Schubert Now: Storytelling, Connection, and the Road to the 2028 Bicentennial

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Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2026! To start the year, I'm really excited to share this conversation with you. In today's episode of The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song, I am joined by Amiel Bushkowitz, an Israeli-South African concert pianist and recording artist whose work bridges continents, cultures, and centuries. Known for his deep connection to Schubert and the tradition of German Lied, Emil approaches music not as spectacle but as shared storytelling— intimate, reflective, and deeply human. In this conversation, we explore why Schubert's music still feels so relevant today, not as something preserved behind glass, but as music that continues to speak directly to our lives. We talk about the Schubert 200 Project, what it means to live alongside one composer over many years, and how Schubert's sense of time—his slowness, patience, and emotional honesty—challenges the way we listen in the fast-moving world. We also talk about the tradition of German Lied, the unique relationship between singer and pianist, where the piano isn't accompaniment but an equal voice, shaping the narrative, breathing with the text, and carrying the emotional subtext. And we explore why intimacy, rather than scale, may be the future of classical music, very much in the spirit of Schubert's own salon culture. A quick note for listeners: if you are tuning in via audio, you're in for an extended version of this conversation, including some of the most personal and reflective moments from the session. We go further into music as refuge, empathy, and a place to breathe. If you are enjoying the episode, please take a moment to like it and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, or if you are joining us on YouTube, subscribe there as well. Your support truly helps the show grow. And now I am honored to welcome concert pianist, recording artist, and one of the leading Schubert interpreters of our time, Emil Buschkowicz. Please enjoy the show.

You are listening to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song about how they are bringing the piano into the future. And thriving in a complex, ever-evolving world. Emil, welcome to The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with me today. Thank you so much.

Thank you for the invitation, Yukimi. It's an honor to be here. Thank you.

And before we dive in, where are you joining us from today?

I'm in Zurich at the moment. And just arrived from New York a few days ago.

Oh, really? You were in New York? Oh, and then you're in Zurich. Where you're— I know you are a world traveler. I can't wait to talk more about that, your traveling, you know, part of your career. Now, I had an opportunity to participate in the Artsong Preservation Society of New York as a collaborative pianist last season, and it reminded me how much I missed working closely with singers. And our mutual friend Blair Bumigura, who is the, of course, the founder of the organization, has been one of the strongest supporters of this show and then encouraged me to reach out to you. So, and we collaborate, um, Blair and I collaborated last season featuring his organization, and so grateful he made this connection today. So, but thank you so much for really generously accepting my invitation, Emil.

No, thank you. And, uh, yes, as you say, Blair is a, uh, such a wonderful, uh, person, um, both as a human and as an organizer and a connector of various people and organizations. Uh, yeah, he's— I'm really happy to, to know him and to have worked with him as well.

Oh, wonderful. Yeah. So now you've built such a fascinating career that moves fluidly, uh, from, you know, being a as a solo pianist and chamber musician, and especially the world of art song, from the intimacy of Schubert's Lieder to major recital stages around the world. And I'm continually struck by how extensive your recordings are, from solo projects to collaborations with some of today's leading singers. Your career bridges solo performance and collaboration, especially in the world of art song. So what would you say is the core passion or mission that ties all these worlds together?

Well, I think as a pianist playing solo and working with singers, I think the thing that ties it together is the melody, the just the beautiful melody, which is something so ancient and so primal in humanity, you know, sitting around campfires thousands of years ago singing together. That's something that's connected from our ancestors and from our childhood. And as a pianist, that's just something that I love. Of course, as a pianist, we have harmony as well as melody. And that's also wonderful to have both worlds. But for me, I just love beautiful melodies. And especially with Schubert, there's this great simplicity that again is very primal, I find.

Wow, well said. I was actually going to ask you about that later because that's a really distinctive feature of— about Schubert. There's a simplicity, but then this really— this beautiful melodies that he come up with, it's just incredible, the vast amount.

Yes, not only a simplicity, but also something folkloric. Very connected to, uh, yeah, childhood melodies, uh, lullabies, folk music as well. Actually, just by chance, this behind me is a painting, Aboriginal painting, uh, by an Australian artist, uh, who, uh, who lives in the, in the Outback and painted this. It's a bushfire. So that's something that maybe is connected as well to the folkloric and to the to the ancestors.

