1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,960
Romantic era, it feels as if this is the upper limits of tonal harmony and at the same time

2
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:12,960
virtuosity.

3
00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:16,520
I felt as if this was the upper limit.

4
00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,280
This is as far as the ceiling goes.

5
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:32,720
And to play those pieces are more entertaining than the rest.

6
00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:33,720
Hello piano enthusiasts!

7
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:37,640
You are tuned into the PianoPod with me, Yukimi Song.

8
00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:42,120
Today we are delving deeper into the second installment of the season with a phenomenal

9
00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:46,840
Canadian-American pianist and recording artist, Ludovic Zamor.

10
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:52,880
In case you missed our Captivating Conversation in Part 1 where we discussed his latest album,

11
00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:59,280
Amor, and explore the fascinating journey from project inception to release date triumphs,

12
00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,520
and his path to readiness returning to the stage after the pandemic.

13
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:09,200
Don't worry, you can catch up on all the excitement on your favorite podcast platform.

14
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,960
A warm welcome to all our new listeners.

15
00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:16,940
This podcast is your all-access pass to the captivating world of piano.

16
00:01:16,940 --> 00:01:21,600
In each episode of the PianoPod, I interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting

17
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,620
new ground in the industry.

18
00:01:23,620 --> 00:01:27,440
Please rate the show and review it on your favorite podcasting platform because every

19
00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,400
rating review will help people find my show.

20
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:37,740
So my friends, here is part 2 of the PianoPod's season 4, episode 3 with Ludovic Zamor.

21
00:01:37,740 --> 00:01:43,800
Please enjoy the show.

22
00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:51,280
What is your thought on keeping classical music relevant and thriving in this fast-paced

23
00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:52,280
society?

24
00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,320
Hmm, that's a very good question.

25
00:01:55,320 --> 00:02:00,000
If you want to hear a very short story, only I think like a month and a half ago was the

26
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,680
first time like one of my random friends from out of town, they were coming to New York

27
00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,280
and they invited me to go to the Brooklyn Mirage.

28
00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:11,280
Are you familiar with the Brooklyn Mirage?

29
00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:15,520
Yeah, it's a... and it should actually be like a YouTube video or something, concert

30
00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,240
pianist goes to the Brooklyn Mirage.

31
00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:25,480
But as I went there, I was just so overwhelmed because they had lasers, they had fire, they

32
00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,840
had all this type of stuff.

33
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:34,520
And it was... at the end of the night, I was reflecting and I was trying to say to myself,

34
00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:40,240
wow, you know, this is what we have to compete with as classical musicians because we're

35
00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:47,600
taking so much stimulus and then now what I'm doing is almost as if it's back to the

36
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,640
basics, it's back to the roots.

37
00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:57,080
And how do I, I guess, show people this rich genre?

38
00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,280
And that's, I guess, something I've been trying to ponder with for a long time.

39
00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,320
You go to Carnegie Hall, there's no light show, or at least maybe in Zankel Hall, but

40
00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:10,040
in a Wild Recital Hall or the Stern Auditorium, there's no light show, there's no fire, there's

41
00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,640
nothing like that.

42
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:15,600
So it becomes a moral question of, well, can we do?

43
00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,920
It's something I've been working with for a long time.

44
00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:24,880
And the answer that I'm coming to is just try and give a very, very pure performance.

45
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:33,400
And hopefully, like you said earlier, maybe they will just be exposed to it and somehow

46
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,640
fall in love with it the same way we do.

47
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:41,640
But who knows, maybe there comes an opportunity where you have the concert, you know, piano

48
00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,800
concert with the laser beam, you know.

49
00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:45,800
Maybe.

50
00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:53,640
Yeah, you know, I got to interview Michael Kacov as a first episode of the season, and

51
00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:58,560
then we talked about Scrabbing, and Scrabbing actually tried to do it, right, with his orchestral

52
00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,920
work for the, I think it's over 60 something.

53
00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:04,600
So it's pretty late work.

54
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:08,840
And then, but you know, with the technology, it wasn't possible at that time.

55
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,400
But a hundred years later, Yale University made it happen.

