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The Spiritual Journey of Female Pianists

Author: [France] Elena? Helen Grimau

Brief introduction of the author

Internationally renowned pianist. 1969 was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. 13 was admitted to the famous French Conservatory of Music. 16 won the first prize of Jacques Rouvier Classical Music Competition, published his first solo record as a child, and 18 held his first piano solo concert in Paris, which was a great success and gained an international reputation.

Elena's rich life experience and unique talent make her full of imagination and inspiration and become the source of creation. This book is the second autobiography after Wild Change.

brief introduction

Elena. Grimo was born rebellious, and began to play the piano in order to vent his excess energy, but unexpectedly discovered his talent and became an internationally renowned pianist. By chance, she met a female wolf in the wild, and the wolf seldom lay down near her, so she began her story with the wolf ... Elena. Grimau, a young and beautiful international talented pianist and the guardian of wolves, is charming and strange. People are almost obsessed with her. Her writing skills are as good as her piano skills. In this beautiful autobiography, she talked about music and life, and her spiritual journey. ...

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French piano beauty "Dancing with the Wolf"

Originally published in The New York Times on June 5438+065438+1October 5, 2006, edited by James R. Ostric and Wen Li.

Hélène Grimaud, French female pianist, 1969 was born in Aix-en-Provence. In his early years, he studied piano with Jacqueline Coultin and Pierre Babize at the Aix Conservatory of Music and Marseille Conservatory of Music respectively. 13 years old, admitted to the famous French Conservatory of Music, studied under Jacques Rouvier. /kloc-won the first prize of Jacques Rouvier Classical Music Competition at the age of 0/6, and published his first solo record in the same year, with the repertoire of Rachmaninov's second piano concerto and piano solo. /kloc-When she was 0/8 years old, she held her first piano solo concert in Paris, which was a great success and became famous internationally. In 2002, he became a contracted musician of DG Company in Germany. Rachmaninoff's Sonata for the Second Piano and Beethoven's Sonata for the Tempest have been published, among which rachmaninoff's Sonata for the Second Piano won the Record Association Award. This is a rare honor for young Elena. She lives in America now.

Elena grimmer was born rebellious. She began to play the piano to vent her excess energy, but unexpectedly discovered her talent and became an internationally renowned pianist. By chance, she met a female wolf in the wild, and the wolf rarely lay down near her. Since then, she has started her own story with wolves, and founded the "Wild Wolf Protection Center" in new york to protect wild wolf species such as red wolves and Mexican wolves, and to open universal education to the public. The wolf became Elena's totem, representing Elena's free, eclectic and determined character.

She is fascinating in beauty. She is not only a piano genius, but also has endless stories with wolves. She likes playing Brahms best, and it is cold and sad when playing. When she is with wolves, she is gentle and naive. Her works are full of emotion and casual. Following her first autobiography, Variations on the Wild, she published another essay, The Psychological Course of a Female Pianist, this year. This is the legend of the French female pianist Elena Grimau.

"Music changed my faith, and the female wolf liberated my wildness."

199 1 year, when Elena Grimau lived in Tallahassee, Florida, she took her friend's dog out for a walk late one night, which changed her life. She saw a lonely animal approaching slowly, and its way of traveling was tense and secret, which she had never seen before. The dog she was leading was frightened and fled into the bushes. This is the first time she met a wolf, a female wolf. Grimau wrote in his first biography "Wild Mutation": "It came to my left and sniffed my hand. I just stretched out my finger and it hid my head and shoulders under my palm. I felt as if I had been sparked by something and it soon spread all over my body. It immediately filled me with tenderness. There is a mysterious song from the heart, like an unknown wild force. " "I fell in love with this female wolf." She later wrote.

Grimau believes that wolves have been regarded as the embodiment of evil for hundreds of years. But she doesn't think so. In her view, the wolf maintains the balance of species, is a strange and fascinating animal, and can teach human beings a lot. She feels it is her responsibility to change people's misunderstanding about wolves.

From 65438 to 0999, she and photographer Henry Fell opened the Wolf Protection Center in South Salem. This 29-acre area is now home to 17 wolves. Among them, four wolves are open to the public as "image ambassadors". The remaining 13 horses are isolated from humans in order to finally return to nature. "In the first two years of opening up, we had 500 tourists every year, and now 20 thousand people come to visit every year."

