레이블이 caught인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시
레이블이 caught인 게시물을 표시합니다. 모든 게시물 표시

2014년 12월 6일 토요일

CAUGHT


CAUGHT by Marie Gottschalk | Kirkus HomeMagazineNewsletterEmail Newsletter Your AccountReviews / AssignmentsAuthor DashboardEditorial DashboardIndie Author DashboardYour Pro Page Pro InboxYour Book ListManage SubscriptionsChange PasswordLog outLog inSearch termSearch scopeAllReviewsInterviewsAuthorsListsPublishersPro Connectcover imageLATEST ISSUE OFKirkus ReviewsFeaturing the best 100 nonfiction and best 50 teen books of 2014.Book Reviews Just Awarded the KIRKUS STAR Kirkus StarFORTUNE HUNTERS by Riley MastersCATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's and TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureFood & CookingGraphic Novels & Comic BooksHealth & MedicineHistoryIndieiPad Book AppsMystery & CrimeNature & TravelPsychologyReligionRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySocial SciencesThrillersTrue CrimeBEST BOOKSKirkus Stars & RecommendationsBEST OF 2014FictionNonfictionChildren'sTeenIndieBook AppsFEATURED REVIEWSHot ListsVintage ReviewsBest of 2014FICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsCHILDREN'SBy CategoryFull ListFeatured Authors & IllustratorsNONFICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsTEENBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsINDIEBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsBOOK APPSFull ListBestsellersAuthors Featured Author EDWARD CAREY CATEGORIESChildren's Authors & IllustratorsFiction Authors Nonfiction Authors Young Adult Authors Bestselling Author Success StoriesTOP AUTHORSLatest InterviewsBestselling AuthorsKirkus Reviews Cover StoriesAre you an author?Get Your Book ReviewedGet Your Book EditedPromote Your ReviewKirkus TV Coming Soon Beth Macyauthor of FACTORY MANDecember 9, 2014AUTHOR INTERVIEWSShow ScheduleRecent InterviewsBROWSE VIDEOSAllFictionNonfictionLatest InterviewAndrew Smithauthor of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLEBlogs Latest From ANDREW LIPTAK CATEGORIESChildren'sMysteries/ThrillersRomanceSci-Fi/FantasyYoung AdultBLOGSSF SignalForever Young AdultThe Book SmugglersSeven Impossible Things Before BreakfastBookshelves of DoomThe Rap SheetBobbi Dumas: Read-A-RomanceATFMBAndrew Liptak Contests The Kirkus Prize Recently Nominated Kirkus StarTHE LAST COMMISSION by Eytan HalabanGENERAL INFORMATIONRules & Selection Process2014 Judges2014 Awards CeremonyFAQPress Room2014 WINNERS & FINALISTSFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' Literature2015 NOMINEESFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' LiteratureABOUT THE KIRKUS PRIZEThe Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.Pro Connect This Week's AUTHOR TO WATCH ALBERT FLYNN DESILVER
Biography & Memoir
Essays & Anthologies AUTHOR CATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's & TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureHealth & MedicineHistorical FictionHistoryMystery & CrimeNature & TravelReligion & InspirationRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySelf-HelpThrillersTrue CrimeCRITICS' CHOICEAuthors to WatchBooks to DiscoverINDUSTRY INSIGHTWord on the StreetTOOLSSubscribe to Email AlertsReport a DealGet a Pro Connect PageContact UsServicesServices for AuthorsWhat Authors SayDarcie Chan

"Kirkus' review of The Mill River Recluse played an important role in encouraging readers to take a chance on a first novel by an unknown author."

? Darcie Chan, independent author of The Mill River Recluse, which sold more than 500,000 copies

GET YOUR BOOK REVIEWEDHow to Get Your Book ReviewedAbout Kirkus ReviewsFAQContact UsOrder FormHIRE A BOOK EDITORHow to Get Your Book EditedAbout Our EditorsServicesContact UsOrder FormPROMOTE YOUR REVIEWHow to Promote Your ReviewAbout Pro ConnectAbout Kirkus Campaigns MoreAuthorsBlogsKirkus TVContests & GiveawaysThe Kirkus PrizePro ConnectServices for AuthorsMagazineEmail Newsletter (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); CAUGHT by Marie GottschalkCAUGHTThe Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics by Marie GottschalkBUY NOW FROM AMAZON
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KIRKUS REVIEW

Of “punitive sentimentsand punitive policies”?a searching study of the explosion of American prisons,seemingly one of the nation’s only growth industry.

