The Cross-Eyed Pianist, Frances Wilson, featured Eleonor Bindman on her “Meet the Artist” series. The questions led to much reflection about what being a musician truly means.
TCEP: Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?
My most recent recording, the newly transcribed set of “Brandenburg Duets” is a result of several painstaking years arranging all 6 Brandenburg Concertos by Bach for piano-4-hands. Embarking on a project of such magnitude taught me an important lesson on perseverance. I am very happy with the way the recording came out and grateful to my piano partner Jenny Lin and the Grand Piano label of Naxos Records for making the CD set a reality. The feedback has been tremendous so far as I am constantly being told by listeners that they just love how the music makes them feel and how the piano conveys the material somewhat more clearly than an orchestra in this case and brings the concertos into a new perspective. It feels great to have been able to pull this off and I can’t wait to get the arrangements published.
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TCEP: Do you have a favorite concert venue to perform in and why? What is your most memorable concert experience?
I had an epiphany a long time ago while waiting to perform a harpsichord recital at a small venue on City Island, in the Bronx. In the middle of the usual, mild pre-concert anxiety, it occurred to me that the audience members were gathering to hear Bach at noon on a Sunday because it was important to them. They made the trip instead of taking a nap or watching TV. My nervousness and ego didn’t matter, what mattered was transmitting the music they wanted to hear in a manner worthy of the task. Since then the venues and other details became secondary to the privilege of being the medium for this singular venture.