Japanese-American violinist Midori Goto simply Midori made the front page of the New York Times when she was just 15 years old.
She was performing at the famed Tanglewood Music Festival under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. At the time, she was already four years into her career, which she launched with a surprise appearance with the New York Philharmonic as the guest soloist at the 1982 New Years Eve Gala.
In the three decades since, Midori, who teaches at the Curtis Institute of Music, has carved out an impressive international career. On Friday, Nov. 2, she returns to 做厙勛圖 to perform an encore to her 2012 做厙勛圖 Symphony Orchestra debut.
I am looking forward to returning to 做厙勛圖 to perform the Brahms concerto, said Midori, who also holds the Jascha Heifetz Chair and is a Distinguished Professor and chairwoman of the USC Thornton School of Music Strings Department. Needless to say, this work is one of the most beloved and most challenging in our repertoire. I have always loved playing it.
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We caught up with Midori via email to chat about Fridays concert.
On her relationship with the Brahms
I feel like Ive known this concerto for as long as I can remember, and I have played it since when I was in my pre-teens,. I have most recently played this in South America and Germany, just in the last few weeks. As with any piece of music, I feel that the piece has had a life of its own inside me, and in the interaction with lifes passing, it has constantly been changing. It is not simple to verbalize what the changes are exactly, but as life takes on years for each one of us, it partly shapes who we are, how we react, and how we respond. As a consequence, pieces we play and perform are inevitably affected by it.
On getting into the zone
Ive always loved to play the violin and to perform. There is something I love about being on stage and just being at one with the music. Some call it as being in the zone; I call it simply as concentration.
On the power of music
Music has the power to console, to inspire, to soothe, to express, to excite, to energize people.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