56
00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:19,120
And then there is like a really, yeah, it is even like almost his, like, Paris score

57
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:27,480
of this orchestral work, he puts the specific color that he wanted to produce, you know.

58
00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:28,480
Yeah.

59
00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:34,720
So who knows, maybe that's something that we can think about, right?

60
00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:41,600
Then you mentioned that why the belief in the meritocracy is liberating and inspiring.

61
00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,160
You want to talk about that.

62
00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:44,960
Will you elaborate on this?

63
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,080
What do you mean by that meritocracy?

64
00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,760
My dad, he grew up in, he grew up in the Caribbean.

65
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,520
It's a very, it's almost like a caste system over there.

66
00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:02,240
And when he came over to Canada to practice medicine, he also suffered, you know, I would

67
00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:07,880
say like, especially back then, astronomical levels of racism.

68
00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:13,640
And one thing that he learned and he instilled to his children, instilled to me, was after

69
00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:19,160
a certain point, when you become really, really great at your craft, whether it is medicine,

70
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:25,840
whether it's law, whether it is history or music or performance, after a certain level,

71
00:05:25,840 --> 00:05:28,880
they don't see a black doctor.

72
00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,920
They don't see a black lawyer or black historian.

73
00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:33,280
They don't see a black musician.

74
00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:35,040
They just see musician.

75
00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,760
So that is what you're supposed to strive towards, where the qualities that you were

76
00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:45,520
born with that you have no control over, these things all become irrelevant after your greatness,

77
00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:46,840
hence merit.

78
00:05:46,840 --> 00:05:56,520
So that's kind of what I try to envision myself, where these qualities as if, you know, being

79
00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:02,120
a person of black descent or such, I don't want that in the narrative.

80
00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,920
I just want a great musician, a part of the narrative.

81
00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,520
Alongside, you know, if you can inspire someone that comes from a similar background, that's

82
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:11,520
great.

83
00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:19,840
But my main focus is just to be great, not necessarily fill in the blank and then such.

84
00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:26,440
So not because of your background, let's say, right?

85
00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:28,680
So that's not something that you want to address.

86
00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:34,080
So to be equal means you arrived here because you worked hard.

87
00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:35,080
Exactly.

88
00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:39,080
Which, right, I totally understand the concept.

89
00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,080
In that sense, it makes sense.

90
00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:48,400
But so while I was listening to your story from the beginning today, it really does make

91
00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:49,440
sense.

92
00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,980
So this meritocracy system works, right?

93
00:06:52,980 --> 00:07:02,040
So whoever has this ambitious and also, you know, work really hard, let's say American

94
00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,200
dream come true, no, in many ways.

95
00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:15,520
But then, you know, the word meritocracy triggered me a little bit because I remember reading

96
00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,160
books about it before COVID.

97
00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,800
And there's one book is called The Tyranny of Merit.

98
00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:28,280
The other one, I don't remember the title of the book, but they were written by, one

99
00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:35,800
is written by Harvard professor, the other one is written by Yale law professor.

100
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:42,600
And then there's also there are plenty of YouTube clips about these books, and they

101
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:48,520
are on TV shows or whatever to promote their books and try to make a point.

102
00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:55,280
And then one is that Michael Sandel, he's the Harvard philosopher, also the professor

103
00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,000
and he argues about this concept of meritocracy.

104
00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:07,680
So I think, in a nutshell, your father's generation, I assume he is in like a middle age right

105
00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:08,680
now.

106
00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,240
Oh, my dad is in his 80s.

107
00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:13,240
He was born in 1941.

108
00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:14,240
Oh, my goodness.

109
00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:15,240
Wow.

110
00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,040
From a way different generation than I am.

111
00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,040
Okay.

112
00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:26,360
So more so than it does make sense, right, because they want to break that barrier of

113
00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:27,360
color.

114
00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:35,000
And that comes with probably financial background to economic disparity, too.

115
00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:39,960
I'm not speaking about your father because I don't know, but I assume about this group

116
00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:45,920
of let's say you're from your generation is coming from, you know, Caribbean.

117
00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:53,520
So then now those people, I'm not talking about your dad, but you know, who grew up

118
00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,760
in that era of meritocracy, that system.

