Mark Peskanov, Concert Violinist & Director of Bargemusic

WILLIAM: Hi and welcome to the Musician Young Artist Program Series Viewpoint. Today I have the honor and pleasure to talk with Mark Peskinov, whom I've known since my years at the Aspen Festival.

Mark was born in Odessa, Ukraine. And was a star student at the famed Stolyarsky School for Gifted Children. I hope I said that OK. At 15, he immigrated to the US and was immediately accepted to the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School, where, after winning competitions, he was brought to the attention of Stern, Isaac Stern, and Rostropovich. He has performed concertos with virtually every major US orchestra. In Europe as well, the Middle East, Australia, South America, Japan, he's been around.

His major accolades include the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the first Frederick R. Mann Award, as well as Carnegie Hall's first Isaac Stern Award. Since 2005, he is a president and artistic art executive director of Barge Music, which is spoken of as New York City's floating concert hall.

The hall was located or moored, as they say, at the Fulton Ferry landing under the Brooklyn Bridge. As you're speaking right now, I hope it's still moored. Yeah, exactly. As the artistic director, Mark has curated over 3,000 chamber concerts at Barge Music and presents over 200 concerts annually to New York audiences. So not lately, but hopefully will resume very soon. Well, I guess you could say that barge music is really a part of New York City's, hopefully, future culture. Absolutely. Oh, yeah. But we have strong faith in that, yes. So welcome, Mr. Murray.

MARK: Thank you, Bill. I have to just say one thing. I remember you so well at Osgoode. It was such a great pleasure. You were sitting in the orchestra. You were sitting in the first tent. And as I recall, and you sounded so beautiful. You had the most beautiful tone. I always remember you had this beautiful, sweet tone. That's how I remember you. And you always had a beautiful smile. That's how I remember you. Well, listen, that's so sad. And then I remember, you know what else I remember? God, then I remember. Something was broken somewhere like a leg or something. There was some kind of, Oh, and I remember that God, that was just horrible. But you were playing like nothing happened. You were, you were, you were, you were, you were doing your thing, you know, and you always brought the most beautiful, loving energy and. To everybody who played on that stage in the tent, and you know, the tent was a pretty rough place. And we had different conductors, you know, and who, you know. Who were, you know, doing their thing. You know, I mean, I was too young to remember exactly what they were doing other than, you know, some of them were a little bit, you know, once in a while, a little grumpy, you know, a little bit, uh, moody. And, but you were there with your smile and playing and everybody just looked at you, say, Oh, we love you. Everybody loved you. As I recall, I remember very well.

WILLIAM: Thank you. I remember too, when I was in a lesson with Mr. DeLay and she was... Well, she was teaching me, but all of a sudden, I just couldn't take it. I looked at Ms. DeLay, and I said, Ms. DeLay, who is that next door? Because somebody next door was just playing away and really going at it. And Ms. DeLay smiled and said, oh, Billy. That's Mark. He was sick last week. He's just so happy to be playing. Oh, no, I remember. Oh, I remember as well playing in a Beethoven treble that you played in.

With your brother, Alex, and your little Ma. And I remember...

MARK: Oh, that was our first, we took first try at that, I remember. Yes, I remember.

WILLIAM: I remember playing in the viola section.

MARK: Oh, wow. Oh, that's so nice that you did that. You know, that was because I remember we did this just before we played this at Kennedy Center with Rastropoulos conducting. When we did that, uh, it was our debut. Oh, it's so nice. I remember it was, yeah, we got this together and did it. That was, that was fun. We had some, listen, I used to love Aspen so much, but, but I remember I have those great memories and, and, and you're in them. And then I remember your quartet, how you played. That was wonderful time. Well, very special.

WILLIAM: Speaking about Aspen back in those days, you know, coming from where you came from, what was, what was it like? What was the check like?

