Part 1 of Season 4 Episode 3 with Ludovic Zamor: Concert Pianist & Recording Artist

Welcome back to another episode of The Piano Pod, where tradition meets innovation. We bridge the timeless beauty of the piano with the dynamic pulse of today's world. I am your friend and host of the show, Yukimi Song. So what did you think about the opening episodes of the season? Episode 1 brought us the incredible Dr. Michael Kaikoff, a concert pianist who's not just a Scrabbing expert but also a recording artist known for his interpretation of Liszt pieces. And then in Episode 2, I had a pleasure of chatting with the brilliant minds behind A Seat at the Piano, aka ASAP: Annie Zhang, Brendan Jacklin, Evan Hines, and Susan Yang. ASAP is a platform to raise the voices of composers who have been less heard or historically excluded or underrepresented. I'm curious about your take on our recent conversations with Michael and the team of A Seat at the Piano with Yukimi Song, and would love to hear from you. Connect with us on social media or leave your thoughts on our website at thepianopod.com. Remember, your insights play a crucial role in guiding the future of our show. For this episode, I am thrilled to introduce Mr. Ludovic Zamour, a Canadian-American concert pianist and recording artist known for his unique talent and unrivaled performances. Let me quickly highlight his career by citing his bio. Mr. Zamour's musical journey began under the guidance of his father, diving deep into the intricacies of the piano at a young age. His teenage years marked significant achievements as an emerging pianist, including his solo debut at the prestigious prestigious Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall at 18. Earlier this year, he released his debut Romantic-era classical piano solo album titled "Amour." This achievement propelled him to the forefront of the 2023 classical music scene. His journey is a testament to his unwavering dedication to music. He believes in the power of devotion, emphasizing that true magic happens when one is fully absorbed in their passion. Before continuing with this episode, I'd like to welcome you who is listening or watching The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with Yukimi Song for the first time. I'm a classical pianist and educator from New York City. Whether you're diving deep into a piano career, working professionally in the classical music scene, or simply have a passion for piano tunes, this podcast is your backstage pass. In each episode, I interview a guest speaker who has been breaking exciting new ground in the classical music industry. Before getting started, I want to thank amazing TPP fans and listeners for tuning in. Please rate and review the show on your favorite podcasting platform because every rating and review will help people find the show. Oh, before I forget, I want to apologize to you, my friends. During the interview session with Ludovic, I forgot to turn on my microphone, this mic that I usually use and turn on during the taping of the show. If you're watching this episode on YouTube, you will see it in front of my face, but it was not on, so the sound quality of my voice is not that great. So what happens is that when this external microphone is not turned on, the recording platform that I use automatically selects the built-in microphone on my computer as an input device, which captures the sound and noise in the room not focused on my voice. So my vocal quality during the interview is not so great and muffled. So, oh well, after 3 years of podcasting, I still forget to turn on my microphone or something had happened. I am not really sure. So I apologize to you everyone. And, but I promise to you that content of this show is amazing. Thanks to my wonderful guest Ludovic. We discussed his exciting journey as a concert pianist and recording artist, focusing on his passion for music in the Romantic era and delving into timely topics such as life as an artist in the post-pandemic era and more. So these discussions will lead us to a more introspective conversation on a topic such as the importance of exploring our sense of purpose as classical musicians in society. We even talked about artificial intelligence, how the tech of AI is changing our lifestyle. So let's begin this fun episode with a guest, concert pianist, recording artist, Mr. Ludovic Zamor. Please enjoy the show. You are listening to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song, where we talk to the brightest minds in the industry about how they are bringing the piano into the 21st century.

So welcome to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song.

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Thank you so much, and it's really nice to finally meet you. We've been communicating for a few months on social media, and finally the day has arrived. By the way, um, what a lovely name.

Yeah, high school attendance was awful when I was growing up with it, but now it actually, as an artist, it has a little bit of flair to it.

Of course, and I understand that your father is a pianist.

Uh, yes, he's not professional, he's actually a doctor, but he grew up, you know, playing the piano, and then as he had children, he tried to force it onto us.

Did your parents intentionally name you after Ludwig van Beethoven?