119
00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:03,560
If you work hard, it doesn't matter the color of your skin or background, your economical

120
00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,280
disparity, you get the chance.

121
00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,360
And then that's how they grew up.

122
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:15,440
Then your generation, then your generation will raise the next generation.

123
00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:22,880
And they argue that there's a flaw in this meritocracy system because in the end, what

124
00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:28,720
happened during let's say COVID, obviously, we saw that huge stark difference between

125
00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,560
the riches and the poor.

126
00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:37,440
That was really one of the things that we noticed and then guess who was working really

127
00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:40,440
hard for us?

128
00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:42,560
The right workers, right?

129
00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:47,360
Essential workers and delivery people.

130
00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:55,280
So this idea of meritocracy gave us a whole sense of like, for example, for those who

131
00:09:55,280 --> 00:10:01,120
succeeded, it gives the sense of whole sense of success, right?

132
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:06,920
Because the success actually came from your father's generation.

133
00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:13,760
We're the one who thrived, struggled to achieve this, and then we are benefiting from their

134
00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,040
struggle in many ways.

135
00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:23,440
And thus the financial also success to many, many of our generation.

136
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:25,080
And it didn't happen overnight.

137
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:29,880
It didn't happen just because I worked hard or, you know, my generation, somebody, someone

138
00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,560
works really hard, but actually it's a generational thing.

139
00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:40,760
And for those folks who don't seem to success, doesn't seem to be successful, then we label

140
00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:41,760
them as failure?

141
00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:42,760
No way, right?

142
00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:43,760
I would agree with you.

143
00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:44,760
Yeah, not at all.

144
00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:50,960
There is, you know, generational wealth or such for some people.

145
00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:55,240
And sometimes when they see meritocracy in that way, it seems as if they're the people

146
00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,240
that worked hard.

147
00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:03,680
My vision on it is more along the lines of the idea of a meritocracy is almost liberating

148
00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:08,000
because I believe in the idea of like, almost like extreme ownership.

149
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,860
The more, the more that you have control over, the more that you have responsibility over,

150
00:11:13,860 --> 00:11:21,400
the less of being able to say some things are out of your hands is, is powerful in itself.

151
00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,840
So if you say that everything that is bad, that's happening over me, or everything that's

152
00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:28,120
good is happening over me.

153
00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:33,000
And the more that you're able to say that you have control over that itself is giving

154
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,560
you more power.

155
00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:40,920
So if in my case, accepting, being accepted to certain conservatories or programs or winning

156
00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,320
competitions, not necessarily that I care about competitions anymore.

157
00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:51,920
I've actually had my own philosophy on competitions, but being able to step on a stage and delivering

158
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:58,800
a good performance, getting up to that point, it was not because I come from a certain background.

159
00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:02,640
It's because I worked my butt off to get to that stage.

160
00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:03,640
I understand that.

161
00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,800
I understand the point of view.

162
00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:06,920
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

163
00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:11,840
So tell me, you just briefly touched on your thoughts on competition.

164
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:12,840
Tell me.

165
00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,400
I'm going to quote Bella Bartok.

166
00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:21,360
Competitions are for horses, not for artists.

167
00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:26,520
And when I was younger, those competitions, not only did they burn me out, but it was

168
00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:33,800
almost as if, how do you say that one piece of art is objectively better than the other?

169
00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:39,400
After a certain degree, you could say such, but sometimes it's very, very difficult to

170
00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,360
say one thing is objectively better than the other.

171
00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:49,680
And it's the way I feel about it now, the idea of competing, it's almost distasteful

172
00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:50,680
now.

173
00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:56,600
You know, it's interesting the way you perceive the word meritocracy is different from mine,

174
00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:04,480
because you said, you know, you just quoted, you know, Bartok and you agree with his vision

175
00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,160
of music, right?

176
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:07,800
I totally agree.

177
00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:14,400
Although I'm guilty, I put my students into competitions because classical music is also

178
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,080
becoming, oh, I achieved this medal.

179
00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:22,840
I achieved this certificate and thus I get to go through this school, right?

180
00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:26,960
So that's how, yeah, tell me.

