Jeremy Denk brings wit and humor to the piano
If a hum drum normal article on pianist Jeremy Denk was needed, it might read something like this:
“Jeremy Denk has recently become one of the most acclaimed American pianists of our day. He has won numerous awards- -the Juilliard Piano Debut Award and the Avery Fisher Career Grant to name a few. He has appeared as a soloist with Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and many others.”
All true enough. However, this would fail to give voice to the witty, open, and humorous edge that Denk brings to his music. This is, of course, best accomplished by seeing Denk in person. But for those who haven’t had the opportunity, he has infused his blog with a sharp, funny, personal take on music and his history regarding it. Here is an excerpt from a childhood musical experience from Denk’s blog, think denk:
“For many years, the greatest joy of Christmas was to wake up my parents with the worst Christmas music we could find. My brother and I would have a whispered powwow over the LP collection. We might choose Placido Domingo, for sheer tenor shamelessness, or maybe the organ-backed bombast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The most deliciously despised choice was Barbara Streisand’s multi-metric, coke-addled version of Jingle Bells. “Oh God, not that again,” we’d hear my mother moan from the bedroom, “Joe, put on some coffee goddammit!'”Denk’s taste in music has clearly evolved. His repertoire crosses the range from the standard works of the 18th and 19th centuries to twentieth-century masters such as Ives, Ligeti, Lutoslawski and Messiaen, and travels further to new works from today’s leading composers. But even these classical composers are not exempt from Denk’s fantastic energy:
“Friend M, the other day, theorized, through motion, what might happen if a Roomba were ever allowed to function within the geometrical confines of my apartment. His pantomime involved a number of spastic jerks, rampant confusion, finally perhaps a shiver of rage, and, inevitably, an explosion. It’s exactly how I behaved upon reading this [review] on my computer, which is why I should never ever be allowed to read program notes. … I glowered, expostulated, seethed, leapt from my chair sending takeout containers flying into dusty corners, where they remain. …I bet Bach would have loved the bit where he returns “after a fashion” to the tonic key (“you try returning to the tonic better than that, buddy!” he would say, brandishing a heavy foamy stein, cussing all the way home on cobbled streets to indulge in activities leading to child #14).”
“Jeremy is an exceptional artist,” says Wisconsin Union Theater Director Ralph Russo. “He is known especially for his residence work about classical music and how it can be promoted through social media.”
Indeed, there is clearly more to Denk than a great pianist. There is a great history of humor and wit that has gone hand in hand with his music, ever since his first Streisand Christmas.
Learn more about Jeremy Denk outreach events here.
By Erin Bannen