The notion of the“carceral state” has been current for half a century, thanks in good part toMichel Foucault, but only recently have the statistics caught up to the theory.Gottschalk (Political Science/Univ. of Pennsylvania;?The Prison and theGallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America, 2006, etc.)describes a kind of American gulag that has “sprouted in the shadows of massimprisonment and has been extending its reach far beyond the prison gate.” Onone hand are three-strikes laws and politicians enriching themselves at thetrough of private prisons; on the other hand are powerful corrections-workersunions that resist reforms. All demand to be fed, and they are fed withprisoners in a rigged system that no one wants to fix. Gottschalk’s denselydocumented study?nearly a third of the book is notes and sources?is academicbut accessible, and it has an urgency to it. As she observes, much reformistpolitical energy has gone into the three Rs of “recidivism, reentry, andjustice reinvestment” and entirely too little into investigating the socialcauses of crime, among them a vast racial imbalance brought on by such thingsas “the push to build up human capital rather than address the disappearance ofgood jobs.” Meanwhile, the carceral state grows at immense cost, both socialand financial, unchecked legislatively or even at the level of the SupremeCourt, which, Gottschalk argues, seems interested only in capital-level crimeswhile failing to make any contributions to determining “proportionality” in thepunishment of crime. Even as the carceral state grows, Gottschalk concludes,crime persists?less so in affluent communities, but ragingly in minority areas,

A needed cry for justice,though perhaps unlikely to be heeded in this noisy second Gilded Age.

Pub Date:?Dec. 7th, 2014ISBN:?978-0691164052Page count:?456ppPublisher:?Princeton Univ. Review Posted Online: Oct.?22nd,?2014Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov.?1st,?2014



More Current Affairs?>More Social Sciences?>SIMILAR BOOKS SUGGESTED BY OUR CRITICS:NonfictionTHE REHNQUIST COURT by Herman SchwartzTHE REHNQUIST COURT by Herman Schwartz NonfictionJUST MERCY by Bryan StevensonKirkus StarJUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson NonfictionTHE DEATH PENALTY ON TRIAL by Bill KurtisTHE DEATH PENALTY ON TRIAL by Bill Kurtis FOLLOW US ? KIRKUS CHANNELSWebsitePrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsWeekly Email NewsletterSubscribe to Email NewsletterSubscribe to Pro ConnectManage Your AccountMagazineSubscribe to MagazineManage Your SubscriptionPrint IndexFAQCustomer ServiceSyndication & LicensingAUTHOR SERVICESBook EditingBook ReviewsAbout Pro ConnectMarketing CampaignsKIRKUS MEDIA LLCOur HistoryOur TeamPress CenterCareer OpportunitiesExcerpting PolicyContact Us Newsletter sign-up

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2014년 11월 29일 토요일

Korea 'Caught in Tug-of-War Between U.S., China'


U.S. officials are worried that Korea and China are getting too close, but the high-wire diplomacy required of Seoul also offers opportunities, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

An article on the front page headlined "South Korea Looks to Propser in China While Staying Close to U.S.," it says Seoul is now "into a diplomatic balancing act" between the U.S. and China.

The daily cited diplomatic conflict over the U.S. missile defense program as a prominent example. "The U.S. is portraying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery as a deterrent against North Korea, a nuclear-armed rogue state. South Korea, though, hasn't publicly supported the deployment, aware that Beijing, Pyongyang's patron, opposes it."

A free trade agreement Seoul and Beijing signed recently is "a cornerstone of the new friendship." But South Korea "isn't formally part of the talks the U.S. is pushing" for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, "in part because they exclude China."

"Sometimes it's very difficult for the Korean government to choose a policy," the daily quoted Deputy Finance Minister Jeong Eun-bo as saying.

The improvement in bilateral relations is reflected in South Korea's increasing investment in China, export volumes and number of students studying there.

"South Korean businesses poured $3.2 billion into China-based factories through end-September, up a third on the previous year... Last year, China accounted for a quarter of South Korea's $560 billion in total exports," the daily wrote. "Today, there are almost as many South Korean students enrolled at colleges in China as in the U.S."