181
00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:32,280
I would say in some cases, competition might be good for someone, and especially in their

182
00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:38,280
development, because you're exposing them to other people who are passionate, you're

183
00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:42,360
exposing them to where the ceiling is for their age groups, and you're exposing them

184
00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,640
to different people's repertoire.

185
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,560
You know, sometimes in a competition you might hear a piece that you never heard before,

186
00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,440
like, oh my God, that transcription exists.

187
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:55,360
Oh my God, you know, there are list transcriptions of Schubert, I never knew that.

188
00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,480
And sometimes some kid on the other side of the planet is playing that in a competition

189
00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,040
that might broaden their horizons.

190
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,720
In that sense, a competition is great.

191
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,160
It gives a student something to strive towards.

192
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:12,040
Sometimes for some people, unless they don't have the inner drive themselves, they're never

193
00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,120
going to work.

194
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,440
So unless you put a finish line or a goal in front of them, you know, some students

195
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,080
might not strive.

196
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:24,160
But at the end of it, I want to say that, you know, a competition mindset, especially

197
00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,920
for a professional artist, it might not be appropriate.

198
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:31,640
Maybe they should be focusing on their own name, focusing on their own craft and not

199
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:33,300
focus on other people.

200
00:14:33,300 --> 00:14:38,480
But for a student, maybe that might be a different for her.

201
00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,480
So competitions is not everything, right?

202
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:43,880
Definitely not everything.

203
00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:53,240
How do we find the sense of purpose or mission as a classical musician in this world?

204
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:58,560
Being a classical musician or a performer, it is a dream come true.

205
00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:05,000
It is one of those very, very gratifying jobs because you get to affect people on a large

206
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,240
scale every time you perform.

207
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,600
And it's one of those jobs that doesn't feel like you're pouring glass into another

208
00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:13,040
and pouring it right back.

209
00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:14,740
It's not as if you're going nowhere.

210
00:15:14,740 --> 00:15:21,880
So our missions, at least for myself, it is to affect people, whether it is emotionally,

211
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:27,080
whether it's spiritually, whether they have a spiritual experience after it, as if the

212
00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,840
same way how Bach or Liszt did.

213
00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:30,920
Those are goals.

214
00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:34,440
But is every performer supposed to feel that way?

215
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,760
I'm not sure.

216
00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:38,080
It's tough.

217
00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:43,640
But it's very interesting because is every performer supposed to be on a stage?

218
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,920
Maybe after sometimes performers retire, they're supposed to go into editorials or go into

219
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,880
teaching or at least that's where I'm looking at it.

220
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:59,520
So maybe this is repeating, but what is your thought on our duty or gift as classical musicians

221
00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,960
to society at Bach?

222
00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,640
It takes years of study to develop the gift.

223
00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:10,600
It takes how many different generations of people, just like how I mentioned before Abraham

224
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:16,960
Stoncklar, it felt as if he packed 90 years of knowledge into me.

225
00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:22,080
And when you have that responsibility on their shoulders, it's almost as if it's a duty to

226
00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:25,200
share that with everybody else.

227
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:31,880
And when you step on a stage, it's that opportune, whether you're streaming it on top of that,

228
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:39,200
or you have a thousand people in the audience and you have a perfect opportunity to share

229
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,400
what composers wrote and their feelings.

230
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:47,120
And it's almost as if you have a duty to do right by them.

231
00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,280
I don't even know how to put it.

232
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:54,560
I don't want to say it's the most important job in the world, of course not, but it's

233
00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:59,080
definitely as if you're almost doing missionary work in a way.

234
00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:04,160
With all the difficult questions, the last question in the philosophical segment of this

235
00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:08,560
podcast would be, any advice for young musicians?

236
00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:16,360
I've made my fair, or more than fair, series of mistakes and I've learned from them.

237
00:17:16,360 --> 00:17:20,180
I guess as a musician, you have a fear in your head.

238
00:17:20,180 --> 00:17:22,840
You don't want to become a diva, you know?

239
00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:28,080
And you're afraid of expressing your desires or your wants.

240
00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:32,400
And one thing that I always kept in my head is don't become a diva.

