Kirill Gerstein, the 2010 Gilmore Artist, is back in Kalamazoo to perform at the Gilmore Piano Festival. Cara Lieurance spoke with the Russian-American pianist about his two appearances: one with jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, and one with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.
Noting his repeated returns, his willingness to attend other festival concerts, and his history of world premieres in Kalamazoo, Lieurance says "I [...] think of Kirill Gerstein as our Gilmore Artist." "If you look at just the sheer amount of days," Gerstein responds, "like part of my life, I've lived in Kalamazoo."
The first concert, which was held May 4, paired Gerstein in dialogue with jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. The two share a Gilmore connection: Gerstein used a portion of his Artist Award to commission Mehldau's Variations on a Melancholy Theme, which premiered at the festival. Their program deliberately sidesteps the jazz-versus-classical framing, instead exploring what Gerstein calls "the dialogue between written and improvised music." The evening includes compositions each pianist plays on the other's turf, a newly written two-piano piece with both composed and improvised sections, and moments where Gerstein plays classical repertoire and Mehldau responds spontaneously on a second piano. When asked on the spot who he would pick as a third collaborator, Gerstein names bassist Christian McBride, saying "we both adore" him.
The second concert , at 7:30 pm on May 6 at Chenery Auditorium, features Gerstein playing and conducting Beethoven Concertos Nos. 1, 3, and 4 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He frames the three works as a study in evolving relationships between the individual and the collective — from the competitive spirit of the First to the Fourth's famous opening, where the solo piano makes what Gerstein calls "a lyrical quiet statement" before the orchestra enters "on the most magical note," a first in the concerto tradition.
On the broader question of music's relevance in difficult times, Gerstein says, "It gets us in touch with very human qualities," describing music's power to connect listeners with "the great genius minds, unique minds that are long gone" — a living form of contact with history that "opens the mind and opens the soul."
Away from the piano, Gerstein is currently reading "The Architect," a short story by Romanian writer Mircea Cărtărescu that he calls "absolutely stunning" — and one that touches on music in a surreal way. The story has sent him searching for more of the author's books.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
