Pianist Javier Perianes on Performing Saint-Saëns with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Art of the Short Siesta, and His Four-Word Definition of Success
Javier Perianes. Credit: Igor Studio.
The Spanish pianist Javier Perianes is racking up quite a lot of frequent flyer miles these days.
This season alone, his concert schedule has him zigzagging the globe to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dallas Symphony here in the States, Europe's Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic, and a whirlwind trip to Australia for concerts with the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, among many other engagements.
And while the thrill of making music with friends and colleagues around the world is a key driver for Perianes's career, his extensive travels also provide a key element that fuels his creativity: new life experiences.
"When you're with a piece, you have big emotional landscapes — death, pain, suffering, hope, joy," Perianes shares on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "Where can you get all those feelings to convey? You can't get that from others' lives. You can't imitate them. You have to have them deep inside you."
That authentic approach to performance has served Perianes well. A prolific recording artist, he's released 20 critically acclaimed albums on the Harmonia Mundi label — and he's performed with many of today's leading conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Klaus Mäkelä, Daniel Barenboim, and Vladimir Jurowski.
Next up for Perianes are three performances of Saint-Saëns's Fifth Piano Concerto — also known as "The Egyptian" — with the LA Phil and conductor Gustavo Gimeno. In this episode, we talk more about how he's preparing the Saint-Saëns concerto and what he hopes audiences in Los Angeles will enjoy about this seldom-heard work.
Plus, Perianes shares how short siestas and long walks to work are part of his wellness routine, the Manhattan restaurants he seeks out whenever he's performing in New York, and how defining success for him is simply to "Do what you love."
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