241
00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:38,440
Don't become a person that asks a lot and exercise patience.

242
00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,920
But one thing I've learned, especially in the music industry and how dirty it could

243
00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:46,920
be, is if you let people, they will waste your time.

244
00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:53,080
If you just sit on your hands and you don't say how things should be, they will just walk

245
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:54,400
all over you.

246
00:17:54,400 --> 00:18:00,440
So my advice to young people, especially if you're a musician or a performer, you understand

247
00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:05,960
how much practice, how much education it takes to get to where you're going.

248
00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:12,320
And the idea of having another person, I guess, gatekeep before your dreams and such, don't

249
00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,000
let people stand in your way.

250
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:19,320
And don't stop yourself from pushing what you deserve and what you really want.

251
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:20,320
Wonderful.

252
00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:21,320
Yes.

253
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:22,320
Take initiative.

254
00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:24,320
Take control of your career.

255
00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:25,320
Yes.

256
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,920
What is next?

257
00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:34,000
So Ludovico Zamor 2.0 or maybe at this point 10.0, I don't know.

258
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:35,440
But what's your next step?

259
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,720
What's your next phase in your career?

260
00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:44,160
Actually I'm working on my, I guess, if you want to say the volume two of the Amor, where

261
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:49,960
I'm actually learning a completely separate set of Romantic Era pieces.

262
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:55,400
And I guess the end all goal is to play all of these pieces in concert.

263
00:18:55,400 --> 00:19:00,560
Hopefully 16 pieces all together in one concert, separated by an intermission.

264
00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,720
Usually before I played four pieces, intermission four pieces.

265
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:08,520
But what I'm going to try and do now, if it's daunting, you know, whatever, but to play

266
00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,120
eight, intermission another eight.

267
00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:13,040
But that's my end goal for now.

268
00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:14,040
Wow, beautiful.

269
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:20,680
And if that's the case, are you going to perform at Carnegie?

270
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:21,680
That is the goal.

271
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:26,560
I'm going to try before I play all 16, I'm going to try to play this, this album in Carnegie

272
00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:27,560
Hall before.

273
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:32,560
If that happens, please, please let me know because I would love to attend.

274
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:33,560
Of course.

275
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:34,560
I'll send tickets.

276
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:35,560
Yay.

277
00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:36,560
I'll definitely be there.

278
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:37,560
Yes.

279
00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:38,560
With lots of bouquet of flowers.

280
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:39,560
Yes.

281
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:40,560
I'll be there.

282
00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:41,560
Hey there, TPP family.

283
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:48,520
The piano part is now into our fourth season and it's all thanks to you.

284
00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:54,440
Since 2020, you've been with my journey with the TPP, exploring this burning question.

285
00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:59,640
How do we make classical music resonate with today's audience in fresh and captivating

286
00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:00,640
ways?

287
00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,480
Four years in and the journey has been nothing short of magical.

288
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:06,800
The piano part isn't just a podcast.

289
00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:13,000
It's a movement, a space where pianists, composers and educators brainstorm, debate

290
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:17,560
and reimagine classical music's place in our fast paced world.

291
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:23,160
We're together on a mission to ensure classical music doesn't just survive, but thrives

292
00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:24,600
in our modern age.

293
00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:30,040
But here's the thing, to keep bringing you these insightful bi-weekly episodes, I need

294
00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:31,140
your help.

295
00:20:31,140 --> 00:20:36,960
Every bit of support goes into the podcast's essentials, from hosting to high quality recording

296
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,680
tech and the countless hours behind the scenes.

297
00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,000
So do you want to be part of this journey?

298
00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:48,100
Click the PayPal link in the show notes or head to thepianopod.com to donate.

299
00:20:48,100 --> 00:20:56,160
And as a token of appreciation, I will personally mail you the Pianopods snazzy logo sticker.

300
00:20:56,160 --> 00:21:01,600
So hit the subscribe button, spread the word and let's continue our mission and journey

301
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,840
as classical musicians.

302
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:05,760
Now let's continue with the show.

303
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:08,680
Is there anything else before we go to…

304
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,900
I actually had a question.