MARK: I tell you, you know, it was first of all, it was the first time in my life that I was away. I was all by myself. I was away from my parents, you know, because we all immigrated together, you know, my parents and my brother. And so that was the first nine weeks of my life that I was away from them. And. So I remember I came, I came on a bus from Denver, I think we took this bus, you know, right from Denver to Aspen. And Ms. Dele was at that, she was at that bus, on that bus. And as we were, you know, getting off the bus, she fell on me. And there was I on the ground, and she was on top of me, I tell you. And I did not speak English at all, so I couldn't tell her, oh,. Miss DeLay, it's such a pleasure. Or I couldn't tell her, Miss DeLay, get off me. I couldn't do any of it. That was the funniest thing. That was my debut. So that was our encounter. But I met her before, several months before, because I remember I played like an audition for Isaac Stern. Somebody arranged that because. When we just immigrated, when we just got here to New York. I think we played a benefit concert because we were refugees. We came as refugees. We were invited by the United States government. I think it was the time when they were having some negotiation. They were giving wheat to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was giving them some juice. So there were the wheat and juice. So it certainly was a good deal for us. And we were waiting, I remember.

WILLIAM: I'm sorry, what year was that?

MARK: That was 73.

WILLIAM: Cool.

MARK: That was 1973. And so that was, I remember, it was March 6th. I remember very well when we arrived to the Kennedy Airport, you know, and we were, you know, put into the, we got into this Breton Hall Hotel on 86th Street and Broadway. And I remember I had the most wonderful time because I came in and thought, wow, I don't have to probably even... You don't have to turn on the light. All you have to do in America, you have to just think of it. It will just come out. I mean, that's what I thought of getting in America and being in the United States. And so I'm thinking about nothing's happening. And I was kind of not too disappointed, because I had total faith. There will be other great miracles happening. So I kind of found a switch, like in the Soviet Union,. Turn on the switch, and it went on. The lights went on. I said, OK, that's fine. But I'm sure there's going to be other things. So I turned on the light in the little kitchen there, and go there, and I see. I said, oh, look at all of those toys on the floor. It was the cockroaches. I thought, you know, they must be mechanical. So I started picking them up, because I really believe it was the toys. What can I tell you?

WILLIAM: When you first came, how much English did you speak?

MARK: I don't think I spoke any English at all because what happened was we stayed for one month in Rome, awaiting as refugees. There was a lot of refugees that came from Eastern Europe at that time. Some refugees, not a lot, just some refugees were coming at that time. And we were staying in Rome. And then different countries maybe would consider to take some of us to give us a chance to become citizens. They were Australian. They were maybe in Europe, United States and Canada. United States was that's where we want to go because we want to study at the Juilliard. Our teachers in Soviet Union said, listen, when you come there, make sure you go to the Juilliard. You have to study at the Juilliard. So when we were there for about several weeks, there were some kind of a manager from Romania. And they wanted to show, look, we're bringing some gifted people. We wanted the authorities to know in Italy. I think this Italian organization, it was HIAS, it was a Jewish organization, but it wasn't Italy, you know, as well, you know. So those people wanted to show, look, we bring in some talented people. They were like seven violinists at the time, you know. I was the youngest and my brother was the only pianist. And so they put on some kind of a concert and. And so we all played at that concert. And it was the consulate from the United States, the council, and many people, the prime cultural minister from the Ministry of Culture of Italy, and other dignitaries were at that concert. And somehow it was a very, very successful concert. And Italian audience in Rome, I mean, they are amazing, but they really like you. It's amazing. It's not probably anywhere else, like here, like in Mexico, like anywhere else. Anyway, so it was, you know, everybody had a great time. It was very, very special and I think two days later,. We were on the plane going to the United States. After that concert there were another concert, there were some Italian quartet, somebody got sick and they asked us to do in Palazzo Brasco, I remember this name, and we did like a substitute concert for them. We just did a concert. It was just, you know, incredible. Several days it just happened during that month because usually people would stay in Italy maybe for a year, six months before, you know, they decide. Where they might be sent or something. Anyway, then later on we found out that we had a letter that came from Minister of Culture of Italy who wanted very much us to stay in Italy. We did not know that. We were already on the plane, they never showed us that. We were on the plane coming here and and did like a benefit concert at Roosevelt Hotel like five days upon our arrival. It was the 89th anniversary of HIAS and I think we raised like I don't know maybe three million dollars that that was pretty good the concert. So it was it was quite an ordeal it was the most amazing experience was surrealistic. You know, completely. But I just loved it so much, the whole experience. I felt so free coming to the United States. And when I come to Aspen and just being there and seeing all these mountains and for the first time being away, you know, my parents and everything, at first I miss them. And then after a few weeks, you know, I forgot about it. And by the ninth week, you know, actually I was late for my plane. Wow. I miss my plane. So it just shows, you know.

