Learning Through Adversity

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On April 17 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts violinist Adrian Anantawan will perform the Shostakovich Second Violin Concerto with the MusicaNova Orchestra. As you may know, Adrian was born without a right hand, and yet he plays the violin at the highest level. In fact, among the interesting things about his music making is that his playing is exceptionally musical and he has an absolutely gorgeous, enormous tone. To someone who knows something about standard violin technique, this would seem impossible, as he cannot draw the bow across the string in anything like a traditional way,as you can see here. This is actually wonderful news. For it tells us that by thinking outside the box, one can come up with remarkable solutions to what would seem to be insoluble problems. And that people like Adrian, who are forced to approach things in a new and different way, have a great deal to teach all of us.

I am reminded of a rather amusing (but ultimately sad) memory from my childhood. There was a television broadcast of a concert by Vladimir Horowitz. The following morning there was a letter to the editor in the Montreal Star (this was a while ago!)and the writer, a local piano teacher, was outraged that the CBC would broadcast this, because Horowitz was, in her mind, a "dangerous model" for students because he played the piano with flat, rather than curved fingers. What would she think of this ? Admittedly, the girl with no fingers on one hand is not playing at the level of a virtuoso pianist, but she certainly plays like a good student-the very people that this piano teacher would "protect" from the evil model of Vladimir Horowitz's flat fingered technique. Ironically, Horowitz learned his flat fingered technique from his teacher, Felix Blumenfeld, who developed it because he had to adjust his way of playing after having a stroke. I have tried to find videos of other Blumenfeld students, but have not found any. Apparently there are none of the incomparable Simon Barere, although I have read that his technique was "unorthodox"; I hoped to find some of Maria Grinburg, Maria Yudina, or Grigory Ginzburg, but no luck. I think it is wonderful that a so-called "disabled" pianist was so influential in developing the Russian Piano School, and that aspects of his insight as a pianist and teacher came directly from his experience as pianist living with a disability. I think it is also curious-and here I am reminded of Adrian-that the Blumenfeld students I listed above all have one thing in common- the ability to produce a very distinctive and, with the exception of Yudina, very beautiful sound.

In the same spirit, I think all string players should watch how Adrian plays, to open their minds to the possibilities that are created when someone has to work with a different set of tools. Come here the concert; and come to the fundraising event on Friday night April 15th, where Adrian will talk about his journey and you can watch his playing up close. You will be amazed and inspired.