In contrast, "the U.S. share stood at 11 percent, down from around 40 percent in the 1980s," it added.

"The Korean slant toward China is viewed by some as reducing the influence of America here," the daily quoted Jeffrey Jones, an American lawyer at Kim & Chang, a Seoul-based law firm, as saying.

But South Korea is also irritating China in the security sector. "China is our single most important economic partner. But we can’t weaken U.S. security ties," it quoted an official as saying.

When China announced an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, South Korea stood up to it by expanding its own air defense zone. And South Korea agreed to sell the Philippines, which is in a territorial dispute with China, FA-50 fighter jets.

But South Korea could turn this tug-of-war between the bigger powers to its own advantage, the daily added.


View the original article here

2014년 11월 27일 목요일

Korea 'Caught in Tug-of-War Between U.S., China'


U.S. officials are worried that Korea and China are getting too close, but the high-wire diplomacy required of Seoul also offers opportunities, the Wall Street Journal said Wednesday.

An article on the front page headlined "South Korea Looks to Propser in China While Staying Close to U.S.," it says Seoul is now "into a diplomatic balancing act" between the U.S. and China.

The daily cited diplomatic conflict over the U.S. missile defense program as a prominent example. "The U.S. is portraying the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery as a deterrent against North Korea, a nuclear-armed rogue state. South Korea, though, hasn't publicly supported the deployment, aware that Beijing, Pyongyang's patron, opposes it."

A free trade agreement Seoul and Beijing signed recently is "a cornerstone of the new friendship." But South Korea "isn't formally part of the talks the U.S. is pushing" for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, "in part because they exclude China."

"Sometimes it's very difficult for the Korean government to choose a policy," the daily quoted Deputy Finance Minister Jeong Eun-bo as saying.

The improvement in bilateral relations is reflected in South Korea’s increasing investment in China, export volumes and number of students studying there.

"South Korean businesses poured $3.2 billion into China-based factories through end-September, up a third on the previous year... Last year, China accounted for a quarter of South Korea's $560 billion in total exports," the daily wrote. "Today, there are almost as many South Korean students enrolled at colleges in China as in the U.S."

In contrast, "the U.S. share stood at 11 percent, down from around 40 percent in the 1980s," it added.

"The Korean slant toward China is viewed by some as reducing the influence of America here," the daily quoted Jeffrey Jones, an American lawyer at Kim & Chang, a Seoul-based law firm, as saying.

But South Korea is also irritating China in the security sector. "China is our single most important economic partner. But we can’t weaken U.S. security ties," it quoted an official as saying.

When China announced an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, South Korea stood up to it by expanding its own air defense zone. And South Korea agreed to sell the Philippines, which is in a territorial dispute with China, FA-50 fighter jets.

But South Korea could turn this tug-of-war between the bigger powers to its own advantage, the daily added.