WILLIAM: So listen, you said that you had you played the Beethoven triple for with Rastropovich conducting?

MARK: Yes, sure. That was with Yo-Yo, my brother, and each of us did, I did Wieniawski, F-sharp minor concerto in the first half. Yo-Yo did. Sansan's concerto, my brother did East, uh, E flat Liszt concerto. And then after the intermission, we did Beethoven triple and we did four times in a row. And that was really something.That was our debut. Yeah. It was great hearing.

WILLIAM: What was it like working with Rastropovich?

MARK: Well, you know, it was, uh, kind of, uh, complicated. It was amazing. You know, he was such a, you know,. Such an incredible legend figure, you know. I remember once in Odessa Philharmonic, I heard his concert, all the doors were open because there were so many people. I was outside, you know, standing and there were these men, you know. You know, sitting on some kind of a throne, you know, this big throne that cellist played. His was very, very tall, I thought. And he was playing, you know, and I thought it was just amazing. Everybody had this incredible reaction, you know. And here, you know, of course, he was such a legend of a musician. So, you know, I remember playing for him audition with my brother. We played Prokofiev F minor Sonata. We played all the four movements. And after that, the same day, he called us and said, I want you to play in a few months at Kennedy Center. And then later on, he said what he wanted us to play. And then when we got there, we did a rehearsal. And the first rehearsal at the green room, I played the Weniawski concerto. I was frozen completely with fear, playing for him. They're just for him with the piano. And, uh, I tried to go back a little bit. I couldn't, my feet were too frozen and I just played it. And he was just looking at me, you know, and then he was, you know, he was very nice, very kind, actually. He, he was, he compared me to some very famous violinist. And then, uh, after that we went to play, um, for him, uh, the Beethoven triple. So we come there, you know, we put our music on the music stand, you know, we just did several months, we just learned, you know, we were learning this concerto, we did in Aspen with you, and that was already in September, I think, September or October, I don't remember when we did that. And so Yo-Yo, we were staying all together in, there were only one room at the Watergate, so three of us, you know, we shared that room, it was fun, you know. And uh before that is the uh Johnson I mean the uh what yeah anyway uh so you forgot his music he forgot his music of the Beethoven triple concerto and he just played for him his sounds it was so beautiful it was just gorgeous he played really good. And then he comes there. But he already played this Beethoven triple for five or six years. I remember he played even with Shlomo and Metha. They did, you know, a year before, maybe even. And so he knew it upside down and in some ways played it incredibly. So he said, oh, I forgot the music. And so Slava is looking at everybody and said, well. You think you can just play something from memory, and you say, I will try. Of course, he knew it. I mean, he knew it incredibly by memory. And anyway, so here we are looking at the music, and as we're playing, of course, the music. And he just, you know, and Yoya plays, he sounds fantastic, just fantastic. And Slava gets, you know, really, you know, he listens, he listens, he listens. He's all red, probably excited about the whole thing, you know. And he says, he says, can you play without music? He looks at us and I say, no, you know. And he said, OK, it's decided. You're all playing without music, tomorrow the rehearsal, and then the next day, performance. Oh, God. Oh, God. I tell you, Bill, I've had a lot of good experiences. I mean, still not enough experiences yet. I mean, I performed with you for several years, but not enough experience. Anyway. So I don't know what to do. You know, I am just so, you know, so scared and just so don't know what to do. And so I call, of course, Ms. DeLay. She said, Ms. DeLay, guess what happened? Said what? Sugar Plum, whatever, you know. I said, you know, she wants us to play by memory. And she said, oh, you can do it, Sugar Plum. And I'm thinking, God, I have to come tomorrow morning, the next morning, it's afternoon, I have to come the next morning, play the rehearsal, and then the following day already do the, you know, for the 3,000 people, Kennedy Center, your debut, Ron Wilford was coming to hear it from Columbia, man. I mean, here it is, you know, you really, you live or you die. And I, for the first time, I wanted to have a heart attack. I thought, what if I would have a heart attack? Does it have an excuse? You know, I don't have to really do this. And anyway, so it went on. So Yoya came and remembered, said, oh, guys, I'm so sorry. We said, I'm going to bring the music. I'm going to put the music. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do this. OK, so I'm going to call right now. He dials the number of National Symphony. He said,. Hello you know they say you know i said and they say yes on the other line i guess i said so so that's oh that's gonna how's everything oh hello you know and and so it just went you know it where it started for somebody that never came to that and maybe they didn't have i don't know maybe salah wasn't there whatever happened it never occurred what occurred was that. Finally, after all of those fears, you know, we just went to one of the dance studios at the Kennedy Center. Kennedy Center, me and my brother. For two hours, we just went through it. That's a yo-yo, come here. He came, we played it, no problem. The next day we go there, I mean, you know, the beat, I mean, God, it's, you know, beside, nevermind Vinyavsky, F sharp minor. I'm not talking, and I have to start the concert with that. Hello. Wow! You know, and here on top of it, so second half, you have to go to the Beethoven Triple Concerto, a trio which we just started. I mean, I just started to look at this like several months before. You know, I only knew about this concert. I didn't know about Beethoven Triple Concerto. Anyway, and then finally, so we went there, we did it, and it was an incredible experience, especially Beethoven Triple, because by the time it was the. It was after the intermission. You were relaxed. You went there to play. And it was without music. It was such a free, great experience of freedom, making this music with all these wonderful musicians. My brother played great. Yo-Yo played absolutely fantastic. And it was playing this concerto. It was so inspiring. And of course, Slava being there and bringing his energy, just being there, just bring that energy. And at that time, you know, it was his first year conducting the National Symphony. Let me tell you something. The people were the audience. It was a show. So by the time, you know, by the time he finished. So we played this Beethoven triple. Everybody's standing. Everybody's screaming. That's fine. And, you know, it has nothing to do with me, believe me. It probably has to do, well, I'm sure it has to be the great piece, but what Slava did, you know, we go back to it and then he starts. He kisses the other violinist and then everybody screaming we go then we come back he kisses the other violinist by the time he kissed the whole orchestra even they found the piccolo player who was not playing the Beethoven triple I think but they found it. And that was so 20 minutes of standing ovation and screams i tell you i almost felt like Nureyev oh just being part of it of course i was not feeling like that but being part of that the most wonderful and i don't want to say circus i don't want to say that but it was just an incredible experience you know just just and so that that was one of those you know and for four nights in a row now the thing is because what happened was just before this concert. Because of probably this experience and and feeling all this nervousness and everything i did not sleep for five days one hour because every time i go to sleep i hear i swear i did not sleep i did not sleep for for five days so it was crazy experience crazy experience but. I mean, glorious experience to have experience like that. It's quite amazing.

