German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott is well positioned to become one of the next international superstars, and the petite 23-year-old has plenty to say about it.
Ott’s dynamic and expressive playing has earned her several opportunities that have helped launch a promising career: studying at the distinguished Mozarteum Salzburg, an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and the chance to be the last-minute replacement for heavy-hitters Lang Lang, Murray Perahia and Yundi. This final opportunity is what brought her Canadian debut to Ottawa this year.
She’s given careful thought to the career ahead of her and what classical music audiences will be like in the future:
Already she’s doing things differently. Ott has discovered a joy of playing to intimate audiences at nightclubs and her love of fashion landed her in the German edition of Vogue magazine.
But there’s one thing she isn’t doing differently. Like many great pianists before her, Ott plays the piano for one simple reason: she has something to say that takes more than just words:
Hear Alice Sara Ott in performance in this artfully shot Adagio from Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3:
What do you think about Ott’s view of the future of classical music? Does the public have the wrong perception? Are concert hall “rules” to blame? Have your say in the comments below.
Related links:
Alice Sara Ott Official Home Page
CBC Radio 2 Tempo
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posted by
Michael Morreale
on Apr 30, 2012