View the original article here

2014년 11월 25일 화요일

CAUGHT UP


CAUGHT UP by Amir Abrams | Kirkus HomeMagazineNewsletterEmail Newsletter Your AccountReviews / AssignmentsAuthor DashboardEditorial DashboardIndie Author DashboardYour Pro Page Pro InboxYour Book ListManage SubscriptionsChange PasswordLog outLog inSearch termSearch scopeAllReviewsInterviewsAuthorsListsPublishersPro Connectcover imageLATEST ISSUE OFKirkus ReviewsFeaturing the best 100 fiction and best 110 children's books of 2014.Book Reviews Just Awarded the KIRKUS STAR Kirkus StarMY FLUORESCENT GOD by Joe GuppyCATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's and TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureFood & CookingGraphic Novels & Comic BooksHealth & MedicineHistoryIndieiPad Book AppsMystery & CrimeNature & TravelPsychologyReligionRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySocial SciencesThrillersTrue CrimeBEST BOOKSKirkus Stars & RecommendationsBEST OF 2014FictionNonfictionChildren'sTeenIndieBook AppsFEATURED REVIEWSHot ListsVintage ReviewsBest of 2014FICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsCHILDREN'SBy CategoryFull ListFeatured Authors & IllustratorsNONFICTIONBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsTEENBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsINDIEBy CategoryFull ListFeatured AuthorsBOOK APPSFull ListBestsellersAuthors Featured Author JEFF VANDERMEER CATEGORIESChildren's Authors & IllustratorsFiction Authors Nonfiction Authors Young Adult Authors Bestselling Author Success StoriesTOP AUTHORSLatest InterviewsBestselling AuthorsKirkus Reviews Cover StoriesAre you an author?Get Your Book ReviewedGet Your Book EditedPromote Your ReviewKirkus TV Coming Soon Andrew Smithauthor of GRASSHOPPER JUNGLEDecember 2, 2014AUTHOR INTERVIEWSShow ScheduleRecent InterviewsBROWSE VIDEOSAllFictionNonfictionLatest InterviewDean Hale and Shannon Haleauthors of THE PRINCESS IN BLACKBlogs Latest From THE BOOK SMUGGLERS CATEGORIESChildren'sMysteries/ThrillersRomanceSci-Fi/FantasyYoung AdultBLOGSSF SignalForever Young AdultThe Book SmugglersSeven Impossible Things Before BreakfastBookshelves of DoomThe Rap SheetBobbi Dumas: Read-A-RomanceATFMBAndrew Liptak Contests The Kirkus Prize Recently Nominated Kirkus StarTHE LAST COMMISSION by Eytan HalabanGENERAL INFORMATIONRules & Selection Process2014 Judges2014 Awards CeremonyFAQPress Room2014 WINNERS & FINALISTSFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' Literature2015 NOMINEESFictionNonfictionYoung Readers' LiteratureABOUT THE KIRKUS PRIZEThe Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.Pro Connect This Week's AUTHOR TO WATCH DOUGLAS RICHARDSON
Fiction & Literature AUTHOR CATEGORIESBiography & MemoirBusiness & EconomicsChildren's & TeenCurrent AffairsEntertainment & SportsEssays & AnthologiesFiction & LiteratureHealth & MedicineHistorical FictionHistoryMystery & CrimeNature & TravelReligion & InspirationRomanceScience & TechnologyScience Fiction & FantasySelf-HelpThrillersTrue CrimeCRITICS' CHOICEAuthors to WatchBooks to DiscoverINDUSTRY INSIGHTWord on the StreetTOOLSSubscribe to Email AlertsReport a DealGet a Pro Connect PageContact UsServicesServices for AuthorsWhat Authors SayDarcie Chan

"Kirkus' review of The Mill River Recluse played an important role in encouraging readers to take a chance on a first novel by an unknown author."

? Darcie Chan, independent author of The Mill River Recluse, which sold more than 500,000 copies

GET YOUR BOOK REVIEWEDHow to Get Your Book ReviewedAbout Kirkus ReviewsFAQContact UsOrder FormHIRE A BOOK EDITORHow to Get Your Book EditedAbout Our EditorsServicesContact UsOrder FormPROMOTE YOUR REVIEWHow to Promote Your ReviewAbout Pro ConnectAbout Kirkus Campaigns MoreAuthorsBlogsKirkus TVContests & GiveawaysThe Kirkus PrizePro ConnectServices for AuthorsMagazineEmail Newsletter (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); CAUGHT UP by Amir AbramsCAUGHT UP by Amir AbramsAge Range: 14 - 18 BUY NOW FROM AMAZON
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KIRKUS REVIEW

Kennedy, an African-American teengirl from a suburban gated community, lets her fascination with all things ’hooddrive her into dangerous territory.

Her prim best friends, Jordan andHope, have nothing but contempt for “low-budget hood roaches” and “stupid,annoying Ebonics.” Kennedy, however, seeks a boy who’s swaggerlicious andhas even gotten a job at the local mall’s food court in hopes of meeting boysmore her style. When Sasha, Kennedy’s co-worker, starts inviting her to partiesand introducing her to boys from the ’hood, Kennedy quickly finds herselfdrinking, smoking weed, sneaking out of her house and becoming attached to anolder boy named Malik. A lifestyle that initially seems adventurous andexciting soon leads to frightening fights, controlling behavior on Malik’s partand a scare-’em-straight climax with serious consequences. Readers see some ofKennedy’s thoughts and feelings?her frustration with her mom's and friends’disapproval, her wonder at receiving Malik’s attention?but others remainopaque. It is never clear where Kennedy thinks Malik gets his money or evenwhat interests her in ’hood life in the first place. Some dialogue and slangphrases feel repetitive: Sasha repeats “Miss me wit’ dat” far too often.