WILLIAM: So while you're doing all of this and dealing with Slava, did you ever think that you would be running a series of concerts?

MARK: Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never. Did I mention never? So OK, I read that it was Olga Blum. Who started this I think in 70... 77 and I remember I was invited to play some chamber music there and I tell you frankly at that time you know playing chamber music it still was not uh you know when you were playing solo concerts. And you were represented by major management and you had, you know, you were an emerging artist and doing all of those things and getting all of those big dates, you know, whatever that means, you know. I mean, the last thing that the management wanted to do is allow you to play the chamber music somewhere for the lesser fees and all. And if you didn't play at Carnegie Hall, you didn't play at every visitor hall. If you weren't playing in Alistair Lee Hall, if you didn't do that, they want to make sure. The only thing they were OK, I mean, they were happy. I played chamber music with Isaac Stern. I played chamber music in Japan. I played with Daniel Loretta. We went to Japan, inaugurated the Suntory Hall. So that was put together, you know, with ICM management and of course, of course, um, and Jimmy Lee and of course, so we went there and many acts. So that was the whole group for two weeks. We were inaugurating the Suntory Hall, of course, playing for them, for the management and playing, you know, playing the chamber music in that surrounding. That was okay with them because I'm sure they had certain fees and they had certain, you know, it's a certain, um,. Projects, you know, so-called, you know, to put it together. So that was fine. Of course, you know, but somehow, I don't know. I just played, you know. I accepted. They would yell at me, you know, and everything. But I just did. And there were some people who would invite me. Well, Ikhwan Bey used to run this place. And I remember he invited me to play. And I came, you know, and I played over the years several times, not too many times. Several times. And I remember coming once and doing like a recital because it was something I did at the Metropolitan Museum. I did the recital and. And it was like, oh, could you come and play at the bar? And you know how it works in general, how it used to work. OK, if somebody played in some place, chamber music, and this person had a solo career, so the other person said, oh, if this person played there, then I'm going to come and play. It's OK, too. So that's how it was with the summer festivals and everything. You know, the same thing happened to you. So that was what's happening. So anyway, I said, you know what? I'll come and play recitals. So I remember, I played the Recital, and then when I remember Olga Welp. And that Recital was, I don't know when was that Recital, God, was that the 80s sometimes. Anyway, so I came, I did the Recital, and I remember Olga was sitting there, this woman, and she said, welcome to your barge. And I believed it. I mean, she talked like that with everyone, probably, you know. Anyway, and I swear, and all I remember, I didn't remember the view. I mean, it's an incredible view. I don't remember the view, but I remember her with this big smile, this incredible welcoming. And then she was turning the pages and she was throwing all of those compliments at me again. Anyway, so at some point,. She called me in uh 90 I think it was 1994 or something because I played several times I would go in the summer sometimes and play you know I was invited by some some musicians there some friends so once a while I would go out maybe I would play once a year there or you know something uh and and and then I think she decided she want to have she want to have like a committee. But the kind of committee that everybody comes you know everybody would have you know several weeks of soul putting together you know your council your programs and do something like that right and so that that's how that's how it happened you know that that's how it started and uh and then finally you know when uh uh you know she she was very persuasive and like i said that was believe me the last thing on my mind. And then you know but but she certainly was very persuasive she knew how to you know get your hands you know pushed your hands...