Wow. Yeah. Is that your— where you are is your home?

Uh, yes, yes.

Okay, so you are currently based in Zurich as an artist?

Yes, I travel between Zurich and Germany, but, uh, um, yeah, this is one of my bases, which is, uh, which I'm fortunate to have.

Oh, wonderful. So let's continue our conversation with, uh, Speaking of Schubert, Schubert 200 Project. Oh, what an amazing project that you're working on. And then it's a large-scale, lead-focused collaboration with baritone Samuel Hasselhorn. Am I pronouncing his name correctly? Yes, yes. And great. And that will result in 5 albums of Schubert songs from his final years and building toward the 200th anniversary of Schubert's death in 20— that, uh, 200 later, though, that will be 2028, which is 2 years from now. By the time this episode will be out, it's 2026. So tell us what this project is really about and where you are in the process right now.

Well, uh, yeah, thanks for asking. Samuel and I have known each other for many years, and as you say, he's a wonderful a wonderful baritone and wonderful lead interpreter. And we actually, during COVID I jumped in for a concert, and that was our first performance together. And it just went so well, and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to do a recording project together with the label Harmonia Mundi, with whom he was already recording. And we discussed various possibilities and unknown composers and maybe repertoire that's been neglected. And in the end, we thought, well, why not Schubert, which has been, of course, recorded a lot. But there's still, as with great works of art, there's always something new and always new nourishment and something to discover. New ways to approach it, new ways to shine different light, different lighting on the songs. And we proposed that to, to Harmonia Mundi, who surprisingly for us agreed on such a large, long-term project. Because as you know, the recording industry today is going through a sea change. It's a bit difficult with online platforms and music streaming. So we are really grateful to Harmonia Mundi for, you know, believing in us and believing in this project. So yeah, so we're very excited about it. We're 2 discs down, or 2 albums, and the third album is coming out early next year. It's called Hoffnung, Hope. Which we thought is very— yeah, it's very fitting for the— for this, this, uh, time and the place in which we find each— we find ourselves in, in, in the world in general. Uh, and yeah, and also it's 200 years since Schubert wrote these songs, so for us it's almost like a journey together with Schubert during his last years, which is very special and unique.

Wow. So for listeners who may not realize the sheer scale of Schubert's output, roughly how many art songs did he write? Do you know?

He wrote over 600. So there's a lot. And the scope of these compositions are so varying from something like Haydn's Röslein, which is almost like a folk song— well, it is basically a folk song— to songs like, uh, Die junge Nonne or Der Zwerg, which was— which were very influenced by English neo-gothic literature and, uh, you know, Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, these kind of gothic horror stories. So really full, full-blooded romantic songs. And then some songs that are very classical in style and, uh, remind one of maybe Haydn or Mozart. So really a wide variety.

Wow, you know, I need to study more about Sherbert Art songs. Like, so do I. Yes, but wow, that's, that's— yeah, you just don't realize then, uh, but you're with this 200, uh, project, you're just focusing on the late songs, right? Like toward the end of his life?

Is that, uh, yes, yes. Well, we're, we're following Schubert, uh, consecutively through the last 5 years of his life. So 1823, he wrote Die schöne Müllerin, and we brought out the album of that piece in 2023. And, uh, so next year will be 2000— well, This broadcast will be in 2026, and we will release songs from 1826, so exactly 200 years previously.

Oh wow. So the album that you released, that's the Licht und Schatten, Lights and Shadows. That's, you know, you released this album this year, 2025, so which means He focused on the songs from 1825?

Yes, exactly, exactly. Well, that, that was a special album because we focused on '24 and '25, um, so we put that— those together in one album. And that's why there are also, uh, some solo piano works, uh, in between, interspersed in the album, because these years were very important for Schubert as a piano composer, solo piano composer. He wrote many sonatas and waltzes and Ländler during those years. I see.

Wow, this— that's how you group— how makes sense. Wow. Can you tell us more about these, you know, the— from 18— I guess '23 to 1828, those years of his writing?

