Articles by Rosemary Phillips

freelance writer

Ian Parker - Pianist

Ian Parker is an amazing pianist and a terrific interview. He just bubbles over with enthusiasm about his life and his art. Here are two interview articles - the first one posted here is from 2007 as he prepared for a performance of one of his favourite works, Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. The second article, written in 2005, captures Ian's other passion - food.

Synchronicity – New York, New York
- The Power and Passion of Music

Ian Parker at home with a piano

It was an intense day in New York and Canadian pianist Ian Parker was down in the lower East Side of the city. “I came down on the subway this morning,” Parker said as he answered the phone. “Everyone looked gloomy and intense, twiddling their thumbs, looking at their shoes. Folks are down at the site and reading the names. Every year it's always been a funny day. Today there are pounding thunderstorms. I'm glad I got to the studio before it started to really pour.”

Synchronicity was at work; when the interview was booked for September 11, there had been no thought of 9-11, of it being the sixth anniversary of the collapse of the World Trade Center.

While sounds of the raging storm and pounding rain echoed through the building, Parker, who spends most of his time in New York and visits his hometown of Vancouver periodically, said, “My apartment (by the Lincoln Center and purchased years ago when it was affordable) is being painted, and I'm having the floors done, so the piano is on its side. I'm using a music studio in the Village to practice. I love it when I come and stay here; I cave in and rehearse, and walk in the park and get the vibe of New York. It's thrilling and inspiring.”

Ian Parker - pianist

The subject turned to the music he would be playing with the Vancouver Island Symphony at The Port Theatre with Pierre Simard as conductor; Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin.

More synchronicity; Rhapsody in Blue is considered a musical portrait of New York City. “It's soulful, it's Gershwin in New York during the Depression. In the beginning is the clarinet trill – and I listen to how each clarinet plays that differently. Then the piano comes in – but how do I come in differently each time, with such an orchestral introduction? In the middle of the piece there's the hustle and bustle of the city. I always thought of it as a jazzy fun piece because there is a strong jazz element but there is also a very deeply felt beauty that is not fun and games. Gershwin drew upon how people had to get around in the Depression – and even though there was Depression, people had an ability to appreciate music.”

Ian Parker - pianist

And there's more synchronicity: the opening piece of music for the VI Symphony's 2007-08 season, is Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, the very music used for 9-11 commemorative events. Composed in 1936 and first played on November 5, 1938 in New York with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, Adagio for Strings has been used in films like Platoon, The Elephant Man and Lorenzo's Oil. While it has been one of the highest selling classical pieces on iTunes, it is considered by many as the 'saddest classical' work ever. On September 15, 2001 it was used by BBC's 'Last Night of the Proms', to honour those who had lost their lives a few days earlier. (On youtube.com you can see the performance along with visuals from ABC's 'Report from ground zero'.)

Both Rhapsody in Blue and Adagio for Strings are highly emotionally charged, and both have incredible builds and climaxes. “Rhapsody in Blue is so passionate,” added Parker. “Every emotion is in it. As I get older I sometimes feel differently about different passages. It is thrilling and exciting with moments of beauty within the sadness. It takes piano playing to a different level of richness.”

Rhapsody in Blue remains one of Parker's most memorable pieces of music. “It was the first piece I ever played with an orchestra, the Vancouver Youth Symphony, and we did a recording of it at the Gateway Theatre in Richmond. I was sixteen. I've made some of my closest friends from the Youth Symphony because of that concert. I have played Rhapsody in Blue as my debut with most prominent symphony orchestras, and with two of the biggest orchestras; Cleveland and the National Symphony in Washington, DC.”

On this return engagement to Nanaimo, Parker will also be playing Burleske by Richard Strauss. “It's not a commonly done work,” he explained. “It is one of the most difficult finger-work pieces I know, and it is challenging rhythmically for the listener. The pulse is constantly changing. And it goes by like lightening speed. It's a very exciting piece with some extremely grand moments, but ends very softly.”

The interview over, Parker returned to his practicing, and the rain continued to pour down on New York City.

A Piano in Every Room

Pianist Ian Parker was preparing to serve up one of his favourite dishes, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18, in C minor with the Vancouver Island Symphony when he took time out for this interview in 2005.

Ian Parker - pianist

Mention the word ‘passion’ to Canadian pianist Ian Parker and there’s no holding him back. Like a rocket he takes off; “I love art - and food. My biggest passion is for living. You name it and I’m probably passionate about it. I want to absorb and taste everything! I’m a huge sponge. I want to experience everything and recreate it in my music!”

Right from birth, music has been a major part of Ian’s life. “I lived in a house with two parents who taught piano. My dad, Edward Parker, taught from 6:30 in the morning until 11 at night, so you could hear the piano all day long. There was a piano in every single room; an upright in the kitchen, grand in the living room, a grand in the TV room, and an upright in my bedroom, but no piano in the bathroom.” Then Ian added, laughing, “Ah, yes, I felt lost in the bathroom. ”

By age three, Ian was taking lessons from his mum and dad. “My mum (she’s deceased now) was from Shanghai and was trained at the Shanghai Conservatory. She enforced discipline and diligence all the time. My father, with his English background, was extremely strict.” In fact, Ian felt that piano playing was a natural thing to do in life. “As a child you learn how to walk, and eat with a fork and knife. During that time I was learning that piano playing was another thing to do naturally. You eat, work, exercise - and play piano.”

And does Ian play piano! He has grown to become one of Canada’s most talented artists, a winner of many competitions and awards, all while maintaining and feeding his passions for good food, cooking, the environment, the ocean, travel, hiking, biking, skiing, and driving his 1968 Baracuda. “You work hard, but you have to have days when you do nothing.” So he takes time off. “In Stanley Park I rent a mountain bike and go around the sea wall to digest the music and open the valves of inspiration. Along the sea wall you go by great restaurants and I can’t help but stop off. And there are such amazing scenes; the trees changing colour, people visiting town, and the smells and tastes of the food I have just had. All these become a part of my music.”

It is also important for Ian to be in the moment, to be spontaneous. “Making music can never be the same. I do something a little different every time, fresh, inventive, improvise. When people plan their nuances they sound premeditated and not spontaneous. To do what you want to, in the moment, gives you more of an adrenaline rush.”

At this time in his life Ian flies back and forth between pianos and kitchens in New York City (right by the Lincoln Centre) and Vancouver. He also tours, and when travelling he gives master classes. “I can work with people who don’t know me that well, but are hungry to work.” This is where his passion for food slips in. Words like nectar, spicy, bity, richness, flavour, and thickness permeate his teaching language. “There are ways where you can think about the most incredible mushroom cream sauce, or red wine, that gives you a wonderful feeling, and create that feeling on the piano, that sound.”

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