WILLIAM: Did she explained to you. How to maintain this barge, how to maintain...

MARK: You know, it happened very, very gradually. At first it was, you know, like it was, it was like committee, it was like seven of us putting together a concert. I didn't know anything about what barge, except I knew all, you know, it's nice if somebody comes to the concert, they like the way playing, they write a nice check, that's a good thing for the barge, you know, you knew that, that much we knew. That's about it. You know, I didn't know that, you know, that it's a, it's a ball that, that, that it's the most, the maintenance of the ball is probably one of the most difficult things to do. And now I understand when people say the first day, when you buy it and the, and when you sell it, are they the happiest days, you know, but one thing we're not going to sell the bar. So, you know, it's, it's, that's awful even, but, but I'm just saying the maintenance of it, the understanding every way that comes,. Every wake that comes, how it affects the connections of everything, the way it's connected, the way it's more than the pier and everything. Oh, I tell you, you have to become a marine. I become practically a marine engineer with all of the stuff that you know you have to, you're responsible for. Not so many, you know, you have organizations, you know, but having your own venue, it's one thing. I understand it's the building, you have to maintain, you know, have a boiler, you have to maintain. But a barge, you know, where is the. It's also more at the the most amazing the fastest current there's a current you know very very quick is the music moves

WILLIAM: I mean what happens?

MARK: Music moves, everything moves but in my case. You see, in my case, every time I feel the movement, I'm thinking, oh, how did that affect now this violin? How did that affect that connection? How is this working? Who is there? Who just came into the door while I'm playing? You have to be aware. You understand that. So that's what happened, not right away, not right away, but in time, you know, because she asked since 2003, really, you know, I mean, officially, you know, I mean, I was, you know, doing things with her, we were partners really at that time, you know, and then around 2005 or something, you know, I was giving the title, you know, and. And by that time, you know, it's like, gosh, you'll get I tell you when I knew kind of that I was kind of a little hooked on that thing, because you see, for the first time, you're not thinking about. Yourself in terms of re-engagement you're not thinking of yourself about it you really think how you're going to promote somebody else you know how you're going to assist somebody else you know uh to to to to uh to promote their career to present them with such program. And that it will be known that if the press wants to know, because press always, they look and see what's going on. They're very aware of those things. And so to make sure that it's something maybe they would be interested in, and it's something that the performer loves to perform, and something that the music loves them as well. I mean, there is so many. There are just so many ways to, I mean, some people can be presented, nobody will even remember how it was, what happened. But if somebody is presented in the right way, the right program, you know, they love playing this and the music loves them and they ready, I mean, it's great for everyone, for the audience, for them, for the critics, for, you know. And yes, please.

WILLIAM: No, no, you were speaking about the repertory. Is there a repertory that you think is good for barge music?