Well, these years were seminal for him because in 1823 he discovered that he had syphilis. He was diagnosed with what was most likely syphilis, which in those days was basically a death sentence. So he knew that he would not live a long life. He didn't know how long he would live, but it was just a matter of time, and he was diagnosed at a very young age. So yeah, 25, 26 years old. So that was something that I think stayed with him the rest of his short life. He passed away at the age of 31, but there was this shadow of mortality that hung over him during those years, and I think it definitely influenced his his compositional writing and his style. So yeah, that was very important. But also, he didn't just have, you know, doom and dread in those last years. He had some very happy times, even some healthy times where, you know, he thought, well, his health was good and his music was progressing. Even his reputation in Vienna was slowly progressing. Another shadow under which he lived was the shadow of Beethoven, who was of course a big celebrity in Vienna, who was older than him, almost a generation older than him—not quite—but Beethoven's reputation was huge in Vienna. He was a celebrity. He was recognized while walking on the streets. Whereas Schubert was, uh, very unknown, struggling financially. In one of his last letters, he wrote to his mother asking her to knit him a few pairs of socks. And, you know, it was very, very touching and moving.

Are there any few songs or pieces in this particular— of those two, uh, maybe this Light and Shadow album that really stand out, what you're maybe describing, you know, to explain his mindset or his maybe even spiritual well-being, that really showcase, oh, this song shows— or is there any particular piece that stands out for you?

Well, I think the, the combination of pieces are so astounding, and that's why we decided to call it Lights and Shadows, because Of course, in painting you have the style from Rembrandt and Caravaggio, chiaroscuro, the style of the light and shadows. And this contrast between the very dark and the very light just makes things so dramatic. And for us, this album was about this chiaroscuro in Schubert's music, not only in the music itself, but also in his life. And the juxtaposition of the mortality and the good health that was oscillating throughout his life, especially during those years. So a song like Auflösung or a song like Die junge Nonne that I mentioned earlier, it actually mentions a lot of light and shadow. It mentions a storm coming and the thunder, but peace inside the heart at the same time. So of course, for the Romantics, nature was very important and often symbolized inner feelings as well. So for example, in nature, a natural storm would be something that can be echoed in the human condition. And I think it was— it's a very special song in Schubert's oeuvre. And I think that's something that is in a way biographical also for him, could be considered biographical. This, this tension between the, the highly dramatic and the almost, um, almost thunderous emotion and something very calm and simple.

I've been listening to this album and plus your piano solo albums too, so I have to revisit again after listening what you just explained. It really gives you different perspectives, right? Yeah, wonderful. Now I know you mentioned a little bit about the singer Samuel Hasselhorn and how you met him and so on, but maybe can you tell us more about the collaboration? And also, how did you both of you just come up with this idea of Schubert 200? Obviously, the, you know, year 2028 really marks that 200th year anniversary. But can you tell us the story?

Well, of course, as, as a lead pianist, as a song pianist, Schubert is the, the summit. It's the Mount Everest of, of, uh, of the, the great composers. And, uh, I, I love, you know, other composers— that's Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin But in terms of Lied, as we spoke about, Schubert is really something very special. And I think both of us, Samuel and I, we thought at first that we should at all costs avoid Schubert because he's so well known and because his songs have been recorded so many times by such great performers, we thought we're not worthy to even touch these songs. But then we decided we have the possibility of contributing something fresh and something new to these songs, a new style of interpretation which is very personal and in a way almost daring in some ways, as some critics have also mentioned. So we thought we'll approach these songs not in a conservative way, but taking risks and pushing them to their limits in terms of interpretation and seeing where that brings it. Yeah, so it's a kind of a love it or hate it project that is Yeah, that's our goal, not to shy away from being adventurous and daring in the interpretation. Oh, that's amazing.

That's wonderful. But can you maybe explore a little bit with this daring part of your interpretation?