Uh, Ludwig, um, as in Ludwig, maybe, I'm not sure. I'm actually a junior myself. I don't know where it came from, but I guess it fits. And you're kind of destined with the name.

Yeah, no pressure. What's it called?

Like, non-determination or something like that?

Yes.

Or like a strong will or something like that. Yeah, I have been listening to your solo album Amor, which truly showcases and captures the essence of romantic era and displays your passion for the music of the time period. This album was released earlier this year, right?

Yes, it was. It was released earlier in July. It was a long time coming. I wanted to release it in 2020, but my original plan was to tour with it on concert, and then after the tour and concerts, then release album.

So what was the main inspiration behind this album?

I wanted to create an album that felt like a journey to listen to, like you can listen to it and connect emotionally and feel as if you're on a trip, just enjoying it. And to have both the, the balance of the virtuosic side and then also the conservative side, like the same way how, you know, the war of the romantics being Brahms and Liszt and everything like that, but just to have a good dichotomy between both.

And why the title Amor? I mean, maybe it's not completely rhyme with your last name, but, you know, without the G, it's Amor. Is that what it is, or?

Well, Amor is a direct translation for love, and I guess it fits because you can't write some more without love. But, um, part of it was I, I thought, as literal as it is, to have a romantic album with love within it, and I thought it was a little bit poetic.

Yeah, it is indeed. And so let's talk about the choice of your repertoire. You started with October from Tchaikovsky's seasons, and it's such an iconic piece in such a way that really captures the essence of Romanticism, right? And then followed by Vocalise, and I love the piano transcription by—

Sultan Köces, yes. Yeah, I opened with the Tchaikovsky because this set is exactly what I would play in concert for at least this season. And in the past, I've always opened with big showy pieces like the Fantasy Stück or anything like that. I found it as a bad habit to start off, you know, really hot, so I wanted to start off really slow and, you know, warm into it. And it was a good somber beginning to it. The Seasons, out of all of those pieces, I felt like the October, the autumn song, was very emotional, especially emotional, and opening with it set a really great mood for the concert I was trying to set. And as for the vocalise, it was— at least the vocalise itself is one of my favorite tunes, and the Zoltán Köcses transcription with the more arpeggios at the end, it just was a joy to play. And especially for a person who loves, like, you know, the Lisztian type of the world and everything like that, I just gravitated to that naturally.

Yeah, that arrangement is very special. I think there are a lot of variations in terms of the transcriptions. There's a variation with string instrument and the piano and so forth. But this arrangement, especially as you mentioned, toward the end of the section where arpeggiated, it just creates a lot of emotional stuff. And you know, you've also— one of my favorites from that album is the Nocturne in C Minor. I played it myself too, and your interpretation is very sensitive yet passionate in capturing the nuances of Chopin. And but I really appreciate that, the fact that you don't start so fast. A lot of people do.

Yeah, well, there's actually a story behind that too, and we'll eventually get into that. But I felt as if the way I wanted to interpretate that piece, it was I looked at it through the lens of almost like a Liszt etude, kind of, where they were presenting a theme and I wanted that theme to be so apparent and so digestible, and then towards the end to not just throw it in your face, but just to show the capabilities of the piano the same way Liszt would.

And, you know, honestly, the tempo you took, you know, from the right— on the right hand, from the first note G to the next note A-flat, that gap to fill, because, you know, piano, once you play that note. It's gone, right? But to be able to connect the G to A-flat with that tempo is— wow, I was very impressed.

Thank you. Thanks a lot.

Is it "andante sostenuto" at the beginning, at the tempo marking? I don't remember.

Uh, at least for my edition, had no tempo marking whatsoever, so it was kind of like it's open to interpretation. I also got a bunch of flack from some adjudicators because they were like, you're playing like a Hungarian You know, kind of. But especially when you're on the stage, you have a little bit more liberties and stuff like that. And it's not that I don't care about critics, but I want to make a performance at least. And when I think about that, I have a little bit more liberties, I think.

There's something so simple yet gentle about your playing and thought and emotional, emotion provoking too. So I really enjoy. And I mean, you played Brahms and then lastly, oh, Momo musical number 3 and number 4?