Sometimes rough around the edges but an engaging cautionary tale nevertheless. (Fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date:?Nov. 25th, 2014ISBN:?978-0-7582-9478-4Page count:?336ppPublisher:?Dafina/KensingtonReview Posted Online: Sept.?14th,?2014Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct.?1st,?2014



MORE BY AMIR ABRAMSChildrenTHE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS by Amir AbramsTHE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS by Amir Abrams ChildrenGET READY FOR WAR by Ni-Ni SimoneGET READY FOR WAR by Ni-Ni Simone ChildrenCRAZY LOVE by Amir AbramsCRAZY LOVE by Amir Abrams ChildrenHOLLYWOOD HIGH by Ni-Ni SimoneHOLLYWOOD HIGH by Ni-Ni Simone SIMILAR BOOKS SUGGESTED BY OUR CRITICS:ChildrenTHE BREAK-UP DIARIES by Ni-Ni SimoneTHE BREAK-UP DIARIES by Ni-Ni Simone ChildrenBAD BOY by Dream JordanBAD BOY by Dream Jordan ChildrenLUCY IN THE SKY by AnonymousLUCY IN THE SKY by Anonymous FOLLOW US ? KIRKUS CHANNELSWebsitePrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsWeekly Email NewsletterSubscribe to Email NewsletterSubscribe to Pro ConnectManage Your AccountMagazineSubscribe to MagazineManage Your SubscriptionPrint IndexFAQCustomer ServiceSyndication & LicensingAUTHOR SERVICESBook EditingBook ReviewsAbout Pro ConnectMarketing CampaignsKIRKUS MEDIA LLCOur HistoryOur TeamPress CenterCareer OpportunitiesExcerpting PolicyContact Us Newsletter sign-up

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2013년 6월 29일 토요일

Prize-winning pianist caught between anger and ecstasy


By Barbara Lewis

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Competitions are for horses, not for artists was the verdict of the great Hungarian composer and pianist Bela Bartok.

And there is a part of Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg, declared winner on June 1 of one of the world's most prestigious and grueling music contests, that agrees.

He won Belgium's Queen Elisabeth Competition in spite of a memory lapse that froze him as he performed Mozart in the semi-finals. His mother and grandmother, both pianists, left the room where they were listening, convinced it was all over, as was Giltburg.

"What I most wanted to do was crawl away, but I knew I couldn't. It's a feeling of utter hopelessness," he told Reuters, relaxing at last over chocolate dessert in a Brussels brasserie.

After the performance, he forced himself to play back the recording and discovered, contrary to his expectations, he had not actually stopped.

His right hand had continued to play "something", he said. But the revelation, was that, after the blackout, he recovered, his playing improved, his muscles relaxed and Mozart flowed.

Still, he was incredulous that he was selected for the finals - and the next ordeal in the form of a week of confinement in Waterloo, near Brussels.

In the "Chapelle musicale" (literally musical chapel), built for the purpose, the 12 finalists, denied all access to the outside world, had to learn a fiendishly difficult new work by French composer Michel Petrossian, as well as rehearsing their chosen performance pieces - in Giltburg's case a Beethoven sonata and a Rachmaninov concerto.

To add to the hot-house atmosphere, in which everyone was acutely aware of everyone else's talent, Petrossian's piece was 16 minutes long, compared with the average of about 10 minutes for the surprise work handed to the contestants at this stage.

That meant 50 percent more highly complex music to learn.

'A BIT ANGRY'

Torn between anger and despair, Giltburg, who has just turned 29, said it was one of the toughest weeks of his life so far and the anger has not subsided.

"I'm a bit angry at the world for not having come up with another way of discovering talent other than competitions," he said.

He vows he would never be on a jury, making the kind of decision that determines someone's future, but at the same time he brims with gratitude for the judges who selected him - themselves performers aware that even superb pianists can forget a few notes.

Set up by Belgium's Queen Elisabeth, the Brussels-based contest is one of a handful of truly great springboards for a musician's career. On the strength of it, Giltburg has more than 80 concerts worldwide before the end of the year.