As musicians, we learn a lot to make dynamic changes, you know, to say, okay, well, we'll go really pianissimo, really fortissimo. And there's a lot of contrast in dynamic. But in terms of metrum and time, we stick to the bar lines, and we learn that, okay, you can't change tempo unless it's indicated, and you can't change many things unless the composer writes it. But we feel like a composer— there's a lot more than what's written on the score. He wants an he or she wants a feeling in the end, and the feeling is more important than obeying every mark on the score meticulously and almost academically. So we took great liberties, especially in terms of timing. So we would slow down and accelerate where we felt that the text needed that. And we would often sit with the scores and just discuss them without performing them, without singing or playing them, just looking at the score itself and trying to find out what is behind the notation, what is behind the lines and the dots. And yeah, so I think mostly in terms of trying new things, that the, the recordings are hopefully special.

So, uh, Emil, like, you know, from what I've read, Schubert 200 is aimed at a new generation of Schubert and Lied enthusiasts, very directly asking why this music still matters in the 21st century and so on. So why do you think Schubert's music continues to speak so strongly to modern listeners?

Well, there's two great quotes about Schubert's music from his own time, from contemporaries. And the one is negative and the one is positive, but they both apply still today. So the one is from a music critic from the Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung, which was a big newspaper in in Vienna at the time, and he said that Schubert modulates like no other composer on the whole globe, and it's just modulation, modulation the whole time, and one can't settle down in any key before he modulates again. That's right, you're right. Yeah, and that, I think, a composer like, you know, the French school, César Franck, who was telling his students, modulate, modulate all the time. But that was 100 years— well, not 100 years, but 80 years later. And so, but at the time of Schubert, it was very— it was considered negative to modulate so often. And the second quote is from Schumann, who was a huge admirer of Schubert, even at a time when Schubert wasn't known. Schumann spoke about Schubert's himmlische Länge, the heavenly lengths of his sonata, the sonata movements and the sections in his works. So you would have a huge movement of maybe 10 minutes, and then Schubert would write repeat, and then it would be repeated. Many early recordings and early performers left out the repetitions. Also, for example, the final sonata, the D. 960 Sonata, these really long sections that are just exploring different worlds. And then one thinks, okay, well, he's going to go on, but he writes repeat. And these are the heavenly length, which for me is almost like a bit like Zen, Zen Buddhism, something that's very minimalistic and repetitive. That continues without trying to entertain and trying to impress. It's just something very, very spiritual and, like I said, minimalistic, which was very special for that time. Because if one compares it to Beethoven, Haydn, there's a lot of inventiveness and, you know, in Haydn especially, making certain humorous turns in the music, and with Beethoven trying out new— what would I say? How would I put it? New directions in the music. But there's always something to entertain and never to bore a person, never to dull the listener. But I think Schubert doesn't care about that. It's just something that just flows from his soul, and sometimes it repeats and sometimes just goes on and on. And there's something very special and unique to that.

You are absolutely right. And there's like a really continuous meditative element to it too, you know? Yeah. Oh, wow. Now, when you talk about you know, a new generation? Are you thinking about cultivating new audiences, you know, by education, or about speaking, or maybe to listen, you know, maybe just hold on to the current listeners to maybe cultivate their love?

Yes, well, that's a, it's a good question. It's very important to us that, uh, that Schubert remains, um, you know, important in these times where things go so fast, you know, with social media and everything's going so quickly. Instagram Reels of 10 seconds, and, you know, we want to be entertained all the time. And I think it's very rare to sit down and have time to read a novel like War and Peace or Anna Karenina that is just so long. And needs so much time and dedication because the modern world is just so full of distractions. So for us, it's important to work with the young generation and to make a place for enjoying the time and the peace that's in Schubert, not to rush on to a new challenge, a new distraction. And we have different ways to do this. We have recorded, for example, a series of podcasts with SWR, which is the Southwestern Radio of Germany, where we not only speak about Schubert, but also demonstrate things on the piano that we're talking about, which is sometimes very useful. We're planning to publish a children's book on Schubert, which is a heart project of Samuel's that has been for many years on his heart and mind. So that will be coming out. And yeah, we're teaching as well different masterclasses and workshops for young singers. So yeah, that's our way of contributing to the to the younger generation. Oh, that sounds amazing, especially the children's book.

Yeah. Are you going to talk about his life or music or maybe altogether in the book?