305
00:21:10,900 --> 00:21:14,760
One thing that I found very, very interesting was your use of AI.

306
00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:20,560
And it's almost as if, how did you come to that?

307
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:21,960
And what are the benefits?

308
00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,280
Oh, that's a good question.

309
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:25,280
Yes.

310
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:26,280
I'm actually quite…

311
00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:30,440
I don't want to brag, but I'm interested in technology.

312
00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,200
So let's put it that way.

313
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:37,840
And it's not like I know computer code or anything like that, but I like gadgets.

314
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:45,920
So I think I grew up with these cameras, not camera at me, but video recording as I grew

315
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:46,920
up.

316
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,280
And I think my interest led me one to another.

317
00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:56,160
And somebody introduced me to this AI, it was one of those Zoom meetings.

318
00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:00,480
And I know that somebody else was in the Zoom room, but it's not a person.

319
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:07,000
So I asked this person who is hosting this meeting, I asked him, what in the world is

320
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:08,000
this thing doing?

321
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,000
Who is that?

322
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,720
And he said, oh, that's an AI taking notes for us.

323
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,720
Oh, it's amazing.

324
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:16,560
Yes, it is.

325
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:22,000
Do you find personally, has there been anyone giving you flack because you're a classical

326
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:27,720
musician and then you're on the other side, the really progressive technology, or is it

327
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,320
just a welcome combination?

328
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:38,280
I think, you know, I don't separate my world that way.

329
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,240
So I welcome every… because this is who I am.

330
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:48,300
I love something timeless and classic, like classical music, but also in the industry

331
00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:58,120
of classical music is evolving to where a lot of people now, you know, expressing themselves,

332
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:02,920
you know, through classical music, but in a very different way.

333
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:09,200
As you said, you don't want to… some people don't want to identify themselves as a classical

334
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,360
musician with their heritage, right?

335
00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,560
You want to be the classical musicians who love to play the romantic piece.

336
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:17,560
That's your identity.

337
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:25,760
But some people identify themselves with their heritage, whether that is Asian or, you know,

338
00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,200
Caribbean or whatnot.

339
00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:33,000
So anyway, for me, my identity as a musician is this.

340
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,000
I have such progressive idea.

341
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,840
I welcome all these ideas and then some of them work really well, some don't.

342
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,280
But, you know, but I love…

343
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:50,240
I'm just very, very curious about technology and the AI is going to help my work.

344
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:56,620
Edmund, especially, you know, daunting tasks like Edmund work, you know, writing or coming

345
00:23:56,620 --> 00:24:00,240
up with, let's say, social media, posting ideas.

346
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:09,120
I asked ChatGPT, give me 10 different ideas about posting, you know, some interesting

347
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:13,960
engaging posts about certain things.

348
00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:21,920
What are your thoughts on ChatGPT or any type of AI writing as if like, write me a song

349
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,080
as if Beyonce would write a song?

350
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:26,960
What are your thoughts on…

351
00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,000
You know, it's interesting.

352
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:37,920
Because this morning I tried, write me a haiku about podcasting and then AI wrote me a beautiful

353
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,640
haiku, but I didn't credit myself.

354
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:49,440
I posted on Instagram story and then I, at the end of the haiku, I said ChatGPT.

355
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:53,600
So, but, you know, that's a very legit question.

356
00:24:53,600 --> 00:25:00,720
And then I used ChatGPT to really give me some ideas about, let's say, social media

357
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,800
posting or what sort of…

358
00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:10,480
So many things you can do with your, you know, when you are doing a lot more creative work,

359
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:11,480
it really helps.

360
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:19,280
However, you know, I listened to one of the podcasts about AI and this lawyer got in trouble

361
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:25,680
because basically he used ChatGPT to come up with, you know, whatever and, you know,

362
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,840
it was not his language, right?

363
00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:34,720
So yeah, so we really have to be careful.

364
00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:40,600
Do you see it as a tool or do you see it as like an intuitive, I guess, separate entity

365
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,040
where it's almost like…

366
00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,400
You said like the lawyer just now, it's almost as if they're cheating or they're plagiarizing

367
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:51,680
or what do you look at it more as if it's a tool that's just a calculator or, you know?

