. And let me tell you, Rastropovich broke a string. And you don't just stop the concert. Rastropovich is a true player, one of the best, but if you break it, that is a problem. Rastropovich gave his instrument to the first cellist and took the instrument from the cellist and continued playing with no difference of sound."
King of Klezmer
Feidman grew up with Klezmer, a Jewish music style. Klezmer was passed down from generation to generation. Its melody and lyrics can change freely along with the time and surroundings. Feidman extends the free style of Klezmer to perfection in his performance.
Feidman expresses humanity in his music and has won people's support and appreciation. He once received the "International Bridge Award" to praise his efforts in connecting people of different cultures through music. In August 2005, nearly a million young Catholics gathered at the World Assembly of Youth (WAY) in Cologne, Germany. Invited by Pope Benedict XVI, Feidman played during the celebration.
Feidman performed in Germany most frequently, "Since I am a Jew. If I am here, the Germans wouldn't feel too much guilt anymore." The Germans were moved by his sincerity. His concerts were packed. The German government granted him the Federal Achievement Meda l, and he received the Music Without Border award for German classic music twice.
As One with the Tianyin Band
Feidman once watched the performance of the Tianyin Band, an orchestra that also played at NTDTV's New Year Gala. He compared it with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in which he worked for 18 years and the well-known Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Feidman said that in his heart, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is the best Orchestra in the world, however, "You cannot, you will never be able to compare the Tianyin orchestra with any other orchestra. Don't try to, leave things the way they are. This is the reality."
Feidman noticed that an outstanding characteristic of the Tianyin Band is that every performer tries his best to perform his part yet he tries hard to abandon himself so as to harmonize with the complete orchestra. It sounds like common sense, but it is most difficult to achieve. "My colleagues will say this is a miracle, because it really can not be. Really, I mean that these guys have played for eight months, but people that have played for three years don't play like these guys. And these young girls, they meet, they play clarinet, it can not be. What is the reason? Of course there is a reason, of course, it is a clean brain. In this case, because we are connected with a clean mind, the brain is ready to produce. The message is ready to elaborate … This is the reason."
Serve Society by Purifying One's Heart
In recent years, Feidman has come to a new understanding of "serving society," something his father taught him. He considers that "to purify the heart" is a better explanation of what his father meant: "When you go to the concert hall, it is clean. There were people before you to clean, to serve society."
When Feidman attended the 2006 NTDTV New Year Gala in Paris, he felt the pure environment then. When he didn't have to perform, he watched the Gala and he said "I cannot say anything special about the Gala, except that it offers you a chorus show, an event that will elevate you, will elevate your sense of beauty, and it will help you to raise yourself…the audience went home with what I call spiritual food. Meaning they were not the same person as before. Now, I guess, the effect of this event does not need to materialize exactly now; 24 hours, 48 hours, a week can pass, and something will happen."
A Performance Full of Energy
Feidman considers that the audiences' applause sometimes is redundant. One time he performed with an organ player in a church. Most of the time the audiences could not see their performance, but they listened quietly for 70 minutes, there was no applause.
Feidman said that performers are like dolphins, applause is like fish which allure dolphins. The deepest feeling for Feidman is the energy the NTDTV Gala sent out on the stage, "It is like one of those dolphins, they jump, but it does not want to jump…, yet he knows that he will get a fish after he jumps. This is the reason it does it. I do need applause. Applause is a tremendous poisonous thing. Because with music, when you are involved in music you meet yourself. But it is not easy for the general audience. Conscious or unconscious, you meet yourself. And music is unity. But at the moment of applause you escape yourself, bravo! And all of the effect of meeting yourself goes. And no question about it that the audience is clear, they got the message. The audience got the message, this message that you can't describe - this energy. I was not a critic. I was a little bit surprised."
Feidman, "the King of Clarinet," will join the three shows of NTDTV Holiday Wonders on December 23 and 24. For more information regarding booking tickets, please see wonders.ntdtv.com/ .
Feeds