Well, it's a— that's a good question. The, the, the plan— I won't give away too much, but the plan is to make something more abstract about, um, some— a story that a child can can relate to and maybe is about something, you know, connecting the world to the stars and to the night, to these themes that are so important to Schubert. Life and the universe and the night sky, things like that, that are, yeah, not only to Schubert, but also to the Romantics in general. Yeah, so, so it won't be specifically about, about Schubert's life, but it will be kind of an introduction to his, his world.

Wow, what a beautiful way to connect to young, young audience. Uh, imaginative. Yes, definitely. Wow, beautiful. So now, alongside this lead project, you're also embarking on a separate long-term undertaking. Whoa, blows my mind. Recording of Schubert's complete piano works, right? Yeah. Oh, do you have like 48 hours in a day? I don't know how you do it, but wonderful. Now I've been listening to Schubert Piano Works Volume 3, you know, and which includes the Sonata No. 15, I believe, and then also Moments Musical, very famous cycle. So what struck me was the clarity of your storytelling and how emotion emerges without being forced, you know. And Schubert left us such an expansive body of piano work and sonatas and impromptus. But where are you now in this journey, and how many volumes do you imagine still lie ahead?

Well, um, yes, it is a, it is a huge undertaking, and I'm at the one— on the one side, I'm very honored and, and excited to be part of this project and to have this entrusted to me. But on the other hand, as you say, it's daunting and it's a lot of work, especially because I feel that these pieces are so great and so magnificent that they need the dedication to them. They don't— it doesn't do them service to just learn them and record them and move on. One has to really immerse oneself in the world that is behind them. And that takes time and just, yeah, time and space to just, like I said, this heavenly length, which is in Schubert, it cannot be rushed. Yeah, the project will be 9 albums, in total. Wow. And the plan is to finish the project by 2028, which is the big anniversary, the 200-year anniversary of Schubert's death. And, uh, yeah, I just— as you mentioned, the Volume 3 is the, the final works, the final sonata and the moments musicaux. Um, the moments musicaux are very special to me because they're they're like little improvisations almost that Schubert wrote separately. He didn't really plan them to be part of a sonata or a larger work. And then I think he just put them together in a set in a way like the Drei Klavierstücke, the three piano pieces, which are also very late. And also very special late works, in a way foreshadowing the works of Schumann and Brahms.

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The small miniatures that Schubert— that Schumann wrote throughout his life, and the Brahms, you know, the intermezzi, the late piano works, the rhapsodies. The smaller miniatures that he wrote as well. Yes, and the next album, which is coming out in June 2026, will be Schubert's early piano sonatas. So the first 4 piano sonatas that he wrote. And these are also very interesting because he would sometimes start a sonata and give up, which is something that he kept his entire life. I think he didn't feel very confident as a composer, like I mentioned, being in the shadow of Beethoven. Very late in his life, in his short life, he started actually taking counterpoint lessons because he felt that he couldn't write counterpoint, fugues, canons, as well as other composers. So for me, it's very touching to imagine Schubert going to, you know, compositional lessons in Vienna. It's very moving to know that this great composer considered himself unworthy of writing fugues and canons. Yes, but the early works are interesting because they they're just so full of inventiveness that they're— yeah, it's mind-boggling. I never really paid attention to them. I think many pianists are not confronted with the early sonatas of Schubert. We focus on the middle and the later works, but they're just— it's just incredible and virtuosic as well. I was really— I had to really sit down and play a bit of piano there.

So I really look forward to that. But, you know, as you mentioned, he lived such a short life, you know, in his 30s. Despite of that, do you feel like the huge difference in early— his early works and then late works?