Yeah, the direct translation to English is this musical moment, the number 3s and number 4 by Rachmaninoff. Those were my favorite, and it's actually— in the future I want to play all 6 of them in concert, but that's in the future after I learn them. Amongst the 6, I felt like the 3 and the 4, they were exactly the fitting within the concert type where you had the dichotomy between the emotional side the almost slow and reserved, and then you have the more bombastic virtuosic side. And to play them in a set between 3 and 4 directly after each other, that's exactly what I wanted to do.

Tell us your— the challenges and triumphs from the day you conceived the idea of this project to the day of release. Like, you know, for example, choices of repertoire to marketing. So So tell us the moment of you felt like, "Wow, I did something too." You know, there are moments where we always struggle with certain things.

So when I originally wanted to play all these pieces in concert, I had Paganini etudes, I had Chopin ballades in there and everything like that. And as I was studying for all of this, it was during the pandemic, so I had all the time in the world. And it was almost as if, you know, you bite more than you can chew, kind of. So I had to be a little bit more reasonable and everything like that. I had to cut some pieces out and then I eventually settled on what I still have now. And even then, some people say, like, as I'm like, if I would go to a piano store just to, you know, tickle the keys or so, people are like, "You play all of that in concert?" But it is a daunting repertoire to play, but it is fun at the end of it. But as for the biggest challenges, of it was actually recording day when I recorded the album. And the day before, I actually got bit by a spider. And yeah, it was very disappointing because I did not become Spider-Man. But yeah, I got bit by this venomous spider and my throat closed up to a point where I felt like I was breathing through a straw. And when it came time to record the record in the studio, you know, I did not want to defer even longer, so I just went through with it. And it felt like my ears were underwater. I was running a fever the whole entire day, and even till today I still have a little bit of like a frog in my throat.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah, it was, uh, it was, it was very challenging to record the whole entire thing. And if you actually listen closely to some of the pieces, you can actually hear me wheezing in the background, but It was, uh, I didn't feel as if I was 100% when recording everything, but I tried my best.

Well, but I think maybe that's one of the reasons. I mean, I don't want to give credit to this evil spider.

Oh, I hope there are no spider enthusiasts, but I murdered that spider and their whole entire family afterwards.

But what did it happen when you were at home practicing or something? Oh, that was—

I, it might be a personality quirk, but I believe like a clean room is a clean mind kind of thing. So especially before a big performance or a big recording day or something like that, I would just go find something to clean. And I happened to go into my garage and that was my mission for the day to clean the garage. And there happened to be a spider in the way for me.

Oh wow. Okay. But, you know, I think in the long run, when you become a certain age and look back, this will, this flight or the whole situation will be sort of, you're part of the legacy. Exactly. As a recording artist, right?

Yeah, it's a good story to have under your belt at least.

Yeah, sure. But I'm glad you made it through that recording. Recordings. So can you walk us through your recording process?

My recording process, it's mostly— I want to say before every piece I play, I just try to remember in my head or just repeat the mantra of just trying to remain intentional and what is the purpose I'm trying to convey. And that's what I keep running through my mind, whether it's a piece where I'm trying to personify love or deep emotion, or if it's not so much in this repertoire, but some other pieces. For example, if I was playing an etude or something like that, what technique am I trying to show? But it's all about remaining intentional.

So then I'm also curious about brand as— well, let's talk about this album, for example. So to select certain pieces, you think about your listeners as well, right? Not just you— that, of course, you want to play certain pieces, but I'm sure you think about your audience too. So what did you have in your mind in terms of your listeners?

I would say I wanted to not just have easy listening, but, um, what's a good way of saying this? I remember in 2018 I had a a good season where I was very, very productive. I'd wake up at 4 o'clock every morning, meditate, and then go to the beach. As we're in Long Island, you know, beach is always 20 minutes away. And as I would go to the beach, I would always put on either a Kati Ben Atishvili album or a Rubinstein album. And when I would listen to those, I would just walk and I guess get in the zone. And I wanted to recreate the same type of feeling of, I guess, just pure emotion and for them— for the listener rather to zone out and just completely appreciate the music. Not to throw anything so much in their face as if it was like, you know, the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 or something like that, but just to have them just flow with it. And that's what I wanted to choose when I chose my pieces. So nothing is too in-your-face, nothing is too bombastic, but it still showcases virtuosity.