They include performances in Russia, where he was born, and Israel, where he has lived since his family emigrated there in 1990.

While the family was on the move, Giltburg briefly tried to learn the violin, but there was no affinity and he persuaded his reluctant mother, who thought there were enough pianists in the family, that she had to teach him. "She's still my harshest critic," he said.

He also studied with Israel's Arie Vardi and attended the Buchmann-Mehta Academy of Music, part of Tel Aviv University.

For the future, he said there will be no more competitions, only concert performances, which he loves.

"It's my main driver forward. There comes a point where you can't advance any more without performing before an audience. It's the real thing, which is un-simulate-able," he said.

In concerts, technical perfection takes second place to creating an atmosphere and communicating and Giltburg has a mission to reach beyond the typical classical audience.

He has a Facebook page and a blog to try to explain to the non-initiated classical music's power. "Music, as a creation of humanity, there's little I would place above it," he said. "I want to bring the same kind of feeling to everybody."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)


View the original article here

2013년 6월 27일 목요일

Prize-winning pianist caught between anger and ecstasy


By Barbara Lewis

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Competitions are for horses, not for artists was the verdict of the great Hungarian composer and pianist Bela Bartok.

And there is a part of Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg, declared winner on June 1 of one of the world's most prestigious and grueling music contests, that agrees.

He won Belgium's Queen Elisabeth Competition in spite of a memory lapse that froze him as he performed Mozart in the semi-finals. His mother and grandmother, both pianists, left the room where they were listening, convinced it was all over, as was Giltburg.

"What I most wanted to do was crawl away, but I knew I couldn't. It's a feeling of utter hopelessness," he told Reuters, relaxing at last over chocolate dessert in a Brussels brasserie.

After the performance, he forced himself to play back the recording and discovered, contrary to his expectations, he had not actually stopped.

His right hand had continued to play "something", he said. But the revelation, was that, after the blackout, he recovered, his playing improved, his muscles relaxed and Mozart flowed.

Still, he was incredulous that he was selected for the finals - and the next ordeal in the form of a week of confinement in Waterloo, near Brussels.

In the "Chapelle musicale" (literally musical chapel), built for the purpose, the 12 finalists, denied all access to the outside world, had to learn a fiendishly difficult new work by French composer Michel Petrossian, as well as rehearsing their chosen performance pieces - in Giltburg's case a Beethoven sonata and a Rachmaninov concerto.

To add to the hot-house atmosphere, in which everyone was acutely aware of everyone else's talent, Petrossian's piece was 16 minutes long, compared with the average of about 10 minutes for the surprise work handed to the contestants at this stage.

That meant 50 percent more highly complex music to learn.

'A BIT ANGRY'

Torn between anger and despair, Giltburg, who has just turned 29, said it was one of the toughest weeks of his life so far and the anger has not subsided.

"I'm a bit angry at the world for not having come up with another way of discovering talent other than competitions," he said.

He vows he would never be on a jury, making the kind of decision that determines someone's future, but at the same time he brims with gratitude for the judges who selected him - themselves performers aware that even superb pianists can forget a few notes.

Set up by Belgium's Queen Elisabeth, the Brussels-based contest is one of a handful of truly great springboards for a musician's career. On the strength of it, Giltburg has more than 80 concerts worldwide before the end of the year.

They include performances in Russia, where he was born, and Israel, where he has lived since his family emigrated there in 1990.

While the family was on the move, Giltburg briefly tried to learn the violin, but there was no affinity and he persuaded his reluctant mother, who thought there were enough pianists in the family, that she had to teach him. "She's still my harshest critic," he said.

He also studied with Israel's Arie Vardi and attended the Buchmann-Mehta Academy of Music, part of Tel Aviv University.

For the future, he said there will be no more competitions, only concert performances, which he loves.

"It's my main driver forward. There comes a point where you can't advance any more without performing before an audience. It's the real thing, which is un-simulate-able," he said.

In concerts, technical perfection takes second place to creating an atmosphere and communicating and Giltburg has a mission to reach beyond the typical classical audience.

He has a Facebook page and a blog to try to explain to the non-initiated classical music's power. "Music, as a creation of humanity, there's little I would place above it," he said. "I want to bring the same kind of feeling to everybody."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)


View the original article here