Yes, I think he at some point he found— I wouldn't say he found his voice, but he allowed himself to sing his own song, you know, to let out what he felt in his heart. I think the early sonatas, he's very self-conscious and what we call the weight of history on his shoulders. So when one studies music and studies composition, you know, you go through all the older composers and the development of music theory and music history and compositions, and you feel like, what can I contribute now? And I get that feeling with his early works. He felt that he had to, you know, in a way build on what was already there and pay homage to the great Viennese composers of the time, of Beethoven and Haydn. And to fit into this piano sonata genre. And that's something that he took a long time to break free from, because Schubert has a very different voice to Haydn and Beethoven, a lot more fantasy, I think, and experimental in many ways. So many of his middle and later sonatas are difficult to analyze, in fact, because they just take such different routes and pathways. One would start with a melody and develop that melody and then have another melody, and they would— it would just flow from one place like a stream of consciousness in a way, whereas Haydn and Beethoven are like architects. They have everything constructed perfectly, and it's like a cathedral in a way. If you look at Beethoven's late piano sonatas, or the middle piano sonatas especially, the architecture is astounding. And then he would bridge the subject to the dominant and then return to this key, and everything would have architectural meaning, whereas Schubert floats along, very naively compared to Beethoven, but I think very honestly. And yeah, so that is something that's very special with Schubert. Yeah, I think also pianistically, it's interesting to note that Schubert was not a great pianist. He struggled even to play his own works. And he was in bad luck because nobody else played his pieces. So in order for someone to perform his piano sonatas, he would have to play them himself. And sometimes he would just stop in the middle and say, I just can't do this. The famous story is of the Wanderer Fantasie, where he threw his hands up in the air and started cursing and said, let the devil play this. Yeah. So many of his works, I think the large majority of his piano sonatas, symphonies, string quartets, he never heard. They were just never performed. And, uh, they were— yeah, it's, it's just, it moves me almost to tears to think that this great, great music, the person who wrote them down on paper never heard them, which is— yeah, it's very moving to me.

You are recording the entire piano solo pieces, so I'm curious, especially like, you know, people love Schubert's Impromptus. They're very famous. So are you recording them later, or you you have already recorded in the previous volumes?

So the first set of Impromptus I've recorded, the D899, and the second set will be in fact the Volume 5. So that I will— I decided, as you mentioned, the Impromptus are so famous and so beloved and have been recorded so many times by such great pianists that I'm very respectful for them. I mean, I'm respectful of the rest as well, but I take special precaution with especially the second set of Impromptus. So I will be doing some solo piano tours with them before I record them, just to let them ripen a bit and mature before running to the studio. Yeah, the second set of impromptus is to me just heavenly because Schubert, like I mentioned earlier, he's not confined by sonata form because they're impromptus. So even though they have vague sonata forms and different sections that return and modulations that are consistent to the key, they still are not confined to the sonata form of Haydn and Beethoven. And I think that gives Schubert a lot of liberty. Returning to his songs, I think that is one of the reasons why he's such a great song composer, because he was the first to really specialize in the German art song. Of course, there were wonderful songs by Haydn and Beethoven and Mozart, of course, but Schubert was the one who made it unique and made it a great genre, and who added importance to the genre. Because I think a composer like Haydn wrote songs on the sideline, that it wasn't his main focus. And of course, as a young composer, a string quartet or a symphony would be something that you pour your soul inside, but a song would be something that you write for, for entertainment maybe, or just, yeah, on the sideline. And Schubert, I think, was the first who realized that literature, that there's this great literature that needs a voice and that gets an added life through the music. A poet like Wilhelm Müller would maybe not be known today if it wasn't for Schubert, who just felt a kindred spirit and notated the feelings that he felt through the words. Yeah, so getting back to your question about the impromptus, they're just such special works and so, yeah, pure Schubert, like coming from his heart, not coming from his head as the early sonatas do. So yeah, that's something that I'm looking forward to and that is a big, big project for me.

I'm looking forward to the next two albums for sure. I mean, the rest of the albums. But, um, so for our audience, where can they find your music? Available on all streaming services?

Yes, I think on, on most streaming services and on, uh, on disc as well, on compact disc that one can, that one can buy. I, I, I myself don't even own a CD player, uh, but I think, um, Yes, on all major platforms— Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, of course, Deezer, Tidal available.

But if they want to purchase the hard copy, where is a good place to go?

Well, I think Amazon has availability, and the label itself, which is Henssler Classics, Uh, they do sell, uh, as well. And, uh, of course, anyone who can't access, uh, a disc as well is welcome to write to me on my website, and I'll be happy to, to arrange that.

