Memoirs and Reflections

by Evgeny Kissin

Evgeny Kissin's musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations, and his extraordinary virtuosity have earned him the veneration and admiration deserved only by one of the most gifted classical pianists of his generation. He is internationally renowned and hugely admired for his interpretations of the works of the classical and Romantic repertoire of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. He is in demand the world over, and has appeared with many of the world's great conductors, as well as all the great orchestras of the world. In Memoirs and Reflections, the intensity of Kissin's thinking and of his very being shines through, which displays his astonishing memory, fondness for his family and teachers, and an exalted sense of self that is essentially Russian.

Genres: Music, Biography, Autobiography, Russia

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2017

Reviews

[Diana Dazai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que privilegio haber conocido un poco del proceso creativo y la historia detrás de este gran artista

[Lcitera · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genius at the piano. A fascinating read as to those who have influenced his life, his faith, his politics. Written in his own voice. Much insight into the mind of an incredible talent.

[Witoldzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction into the world of Evgeny Kissin. He discusses his childhood, ethnic origins, the circumstances of his move to the West, contacts with famous musicians, and shares some insights into his unparalleled pianistic craft. All that is written in simple, easy to understand style. In its simplicity and honesty, this is a charming book, it doesn't pretend to be something else. I've read books by Schiff, Hough, and Fialkowska recently and these were challenging reads. Kissin's book is the most accessible and charmingly innocent. Interestingly, he is also a writer (mostly a poet), but clearly, in the case of memoirs his intention was not to write world literature or prove to us that he was more "special". He is totally comfortable in his skin and that makes this book different, and maybe even unique.
His childhood and adulthood are far from normal. He grew up shielded from real life by the communist state and later in the West by his teacher and mother (and there is also a wife?). His development and education didn't happen the way they do with us, "regular" humans. Thanks to his unique circumstances, Kissin preserved in himself something unique, something very much like a childlike innocence and we can hear that in both in his music making and in his writing, although he of course plays like a grown up man. But his method of learning music, for example, still relies quite a bit on using images or a narrative. So simple, so basic, and so successful! And this is exactly how kids learn to make music. I thought that it is exactly that innocent approach that is essential to music making.
The memoirs do have a few problems though. Using patronymics in lieu of last names confuses western readers, who have trouble connecting Tchaikovsky with "Pyotr Ilyich" and others with their patronymics. The writing is in general apolitical, although I had a major issue with his unconditional joyous approval of Dinesh D'Souza's article "Three Cheers for Colonialism". Kissin says he has this article memorized and he recites it often from memory. I was speechless, but I reasoned that Kissin must have evolved since the time he liked that article. I am an immigrant to the West myself, and I can see how one can initially not notice (even intentionally) certain systemic and historical problems in the West. Each culture has its difficult topics, the West also had quite a few hypocrisies and it doesn't mean that because of them western culture's highest achievements become any less significant. But this was all early in the book and rather shocking, and I found myself wondering if I should stop reading immediately. I love Kissin, and I didn't want to stop respecting one of the most inspiring pianists of my generation. Fortunately, there are no other controversial political comments in this book. There is quite a lot of discussion of Russian literature and Jewish culture, with many names that are not known in the West. Today, Kissin is much more outspoken politically, I listen to his interviews with great interest (I love the way he speaks Russian, so beautifully and clearly, and with such culture and clarity of ideas), but that is not what the book is about. He intended this book first of all as an expression of gratitude to his family, teachers, and mentors. He understands that each of these individuals contributed to his worldwide success, many of them quite selflessly.

[Horatius · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reader gets to know Evgeny Kissin (mainly) through his encounters with people who were important for his development as a pianist. These encounters form the main part of this book. The book is well written and worth reading for lovers of classical piano music.

One point of criticism is that many topics that could be interesting for the listening audience are neither asked nor answered. For example: what is it like to become world famous as a twelve-year-old boy (some words are written about this, but not extensively)? What is it like to travel around the world for work? How do you deal with the tension of a full, attentively listening audience that immediately hears if you play a wrong note? Isn't it lonely to perform as a solo artist? What does the recording process of a CD look like and how do you decide which works to include? Etc. etc. Many questions that would be nice to be answered remain.

[Ellen Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book if you want to know more about Kissin as a pianist and child prodigy. While he doesn’t delve too deeply into private personal matters or states of mind, he offers a lot of insight into his life, family background, and work. Much of this also informs his political beliefs and helps to better understand his position. I really love that it’s written in his voice (evident in his regular use of terms like “my beloved…” which I adore). I was able to read it in one sitting, as it’s written rather simply—but I preferred that, since I wasn’t looking to this book for complex academic prose, but rather for a better understanding of his life.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting general reflections of many years as one of the truly great concert pianists. I heard him play at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford in 2019 - a remarkable performance followed by maybe five encores. For me, he ramains maybe the greatest living pianist. He plays with great depth of feeling, and not always constrained to follow the exact performance directions in the music.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome story from one of my favorite pianists. Primarily telling his life story from his encounters with other great personalities from the Classical Music and Literature world. I did not know that Kissin has such great interest and knowledge on Russian literature. My only wish that remained unfulfilled while reading this is that I wish Kissin included more advice on music and piano technique.

[Julie Kuvakos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️

Great pianist. A little sporadic with the writing but it was certainly an interesting and insightful read into his mind regarding faith, politics, fame, family, his thoughts other pianists, composers and conductors.