368
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:52,680
Well, okay.

369
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:59,560
So I think in many technologies, there is the ups and downs about, you know, how to,

370
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,200
how we use them, right?

371
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,760
So for example, even like the rise of internet, people are freaking out, oh, am I going to

372
00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:08,600
be able to purchase something online?

373
00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,520
And then what if somebody stole my credit card information?

374
00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:18,200
I mean, there's always the bad people and the way we can use internet can be also bad.

375
00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,640
There are a lot of predators out there too.

376
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:26,760
I mean, I don't want to talk about something so much darkness about things here, but at

377
00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:31,440
the same time, we are able to connect this way with internet.

378
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,360
I'm able to do podcasts because of the power of internet.

379
00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:36,280
I think it's the same thing with AI.

380
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:45,960
Honestly, I have no intention right now or never to use it to, I don't know, cheat.

381
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:48,000
No, no way.

382
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:53,880
Then even through this conversation, let's say if I ask AI, write me a script of my podcast,

383
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:55,320
I can totally do that.

384
00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:59,920
But do people know that I am just reading off of a script?

385
00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:00,920
Yes, they do.

386
00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,520
And I don't want to do that.

387
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:05,960
So you also have to capture.

388
00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:13,840
Because fact checking is something that we all have to do, whether you use AI or not,

389
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:19,040
or internet, you know, like almost like, do you believe everything in internet?

390
00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:20,040
No.

391
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,920
Do you believe everything that's written on Wikipedia?

392
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:23,920
No way.

393
00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:24,920
Right?

394
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:25,920
It's very interesting.

395
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:26,920
Yeah.

396
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:28,920
But it's not about me.

397
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,080
So anyway, but did I answer your question?

398
00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:34,560
Yeah, you did.

399
00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:35,560
It's very interesting.

400
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:41,920
I'm just, one thing that just popped in my head was what if they add AI, I guess, finish

401
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:51,600
Mozart, you know, just or Chopin died very young in age, have AI write pieces in Chopin

402
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:56,600
style and such, or it's just, I'm just imagining the possibilities.

403
00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:01,240
Well, yeah, there are lots of possibilities like that.

404
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:06,320
In terms of, you know, Hollywood is on strike right now, and I'm just wondering whether

405
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:13,000
they're going to really ban the use of AI or script writers and the use of writers rooms

406
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:14,000
and everything like that.

407
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:19,520
Or, I don't know if you're a movie buff, but if you ever watched the movie Dune, one thing

408
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:27,400
that they instilled in that, I guess, dystopian future is certain amounts of technology are

409
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:32,720
not allowed because they're afraid of sentience within artificial intelligence.

410
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:39,480
So I'm just wondering of, especially in art, how far is artificial intelligence going to

411
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:40,480
go?

412
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,400
I know it's a very interesting topic, but also scary too.

413
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:45,400
I totally understand.

414
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:49,680
And, you know, AI takes over everything then.

415
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:50,680
Are we disappearing?

416
00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:52,680
Are we disappearing from the dark?

417
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,840
But, you know, I don't know.

418
00:28:56,840 --> 00:28:58,480
Is humanity due for extinction?

419
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:04,880
Probably not, because I would say that either run a computer program to write, to play music

420
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,840
rather, but it will never be the same as a human would because maybe the part of the

421
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,160
beauty is in the imperfection itself.

422
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:18,920
Maybe part of the beauty is in the wheezing as you're recording the album and you're

423
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:20,720
bit by a spider.

424
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:25,080
Maybe that little bit of humanity is what creates art in itself.

425
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:26,080
Who knows?

426
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:27,080
Maybe.

427
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,120
And then that's the point, right?

428
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:30,120
Yeah.

429
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:31,120
Yeah.

430
00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:38,880
I totally believe in humanity and our ability because of imperfection, I think, in the end

431
00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:39,880
we win.

432
00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:40,880
We'll have to.

433
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:41,880
Right.

434
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:42,880
I'd like to believe that.

435
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:51,960
Now, before going to the next fun segment, let me just remind my listeners that Ludovic's

436
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:57,680
album, Amore, is available on all music streaming services, correct?

