As the performance majors know, trying to squeeze in sufficient practice time everyday is such a challenge. There is always something new to work on, some passage to perfect and etude to work through. After practicing for a little over five hours today, I still feel as though I haven’t worked on everything I should and need to. This is why I was absolutely floored when I learned something completely new about the violinist Julia Fischer. Her name caught my eye because I know her as the brilliant concert violinist, who performs around the world with the most famous orchestras under amazing conductors (Lorin Maazel and Michael Tilson Thomas) and who I have listened to many recordings of. This lifestyle of a famous violinist in itself fascinates and amazes me. What made me absolutely fall off my chair to hear was that Julia Fischer performed the Grieg PIANO concerto at the Alte Oper (a major concert hall) in Frankfurt in 2008.
To think that someone has mastered two instruments on the level that Fischer has is almost unfathomable. The NY Times rightfully pointed out that there is only an artist here and there that has ever performed on such a high level on two different instruments. Yes, Mozart did play the violin and viola for recreation while sticking mainly to the piano but even he never played his stringed instruments seriously for the public! Please take a look at the videos of Fischer below playing the violin and then the one of her playing the piano. Then, after you pick your jaw up from the floor, look at the article here.
Watch Julia Fischer play the violin here.
Watch Julia Fischer play the piano here.
WOW! I honestly did not even know who Julia Fischer was before reading this post, but I cannot believe how talented she is! Both of those pieces on violin and piano are clearly not easy. I can’t imagine the amount of time Julia Fischer must have spent practicing each instrument. This ties in with the lecture we are going to see tonight, in a way. Would Julia Fischer be considered a “master” at both violin and piano? Evidently, she sounds amazing on both instruments, but I wonder if she put in at least 10,000 hours practicing each! Both performances by Fischer had me floored. Like you, Erica, I sometimes practice for hours and feel like there is still so much left to work on. Great post!
I saw this. Amazing. Scary. I have to go practice now.