Her work of protecting wolves has caused some criticism in the classical music world. Some people think that she "lives in her own imagination of wild wolves." The time she spent protecting wolves also affected her progress in piano career. By her own admission, after spending too much time and energy in the wolf protection center, she really focused on music in the last three years. Now she continues to tour all over the world, cooperating with the world's top symphony orchestras and musicians. However, at the end of 2005, she encountered new setbacks. She suffered from pneumonia, which led to chronic fatigue syndrome and even affected her heart. Her first autobiography, Variations on the Wild, was first published in France and soon became a bestseller with various chapters. Grimau regards himself as a lonely outsider in his family, music world and even society, and his heart is full of struggles. For example, when considering where to set up a wolf protection center, she wrote, "It's better to be somewhere else. I always hope it's somewhere else."

What roles did classical music and wolves play in her life? In Grimaud's view, both saved her. "Music changed my faith," she wrote. "It saved me." Referring to the female wolf she met for the first time, she also said, "It saved me, too." The purpose of establishing the wolf protection center is to free her from the shackles of using the piano as a tool. "I became wild."

Grimau was born in Provence on 1969. When he started playing the piano at the age of six, he showed amazing talent. /kloc-entered the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of 0/3 and became the youngest student at that time. Another hobby since childhood is raising small animals. Before the piano filled her life, she even dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, living in a zoo, and later wanted to be a biologist. "I used to be interested in primates." The encounter with Alawa, the female wolf, involved her in the world of wolves. She began to study animal behavior, attend college courses, attend conferences and visit animal experts.

In addition, she is proficient in French, Russian and English, and has a wide range of literature, history and philosophy in France, Russia and the United States. Her passion for music never waned, and she started her life with Bach every day. However, this does not prevent her from being immersed in romantic literature.

She also likes Chopin's music and calls him "my composer". She appreciated that Chopin liberated the pianist's left hand and "created ingenious music." But Brahms is the closest thing to her heart. Most of her early recorded music was played by Brahms, a composer who was not young, illegal and had no feminine taste, which was quite different from her superficial impression. "I like his strong music," she wrote in Variations on the Wild. "His pain and melancholy are full of emotional sadness and despair about his relationship with the world." Brahms' nervous and daunting Concerto No.1 is her favorite work. She said that it was difficult for her to recover from the sadness for a few hours after playing. "Brahms expressed her grief too perfectly, and the pain was enough to suffocate you." Mr Sharon, who once worked with Grimau, said: "She is half rational and half enthusiastic, and she is a rare person. She always has organized ideas and plans before performing, but at concerts, music often flows naturally. "

"If love can't be shared, I hope I am the one who uses it the most."

Successful people are either blessed by God or blessed by secular practice. Elena Grimau is really a lucky person. No one can exist more easily than her. Harmonious marriage enjoys a growing reputation in the piano world she is familiar with. The most important thing is that a group of wolves are waiting for her to play after communicating with Chopin and Rachmaninov.

However, when people have everything that ordinary people envy, do they rarely look back? After music becomes the keynote of life, where will other loved ones be? Music, loneliness, love and those wolves ... when did you betray your oath? The most important thing is what is this oath? After these inclusive and contradictory problems are entangled, leaving has become a major worry for the protagonist, and this seemingly cross-strait trip has also become a key to finding heaven.

It is destined to be a game with the soul. Since programmed life can't give Elena inspiration and freedom, can a trip of self-exile bring new breath? Just like a beautiful fable, the beginning of the story is the end. The farmer's dream of treasure hunting begins under a flower and fruit tree and ends here. The dream begins in Sri Lanka and ends in Sri Lanka. The only thing that needs to be banished is a tired mind. The best medicine is to hold your head up and take a deep breath.

Unfolding every wrinkle of the soul, anyone's life will be more exciting than Rousseau's Confessions, not to mention this internationally renowned female pianist. The mental journey of a female pianist is a character's spiritual reading notes. The cascade and echo of various characters are like hot springs that appear repeatedly in ancient forests. Whether it's Audrey I met at the beginning of my departure, an unknown professor, a stranger in a cafe ... it's either a revelation from God or an invisible wing. Everyone in each post seems to have the dreamy color of an angel. At arm's length, it's time to play. This book is cleverly divided into different chapters, and each chapter has inspiring characters. The professor who appeared as a spiritual mentor, like a Santa Claus carrying a gift, quietly retired after guiding Elena to reflect on freedom and understand music. There is also Beatrice's beauty and appearance. Her appearance is more like Beatrice painted by Dante, which makes people daydream about beauty. In the book, she also came to this place near the sky in order to seek innocence. This coincides with Elena's musical perfection.