So you mentioned two artists now. So are these artists, are they heavily influenced the sound or direction of this album?

Most definitely. It was interesting because I grew up listening to, I guess like part of the reason why I have, I guess, somewhat of a good ear is because my father, he would always Every piece I would listen to, I would either have a Horowitz recording or a Rubinstein recording to listen to as comparison, or this is where the ceiling is, or this is where you're trying to strive for it. And as I would listen to these pieces, and especially the tone quality, especially from Arthur Rubinstein, it felt as if the piano was completely different instrument. And when I was searching for studios to record my album, I wanted a piano that to have a more reminiscent tone. So that was what I was looking for. And as for Kate Bush, officially, one album that I listened to many, many times was her Motherland album. Are you familiar with that one? It's fantastic. But as I would listen to it, it recreated that same feeling that I always wanted, like a journey.

A journey. Beautiful. Well, speaking of journey. So let's turn the clock backwards. So, so, you know, you've come through this phase of your life right now, but I'm sure there is a story of beginning. And as I mentioned briefly in, uh, you know, as I was reading your bio, your father was the first person to introduce you to this world of classical music. Sounds like— is it true? Oh yeah, yeah. Okay, so can you tell us, how did you discover the love of music? By the way, by the way, I love the background. What a beautiful house you live in. And then, and I see that I, I can see the Steinway piano. But yeah, tell us a little bit about the piano. What is this? Is it B or A or what?

Uh, this is a Steinway, this is a Steinway Model D, and it was D Is it a Concert D? Yeah, it's a Concert Grand. Yeah, I'm very lucky. We didn't always have it, but actually growing up I started learning on a Baldwin SF-10, and our house back then had no type of air conditioning, no type of humidity control or anything like that. So the piano naturally became really, really heavy. So I think that is probably some of the reason why I actually gained good technique, because you're forced to really work at it. But my dad was my first teacher. He's actually a doctor, he's not a professional musician, but he grew up learning the piano, and when he had children, he wanted to teach them, and I was the only one of his kids actually stuck with it. And I guess He had a good trial because I was the last kid, so he learned his mistakes and told me. We learned, and it was until I was 7 or 8 when he realized, like, "Oh God, we have to get him a better teacher because there's almost as much as he can teach me." So I hopped around from teachers to teachers for a couple years until I found Karen Amato. She's actually based in Long Island, and she stuck with me for, I want to say, 20 years.

Wow, wonderful! That's, that's beautiful. So you're right now currently based in Long Island, right?

Yes, I am.

Okay, so you had a wonderful teacher for 20 years, but who are the other influences and training mentors?

Maybe I still see Karen every now and then. It was only like, I think, uh, right after college she was telling me like, you know, we have to get you another teach you because we're neck and neck and there's only so much we can teach you. So, you know, she was trying to push me off to other people, whether it was pro music judges or something like that. But I eventually found myself with the late Abraham Sternklar. He was a renowned concert pianist and chamber musician, and he actually was a professor at Juilliard at one point. And I actually met him when I was, I think, 7 years old, and I performed in— I forgot which one, but it was a random competition. And then it was just, I guess, kismet that we eventually met each other later in life. And he took me as his pupil, and learning from him was a dream because as I later became more of a professional, I focused more on intention. And as I was with this old master, it was like every word that he spoke, every lesson that he taught was gold. So I tried to cling to every single, you know, lesson that he taught. And it was just— it was amazing to be around him. And if you want to hear a funny story, at one point I was going to one of our lessons, and these lessons would go on for 2 hours and such. And from day one, he always said, never be late. And as you know, New York City potholes are, are atrocious. And at one point I hit one of the potholes and not only did I burst a tire, but I bent a rim. That's how bad the pothole was. And I drove an extra 15 miles on a bent rim just to get to my lesson on time. And as I got there, I was like, Listen, listen, I am the number one because I got here even though I had a bent tire and everything. And he was like, oh, you got here on a bent wheel, world's smallest violin, boohoo. When I was younger, I was dodging bullets in Israel and Palestine because that's where he was from. And it was just, uh, it was funny because he was telling me, um, when, uh, when he was in his conservatory, he had to cross a street that was, I guess, in dispute between Palestine and Israel. And every time a student or a child would walk by, they wouldn't aim at them, but they would just aim in the vicinity just to scare the people. And essentially, every time he had to go to school, he had to dodge bullets. But it was just— that's the type of professionalism that I grew up with.