Your website is, um, your last name, right? Yes, buschakewicz.com. Buschakewicz.com. Okay, I'll make sure to list that link in the show notes, so I encourage all my listeners to go ahead and either buy the— purchase the album, purchase expansive albums actually, or listen to them on your favorite streaming services. I kind of want to go back to the song part, like an art song, especially as a pianist, like functioning as a collaborative pianist. So you've spoken about the pianist's role as both a partner and then kind of a conductor, and leading and following at the same time. So what are some of the challenges you encountered as a pianist over the course of your career as a collaborative pianist? Here in the United States, we say it collaborative pianist, but I think if there's a German word, Leadbegleiter.

Yes, I'm trying. Yes, I, I, uh, I'm actually torn between two worlds because I understand collaborative pianist is very respectful, but for me, I have nothing— I, I personally have no problem with the term accompanist because I think it's very beautiful to accompany someone on a on a journey, you know, to accompany someone hand in hand, uh, is very, very special and very, uh, very helpful to that person. It's not, it's not degrading, I, I think. Um, and that's the word Begleiter in Germany, is, is accompanist. So, uh, yeah, but, uh, and a collaborator, of course, in, in French and, uh in French and German, it has slightly negative connotations related to the war, collaborators during the war, but in English it doesn't have that. So it's just, it's, it's an interesting, um, it's an interesting term, and, and I'm fine with, with both. Um, yes, so to your question There's the famous book by Gerald Moore, who was the legend of collaborative pianists with singers, of course the great accompanist of Fischer-Dieskau, of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, of Victoria de los Ángeles, and many others. And his famous autobiography is called Am I Too Loud? And I often think about that because often audience members comment on the fact that I'm not too loud or that the balance was good and things like that. And I find that very interesting because it's very seldom that, you know, take for example the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. It ends with this frantic violin playing, I think, in octaves, and the orchestra is playing forte or fortissimo at the same time. And one can't really hear the violin because the orchestra is so loud. And I think Tchaikovsky meant it exactly like that, that one sees the violin going crazy on stage and one just hears the orchestra. And that's such a wonderful impression visually to see that. It's just a moment of pure magic for me. And I think that there are moments in art song as well where the piano is louder than the voice, and they're also very special, maybe just little moments because— and short moments because one wants to hear the text and the lyrics, of course. But I think there's a wonderful balance when the piano is a partner of the voice and not submissive to the voice. So yeah, for me, it's a great challenge to bring out the singer's voice as much as possible so that I can play maybe a bit more bass or a bit more treble, a bit more melody, and have a dialogue with the singer. And that's for me a great— not only a challenge, but a lot of fun as well, to see how far I can push it and challenge the singer as well to take maybe musical risks and be more adventurous and just have fun. Because I think when that happens, the audience enjoys it as well. And it's just Yeah, a lot of excitement.

I feel like, you know, as a— why we're saying about collaborative pianist or accompanist is that we're not just there to providing the background music like a machine, but there's an element of really putting the music together, no? So doesn't it take a while, the process? Not about learning notes, that's something that you do as a homework, but, you know, come together and negotiate the space, not just the loudness or softness, but about the pace and how the melody and then the counter melody, all the good things just go together with lyrics, right? Does it take— it takes a while, no?

Right? Yes, it does. And it's, it's so much fun to, to just approach it every time, uh, from, from a fresh start point. And especially to discuss it without the music, I think. You know, to go for a walk and talk about the poem or to talk about the music and the interpretation. There's one of my favorite recordings of all time is Glenn Gould playing Brahms' Intermezzo. Wow. Do you know that recording? No, I don't. Yeah, I highly recommend it because it's not what one expects of Glenn Gould. And he writes in the program notes that he didn't play the pieces at all before recording them. For 2 weeks, he just read the score, sitting on a couch or at a table and just looking at the score without touching the piano. And then he just went to the recording studio and recorded them without ever having practiced them. It might be a bit of a Glenn Gould story, and yeah, he liked the controversy, of course, and things like that, but I think there's something special to that, and I can imagine him doing that because he was such a such a great mind and such a wonderful pianist that he could do something like that. And so I take inspiration from that story to think that it's also very rewarding to discuss a score and to discuss an interpretation without performing it. You know, before one even touches the piano or sings the music, that one just reads the score like a book and discusses it. There's another great story, if I may mention an anecdote about Brahms, who said that the most perfect work of music was Don Giovanni of Mozart, and the perfection was in the score. So he said any performance of Don Giovanni is bound to be imperfect. Because as soon as it is sung and performed, there's some horn that plays a false note, or a singer sings maybe with bad intonation, or the orchestra is too loud, something like that. There's always something that goes wrong in a live performance, but on paper it's perfection. So he said he never wants to hear Don Giovanni. It's a work that he wants to read in winter at the fireplace. But he went against his own words, and he did hear Mahler conducted, and he loved it. So yeah, I suppose a mixture of both is good.