The appearance of wolves is always more like a metaphor. Like music, the "Wolf Protection Center" she founded in new york has always occupied an important position in her heart. Wolff is almost the body of her rebellious character, body double, and her fate is reasonable. Elena's naturally rebellious character has lost the joy of relaxation since she was thrown out in the pursuit of art. With her freshness, wildness and love, the wolf filled her space with tension and vitality. In a sense, she became Elena's original god or mascot.

China's Di Yun or Lang Lang may be as famous as Elena in music, but artists in China are used to looking for inspiration in crowded places, but they are obviously not interested in turning to the origin, plateau and fields of music. Obviously, the road is different, borrowing the words of the hitchhiking professor in the book. "We are the music sung by our own destiny."

Wystan hugh auden's words quoted on the title page of the book, "If love can't be shared, I hope I am the one who loves deeply", in a sense, this is that Elena and the reader have been integrated.

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Book review 1: a long vacation in the ethereal world, exploring the soul.

Elena. Grimau, who once met Alawa, a female wolf, recorded his first piano record when 16 years old, and held his first piano solo concert when 18 years old. She has shown beautiful and fluent words and delicate thoughts in her autobiography Variations on the Wild published all over the world. Today, she still takes care of the whole wildlife sanctuary, making the wolf a real wolf.

This is her second autobiography, but it is not an autobiography made up of great achievements, trivial matters, letters and years, but a pure spiritual journey, questioning the essence of art and life. Because of this core, there will be stories composed of encounters, many fable-like stories, and a main vein with a sense of mission runs through. All this belongs to her, and it can definitely belong to everyone.

Every encounter is a dice destined to win. Female pianists are exhausted in the process of busy playing and recording, and they hesitate to ask for leave among three choices: Africa, Europe or American forest. A short story about a waitress in a fast food restaurant helped her make up her mind to go to Europe. Then, I met a literature professor who looked like a respected teacher in the Italian countryside. The question left by the professor is, if you played good music, "did you experience it better?" The next day, she received a small package from the professor. To continue the topic of meeting the day before, let her accept an exquisite music box or give it to a German named Hans. At this point, the original aimless holiday not only has a theme, but also has a route.

Along the way, she met Beatrice in the monastery garden in assisi. She takes care of the monastery garden and is taken care of by it. She asked, "Why can't people create new musical instruments?" Meet pessimistic young people in cafes and question what freedom and love there is in pain and loss. After listening to the story of the Swiss town music box told by collectors, the old man didn't mind the end of the world and angrily talked about various gradual extinctions ... These exchanges exposed the unique positive and negative wisdom of unfortunate human beings. The process of listening, understanding and arguing with it is her own way to find the answer.

Just like a confused person seeking the hint of divine comedy, looking for vitality at the fork of fate and cherishing the guidance of every strange nobleman. Finally, she met Hans, a blind pianist who was blinded by a car accident. "Long before the accident, I realized that I was blind. I am eager to satisfy myself. I can't see anything but work, praise, pursuit of absolute perfection and near narcissism. " Isn't this the situation of female pianists at this time? When the light came on, she found that Hans, a blind musician, looked like a brother. This is the second "similarity" since the professor, and the mysterious atmosphere is filled with ghosts, blurred by coincidence or elaborate encounter, and gradually tends to calm down.

Immersed in the poetic rhythm and vitality of classical music for many years, Elena's brush strokes also have a classic texture like a lifetime ago. As she wrote, "artists agree to decompose themselves into art", words and music are only a part of art, and art has never been isolated from nature. In her life, wolves and music are the most important elements, but it is not enough to be the medium of music or the kind object of wolves. A busy schedule can also cause a person's emptiness, even a genius. It can even be said that this is the fact that contemporary artists are most easily overlooked after they are busy with innovation. They are far from essence and subordinate to skills. Elena, who has experienced a spiritual journey, said with unique wildness and self-confidence: "I have a common body with the piano. We, the piano and I have become beasts, some brand-new horses, and some auspicious and eternal scorpions." Experience music, you should be the continuation of music life. This is the answer she wants.