Talking about tough, wow, that's tough stuff. Yeah, right. Then you mentioned that you'd like to talk about Abraham Sternkler Scholarship Program and the Will Burton Scholarship Program. So were you the recipient of these scholarship programs?

Uh, no, actually, um, as I have my concert career, and I guess we're hearing it first from here. Every time I perform, and I want to donate an— or allocate an amount of the proceeds or the profits towards these funds that I'm making. And they're going to go to whether they are undergraduate students or high school students, I want to donate it as charity. And that's the story behind Abraham Sternklotz. He was one of my, I want to say, professional inspirations. And as for William Bergen, he was my first ever manager. And they actually both passed away from COVID in 2021. But—

oh my goodness, wow, I'm sorry to hear that.

It was a rough— because they passed, uh, one month away from each other, and I lost both of them at the same time, essentially.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah, William Bergen, he was a very, very kind man, and It was, uh, I want to say he was my first ever, I guess, contact on the business side of show business. And he was, I would say, the kindest awakening to it. And he was just a very sweet man that essentially asked for nothing and he was more than fair. And I found that when we would do projects, sometimes he would just do them for gratis. He would not want anything out of it. And not only did that— he did that with me, but he would also do that with other young professionals or other people fresh out of college. And he gave people chances, he opened doors for people, and I want to do the same thing for other young professionals as I succeed.

Wow, there are so many wonderful people like that in our industry, right? And really sacrifice their time and their life to dedicate to mentor and educate someone with the potential, someone with the dedication. That's amazing. You mentioned that your performance, the concert proceeds partially goes to these two foundations, to two programs to help other young musicians, correct?

I am going to start going to high schools after I start performing again. I'm going to try to find a couple a couple kids who are, I guess, hungry for it. And whether it's a small amount, whether it's a large amount, just to get the ball rolling, to make them feel as if they're supported the same way I have.

That's beautiful. Okay, then I also want to talk about your concert career. So you had just one big memorable concert at the historical theater, The States, on May 21st in Westbury, New York, which is your home. Yeah, tell us about the concert.

So we had the choice of having, I guess, a premiere concert for my set, and I chose to do in my hometown. There are two major theaters. There is the NYCB. I don't know if you're familiar, but it has like a circular stage and it's just a large amphitheater. And then they also had The Space, which is I guess, more of a more traditional setting where it's just, uh, it's open that way. And I chose that one because it was a lot more aesthetically pleasing. And this was in, as you said, May, right after 2022, and this was right after the pandemic. So a lot of people were actually worried about coming out, especially right after the pandemic. So So it was not anywhere near filled to capacity. And it was actually really sad because earlier in my career, I made a good habit because I heard some advice to get email listings to everyone that goes. So that is part of the reason why I would ever have good attendance for concerts. So when I threw this concert, I had hundreds of emails saying, "Sorry, I'm not coming," because We're elderly and we don't want to risk it, but I'm still very thankful for all of the people that still came despite the risk.

What did you play? Did you play some of the pieces from your album?

I played the whole album, and then on top of that, I played a Scriabin etude at the end of it as well.

Wow, which Scriabin etude did you play?

I believe the number 12. Uh, it always escapes me. It was not the It's not the Opus 42. I think it was the— of the 12 Etudes, the 12th one.

Okay, wonderful. That's a great piece. You mentioned, you know, while we were communicating, and you said you want to talk about journey back to feeling ready to perform. So are you referring to your mindset toward performing in front of the audience after the pandemic?

Uh, yes. One thing that I found so interesting, and I never thought about that before, In my whole entire life, I stayed in reasonably good shape. And during the pandemic, I actually gained 70 pounds because I couldn't go outside. All I did was just weightlift, no cardio. And one thing that they never tell you in a conservatory or in college is you need to be physically shaped to play— to be in shape to play Liszt because your heart literally becomes a factor into it. Yeah, when you take so much time off physically, it really becomes taxing, especially when you're trying to play some of these pieces. So now I'm on the journey back to getting ready for it.