MARK: As far as I'm concerned, for a long time at the barge, it was more of a so-called the canon of chamber music. And the truth is, look, these days I love playing Bach. I just love playing Bach. It inspires me so much and I just know no matter how much I'm going to play, how much I can give of myself to that music. There is so much more to appreciate. But the thing is about the bar music, you know, we had this incredible evolution of the place that, you know, there is nothing of limits as far as I'm concerned was, you know, we did everything we used to do. I used to have jazz programs every Wednesday, you know. I used to have here and now series. I used to have every Wednesday. Every Thursday would be the jazz. Every Wednesday would be here and now series. Just contemporary new pieces and stuff like that. So we had incredible evolution over time. And I always listen to the performers. They have a ton of what they would like to play because, look, it's so important that they love what they play. And then, you know, I can decide and then you get ideas, they bring ideas, you bring ideas. It's a wonderful collective process. But at the same time, I know since I'm the one who is responsible, you know, that I have to make sure, I mean, anybody who comes to play in the bars, you know, I have to okay it, everything they're going to play, I must okay it. And when you had, we used to have sometimes 275 concerts a year. How was that? Sometimes, yeah. I had seasons when I did two, I mean, I did concerts every day at the bar. I had that too. I mean, I experienced all of that over all of these years. Well, that's how you get so many thousands of concerts, you know, you put together and being part of it, you know. I mean, not the time at every concert, physically, you know. It would be impossible, you know. But being part of, you know, to know what's going on, what's going on the stage, what is the, you know, who is coming. And a lot of times you get a wonderful recommendation from wonderful friends and musicians you know and uh yes and and and a lot of times you just hear somebody and you know i've been traveling a lot in my life so i remember a lot of people as well you know so it's like you know what it is like i tell you what i loved about the barge and still do of course it's. You know what we did not have real agenda you know what i mean it doesn't matter how old some musicians were in their 70s some musicians could be 80 some musicians could be as young as 16 you know and um if they if they have something to bring you know something to give if they're good and there's one thing that's why we had so many concepts if they're good. Sooner or later, they will be presented at the bar because I said so, because we did this, because we are doing it so. Right you see that's why you have look if you have only you you have five pianists for instance you know you present i don't know maybe uh 20 concerts a year you know you have five pianists and one one you know two combinations one only got silver medal another one plays very you know i mean has uh uh you know plays very um. I don't know, consistent, you know, very, you know, playing. The other one sometimes gets, you know, nerves you never know, but when they play great, it's incredible. Okay, so if you only can present one pianist, for instance, who are you going to get? It's a horrible thing, you know, but here, you know, you have like 200 concerts. I'm going to present all 10 of them. I present all 20. I can, you see, which is so wonderful. The same thing with wireless. I mean really and at the same time also it's not like oh I present them only once uh once a year and oh maybe people won't come to their concert again I try to think less about it so I present them they can do a recital they can play in chamber music set you know trios or maybe a quartet you know and things like that so it gives them also great opportunity and after a while those people you know become. You know, they come a little bit more often performing at the barge, their names start to get known. There were many people, many, many people, I'm proud and grateful to be part of them being on the barge and then becoming, you know, the household name. Many, many great, great concert halls. Many, many, many.

WILLIAM: Like they become a part of your family.

MARK: Well, I mean, the truth is they're part of the barge family because it's much bigger than my family. It's a barge music family. I mean, gosh, I remember, you know, people like, I mean, anyone, I mean, you pretty much name it. I mean, people from Europe, you know, people from the States, people from anywhere, you know, from anywhere. And playing some very interesting repertoire, playing differently, which is also nice, because everyone is unique. And if they allow themselves to be who they are, it's going to be incredible, because it's unique. I mean, the place is so much. More beautiful with that person, that particular, any musicians who is going to play beautifully, you know, then without them, you know, it's much poorer. So, I mean, that's what it is.

WILLIAM: So with all of this passion that you obviously show and obviously have for everything, is there any advice that you would feel would be important for someone young who is starting out? Is there anything that you could say to them? And we like, on this show, I like to ask that kind of a question. What would you say to someone? I mean, your history, everything that you've done, your journey is just wow. But it's like, it doesn't seem like it was that planned plan. It was just that love that you showed, that enthusiasm that you showed, the passion that you showed, and then things happened.