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Book review 2: the sound of blowing dust

"I haven't tasted the taste of beautiful escape for too long."

I think, everyone has had a lost moment when their hearts are stained with dust. With hidden sadness, we are eager to burst the bubble of time, break away from convention and jump into gorgeous adventures.

The spiritual course of a female pianist is a spiritual note about escape and return.

This is the famous French pianist Elena? Helen Grimau's second autobiography after Variations in Madness. In this short biography, traditional elements such as stationery and diary have disappeared. Elena described her mysterious encounter with several strangers in plain words, and the casual conversation was dotted with exquisite fables, which was plain but philosophical. The meaning of travel is gradually spread out in unfathomable communication, as the author said, "I believe that my journey and experience must contain answers."

Music and wolves have always been the most important symbols of Elena's life.

Elena started practicing piano at the age of 6 just to vent her excess energy, but she showed amazing talent. She studied under Jacqueline? Curtin, Pierre? Babize and many other famous pianists became the youngest students of the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of 13, and won Jacques at the age of 16. The first prize of Rouville Classical Music Competition. /kloc-The first piano recital at the age of 0/8 made her famous in one fell swoop and became famous all over the world. Rachmaninov's Piano Sonata No.2 won the Record Association Award.

In addition to impressive music records, Elena's life track is also branded with the legendary label of "Dancing with Wolves". By chance, she met Alawa, the female wolf, but unexpectedly gained the trust and closeness of the female wolf. "I want wolves to return to their nature and let them return to their nature-freedom." 1999, she and photographer Henry? Phil co-founded the "Wild Wolf Protection Center" to protect wild wolves such as red wolves and Mexican wolves, and popularize education to the public. "I miss the past very much. At that time animals were sacred and could talk. People have not forgotten that they will always be just creatures. If you want to do better, you must try to understand. " This is Elena's simple but sincere awe of the primitive wildness.

A turbulent reputation is accompanied by a stylized rhythm. "My schedule is in the hands of agents, record companies and press commissioners." The maverick Elena can't stand such a life. "The soul cannot always be in tune with the body: sometimes it falls behind and hangs on the skirt of memories; Sometimes I rush ahead, busy planning, busy with terrible ideas about the future, and heavy calculations suffocate it. " In order to breathe, she fled to travel and waited to be opened. "Europe in front of me is like a square drawn on the ground when a child plays the game of building a house. Opportunity threw away his round cake and I jumped into Franz? In the footprint left by Liszt, his foot fell on Schumann's mark. "

The strange professor who hitchhiked, the poor young man in the cafe, Beatrice of assisi Abbey ... they walked into Elena's world one by one, and their wise communication gradually dispelled the fog of the soul.

I like this answer:

"Have you found the key to heaven?"

"We all have it: it comes from the moment when two people meet, in the same generous impulse."

The moment of meeting exudes love in Elena's pen. "I hope to find the innocence of children. This innocence does not know death, but prefers that moment and its integrity-the music of time, that is, silence. " Every encounter is a heavyweight moment. There is a warm release of love energy and a quiet beauty, which makes people feel: "The important thing is that we once met, which created the moment and that precious time."

Instant accumulation, love precipitation, as the book says-"love is a memory that is constantly forgotten; Forgetting is a kind of memory that should be eternal. It leaves a mark-sweet and short-lived memories, which often pass through our hearts and immerse us in the feeling of fullness and joy. "

At the end of the trip, Elena met Hans, a blind musician. "Long before the accident, I realized that I was blind. I am eager to satisfy myself. I can't see anything except work, praise, pursuit of absolute perfection and near narcissism. I always do accelerated exercise. This exercise did not lead me forward, but it took everything, including myself. "

Hans' confession hardened Elena and revealed the essence of art and life: "The truth of music-even the truth of life-is not to simulate happiness, but to heuristically uncover the tragedy of life layer by layer. Joy and happiness are only the result of compromise with life and pain, and they are the discordant notes played by death. "

Everything in the world has cracks, so light can penetrate.

The last dialogue was held in the dark, which opened the way for the female pianist to return. "Only silence is enough to express respect for the profound meaning of the story. Just like the silence after the last few notes of a sonata in music. "

This is a chord of light played by a blind man, which blows away the dust from each of us. Late at night, Vistam on the title page? Hugh? Auden's words flashed again-"If love can't be shared, I hope I am the one who loves me deeply."