I see. I see. Well, but you know, I didn't think that way about playing, like, let's say Franz Liszt. You know, I know playing Franz Liszt pieces, like especially Transcendental Étude, for example, or, you know, Hungarian Rhapsody, whatever, and they are really physical, right?

Exactly.

The whole entire upper body involves, and so you have to be fit in many ways. But I didn't think of that will translate to your cardio endurance.

Exactly. I never thought about it either, especially like some of my earlier teachers, uh, as I mentioned Karen Amato before, she was telling me that when she was in college, she stayed away from it. She's like, you know, The amount of effort, just stay away from that. And I never thought anything of it when I was playing Pagani 18s myself because it was just, it was just work. But when you're trying to do that when you're a little bit more hefty and it becomes a lot more taxing, especially in concert, you don't want to look like you're sweating. One thing is when you're performing, you're supposed to look as if this is effortless. This is supposed to be second nature and to be big and sweating, and it's not a charming look. But yeah.

Yeah. I mean, that's part of our job, I guess. It's a job description. Yes. Wow. So let's talk about your love for composers or compositions in the Romantic era. So tell me.

My favorite. It's like choosing a favorite child. I don't have any children, but It's almost as if trying to choose—

Yeah, but you know, your love for romantic composers or compositions, what do you love so much about these era genre?

Romantic era, it feels as if this is the upper limits of tonal harmony and at the same time virtuosity. I don't want to say that like Mozart was boring or anything like that, or Bach was boring, Not at all, but if anything, Bach is becoming even more— as I'm getting older, as I'm getting more maturity, I'm looking at those pieces and realizing the complexity and the inner depth behind them. But the Romantic era in itself, I felt as if this was the upper limit. This is as far as the ceiling goes. And to play those pieces are more entertaining than the rest.

How are you engaging with the 21st century audience? So what are you doing differently or creatively to reach out to your fan base?

That is very interesting because I want to say in the past 3 or 4 years, I don't know if I want to say that I'm having a paradigm shift or a change on, on thought process. But as I was younger, my initial look was romantic era classical music. This is so spectacular. That, that still holds true to now. This is such an in-depth genre, and when you're listening to the radio, all of it is kind of boring after a certain point, right? You know, like, um, when I was 18, I remember that some of my teachers and I, we would sit down for 20, 30 minutes just trying to break down a Chopin ballade and just trying to understand the structure behind it and say, what is that chord? What is that chord? And compared to listening to pop music right now, you could just, you could break it down in 20 seconds. So it felt as if music was so much more entertaining back then. And my mission years ago was to almost not convert, but to show people like, look over here, this music is so much more rich than what you're listening to now. And that was my mission for some time. And then now it's almost as if— it's not that I'm giving up on trying to show people, but it's, it's almost as if people are just not interested in it. So why should I almost try to convert people that are not willing? So that's where I'm almost at. Just go after your fan base, stop trying to convert new people because they're just gonna listen to what they wanna listen to.

Sure, sure, sure, sure. But if there is an introductory to classical music in a certain way that people may tune in, right? Not everybody, but certain people, there's a potential, right?

Of course.

Yeah.

So I'm not closing the door completely on it. If someone asks me to play, I'm gonna play for them, even if not everyone in the audience is a classical music fan, but actively going out and trying to bring in people, that's— I don't know how I feel about that anymore. It's, it's— maybe I'm jaded, but—

No, no, but yeah, you have a point. Yeah, it's true. Yeah, we don't have to do that. But there are a lot of people who would be interested but never had an opportunity or being exposed to, right? Yeah. Those are the people that we need to reach out to.

That concludes the first half of this fun episode of The Piano Pod with a Canadian-American pianist, recording artist Ludovic Zamor. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review it on your favorite podcasting platform. You can also watch this episode on The Piano Pod's YouTube channel, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. The links are listed in the description. Tune in next Tuesday, October 10th, at 8 PM to hear the rest of the interview with Ludovic Zamor.