MARK: Well, I think you know what it is. Oh, God. You know, I think it's important maybe sometimes to think, to feel what is what is music for? You know, what is the question? Like, why am I doing this? You know, why playing music? Because, you know, you know very, very well and I know. It's not three hours that you practice physically, or four, or five, or seven, no. You're there 24 hours. You hear things. You get ideas by looking at the river, or the ocean, or at the rain, or talking to someone. I mean, we're talking right now, and we just might get an idea, a musical idea. So I think the big question, because I think it takes such a tremendous dedication, but dedication only comes because you have such great love for it. And if you have that, how can you go wrong? And also, it's a very interesting question, what the music is for. I think each of us would like to. Answer what what is music do we think that to us and that's to others and i think that can get us through a lot of different adversity times you know in the difficult times and. All kind of things, because nothing is totally smooth. It's not that easy. You go through different times. Sometimes people always say, either you have too many concerts or you don't have enough concerts. It's never perfect. And I love when people complain, oh, I have so many concerts. And people look, oh, really? I would like to have your trouble. You have some left over, yeah. So I think for the young people, for the young people, if they have that passion and if they have this inquiring mind again, you know. And they want to know. They want to know how do you make music? Are there any rules to make music? How do you put together the phrases? I mean, how do you work on the structure? I mean, how do you work harmonically and melodically? What do you know about this composer? Does it remind you? Gosh, I mean, I just heard, you know, I just played this one place in Mozart. Uh violin concerto number five okay and i thought for the first time you know what i've heard that beto will use it exactly his piano concerto number three. Also his Beethoven triple concerto. The same thing. I mean, really? I mean, it's amazing. So after all these years, now I'm just hearing that for the first time. And I thought, you know what? It's interesting to hear this Beethoven years because I was in... I think, you know, why not? Have a little bit more bathomonesque. I would try it. Something like that, yeah? You can have that moment in Mozart concerto now. Why not? And then glorious. But this incredible, the C sharp minor episode, it can be. You know, it can be perceived that way, the way Beethoven kind of perceived, isn't it? What do you think?

WILLIAM: Well, I think you've just shown me that enthusiasm that I hope students can find in themselves or learn how to deal with. You've just showed me that passion.

MARK: Yesterday, it happened yesterday. It happened yesterday. I was on the phone with a friend, and I was playing, and I thought, whoa, what is that? Yeah, but you see, I'm a student. I am a student. I mean, with all my experience, I played probably different 57 or so concertos, you know, with orchestras, or maybe more of it. Did a lot of premieres and things, did some concerto premieres, and today was very funny because, I mean, I'm sending there is this. Rachel Barton. She has this foundation. I think they're going into the music, you know. I mean, she has this foundation and they wanted me to send them to their debut recording I did of Adolphus Hailstork, Violin Concerto, which he wrote for me. And uh yes it's a fantastic piece really fantastic piece also i cannot wait because i want to find something uh the i want to find uh the first one which sounds fantastic is with the piano too it's a really great piece great great piece i'm surprised that can be performed i did it i did it in 2004 uh and and and it just came today it was very funny so i mean look it's um. I'm just thinking there is just so much fantastic music, you know, and I'm total student when it comes down to this. Look, I play Bach right now. I played Bach's first sonata for, you know, how many years of my life. And all the time there is just one note, maybe, to appreciate more and you hear it and you feel it and the whole thing changes. Everything changes. Everything, before and after. It's quite amazing. I mean, gosh, it's quite amazing. So in terms of this passion, this interest, this necessity, the music, I was thinking essential. I was thinking people talk about essential workers. Music is essential. I think musicians are essential.

WILLIAM: Well, I think, Mark, that what is really true is that musicians like you are essential.

MARK: First of all, I will only take if I can take you with me. I would love to give you a big hug right now. Let me tell you, when you were sitting on that stage, and I remember we were all wearing this. Uh white jackets you know and and all this stuff you were so always so elegant you look great you played great you know you were always inspiring everybody without saying too much you know you were you were just exactly you were just laughing you were laughing you were saying something very lovely very loving sweet and everybody. Did you feel like that from from when we were there did you feel from us this energy?

WILLIAM: Absolutely, no absolutely I really did have a wonderful wonderful time it was just no it wasn't me, listen, listen mark thank you thank you for sharing all.

MARK: Thank you, I mean uh. I mean, I never, I don't know what they're going to talk about, but like whatever, you know, whatever you like to talk about.

WILLIAM: Oh no, this is so great for everyone. So thank you very, very much for being a part.

MARK: Thank you, Bill. Wonderful to see you and talking to you.

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