437
00:29:57,680 --> 00:29:58,680
Correct.

438
00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,280
Like Apple Music?

439
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:01,280
Apple Music.

440
00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,320
Well, my distributor, they're still writing the contracts with Apple Music, so it will

441
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:07,320
be released soon.

442
00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:08,320
Okay.

443
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,000
So Spotify, Amazon, for sure.

444
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:12,000
Correct.

445
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,000
Everything but Apple Music Classical right now.

446
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,000
Got it.

447
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:21,440
And then to learn more about Ludovic's work, please visit ludovicsamore.com and I've released

448
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,160
all the information in the description.

449
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,760
So this has been really fun.

450
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:31,360
So before I let you go, we have one more thing to do.

451
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,160
It's called the Piano Club Rapid Fire Questions.

452
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:41,280
And yes, and this is part of the show where I get to ask fun questions to each guest.

453
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,680
Now, here's a little twist.

454
00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:49,280
As silly as these questions may sound, your answers may reveal who you truly are.

455
00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:50,280
So are you ready?

456
00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:52,280
I'll try my best.

457
00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:53,280
Right.

458
00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:54,280
Good answer.

459
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:58,680
So please answer them with the shortest responses possible.

460
00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:01,680
No explanation needed is necessary.

461
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:02,680
Understood.

462
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:03,680
All right.

463
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:04,680
Question number one.

464
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,120
What is your comfort food?

465
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:08,120
Burgers.

466
00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:09,120
Or no, steak.

467
00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:10,120
Steak, rather.

468
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,920
How do you like your coffee?

469
00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:14,920
Black.

470
00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:16,480
Cats or dogs?

471
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:17,480
Cats.

472
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,000
Sunrise or sunset?

473
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:21,000
Sunrise.

474
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:22,920
Summer or winter?

475
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:23,920
Summer.

476
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,240
Are you a good old paper book user or evil?

477
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:28,880
Paper book.

478
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,360
What is your word or words to live by?

479
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:33,360
Try your best.

480
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:34,360
I don't know.

481
00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:35,360
Right.

482
00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,720
What is the most important quality you look for in other people?

483
00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:40,720
Discipline.

484
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:41,720
Discipline.

485
00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:42,720
Yes.

486
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,800
I can see that lie after that conversation.

487
00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:47,800
All right.

488
00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:52,600
Name three people who inspire you, living or dead.

489
00:31:52,600 --> 00:32:00,760
Sergey Rachmaninoff, Fredrik Chopin, Marcus Aurelius.

490
00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,840
Name one piece in your current playlist.

491
00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:07,200
Doesn't have to be classical.

492
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:08,200
Okay.

493
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:12,400
Autumn Song by Peter Ilychakovsky.

494
00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,200
Now last question.

495
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,240
Fill in the blank.

496
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,600
Music is blank.

497
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:19,960
Music is love.

498
00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:21,600
Of course.

499
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:22,600
Amor.

500
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:23,600
That's true.

501
00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:24,600
Perfect answer.

502
00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:25,600
Ding ding ding.

503
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:26,600
You won.

504
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:31,600
So this concludes this episode of The Piano Ball.

505
00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:37,640
Thank you Ludwig for joining my show today and sharing your stories and insights, expertise.

506
00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:43,960
You can learn more about him and his amazing work through his website at ludwigsamor.com.

507
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:50,520
You can listen to his album or more on all major music streaming services except for

508
00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:51,800
Apple Music currently.

509
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,160
And all the links are listed in the show notes.

510
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:59,360
And thank you to my wonderful audience and fans for tuning in.

511
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:04,280
If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review it on whatever podcasting platform

512
00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:05,280
you use.

513
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:10,800
Remember to hit the thumbs up button to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you are watching

514
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:12,800
this episode on video.

515
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:18,680
Follow TPP on social media to get the latest piano news via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

516
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:19,680
and LinkedIn.

517
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,320
I will see you for the next episode of the Piano Ball.

518
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,400
Bye everyone and thank you Ludwig.

519
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:26,400
Thanks for having me.

520
00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:27,400
Thank you.

521
00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:43,040
Bye everyone.