For the past month or so, I've been listening to an enormous amount of music - - mostly on YouTube. It helps me forget my devastating physical pain and alleviates my intense mental depression.
It also resurrects vivid memories of my golden years - - filled with concerts, rehearsals, performances....and teaching (yes, I was chosen as a student piano teacher for Cypress College, but admittedly teaching is not my forte).
Sometimes past memories provide me with the incentive to plod onward.
So, what am I getting at? I selfishly forgot my purpose for writing this post.
I was initially thinking of great pianists who continued to perform into old age.
Arthur Rubinstein (1887- - 1982) retired from the concert stage at age 89. He only stopped because his eyesight was failing.
The other night I watched a concert on YouTube recorded in 1978 - - Vladimir Horowitz (1903-- 1989) performing one of my favorite concertos, the third piano concerto by Rachmaninov (the New York Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta conductor).
I've heard dozens of pianists tackling this extremely difficult concerto over the years, but this 1978 performance by Horowitz is undoubtedly the best. His technique and interpretation are unsurpassed. He was 75 years old.
I've saved the best for last.
Martha Argerich, who is considered one of the greatist pianists in the world today. She is presently 82 and still going strong. There are several of her recent concerts on YouTube. I am absolutely astounded at her strength, virtuosity, and passion. Her piano performances are (arguably) better today than they were fifty years ago.
Martha Argerich, then and nowArgerich is an Argentine pianist, born in Buenos Aires. Her paternal ancestors were Spanish and her maternal grandparents were Russian Jews. She gave her first public piano concert at age eight. She speaks Spanish, French, Italian, German, and English fluently.
One thing that I only learned recently - - Argerich was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 1990. In 1995 it metastasized to her lungs, pancreas, liver, brain, and lymph nodes.
She received experimental treatments at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica. To this day she is cancer-free.
I've always adored her and she is a great inspiration.
Age doesn't always have to be an impediment.
With a positive spirit and the grace of God, anything is possible.
Take care, Jon