Yes, yes, definitely. Well, that's interesting. So, you know, this idea of salon music, it was very, you know, Schubert idea, right? The famous Schubert Tieden, small gatherings among friends filled with poetry, song, and conversation. I feel like it's coming back in this post-COVID era. I'm seeing a lot of salon-type music in New York City, like for example, the music held at someone's homes, private homes, immersive spaces, or even at someone like a loft, for example. Do you feel that return of this, uh, Shubhertiya Din tradition in 2026? I, I do.

I think I do. And, uh, it's for me very special to, to be part of that, uh, because of course, um, when one tends to give concerts sometimes for big big audiences, big halls, and then at other times for smaller venues. And for me, the Lied is such a personal and intimate genre that it does very well in small settings. Of course, many organizers prefer concerts for many people, and it brings in more revenue, but for me, some of the most beautiful and intimate moments I've had have been with smaller audiences in settings in a way similar to what Schubert himself experienced at his own Schubertiadels, which were very special. If I might give a bit of a historic background, at the time of Schubert, during the years he lived in Vienna, The ruler was Metternich, who ruled with an iron fist and was very worried that Austria would follow the path of France into revolution. So he kind of imposed very strict rules about gatherings. One had to get permission to have gatherings of more than 6 or 7 people, and there were curfews at night. One had to return home before a certain hour. So many of the Schubertiades that Schubert organized and took part of at friends' houses were in fact illegal. So I think that made them very special. And today, of course, we don't— it's not illegal to meet and to gather in most parts of the world, fortunately. But we've grown accustomed to live a large portion of our lives online, on virtual, you know, virtually. And I think it's become almost special to meet and to gather in small groups in someone's house or in small venues, have a glass of wine maybe. I think it's something very special. And for me as a pianist, it's always wonderful to have small concerts because I often play in halls that are bigger. I perform and I go home, or I go back to the hotel, and that's it. And for me, it's much more special to have a smaller concert in a smaller intimate venue or at someone's home and to meet the audience, to talk with them, to hear feedback. It's very special, and I enjoy it very much.

Wow, and I really love hearing that Yeah, that you enjoy, you know, salon sort of setting concerts as well as big venues. Like, yes, you have so many extensive experiences as a concert pianist. So now I want to talk about where you came from, so how you discovered the taste of this whole musical journey, right? So I think you were born in Israel. But you moved to South Africa at such a young age with your family, correct? Yes, that's right.

I moved when I was quite young, and the music was— music, especially classical music, was very much part of my family. I got it from my— I think from my grandmother, who loved especially Beethoven very much, and that's the reason why she named my mother Leonora. Who is the main female character of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, of course. And yeah, I grew up with a lot of music around me. My sister's an incredible violinist, and my brother's a classical guitarist and composer. And yeah, there was a lot of music around home all the time.

Wow, fantastic. And then you were surrounded by music and literally your siblings are, including you, accomplished musicians. Yeah. Then you studied in Leipzig and also Paris as well, right? Yes. Yes. Tell me more.

Well, my first inspiration to this path that I chose, or that chose me as a song pianist, as a collaborative pianist, was through a wonderful professor in South Africa, Heinrich van der Mecht, who studied in Hanover with Carl Engel, who's one of the great interpreters of, of artsong and of Mozart especially. Wonderful Mozart concerto recordings from him. And, uh, yeah, that inspired me in the journey of, uh of the art song. And then I also was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor and teacher in Leipzig, Philip Moll, who is still a wonderful mentor to me. He's retired now and lives in Berlin and has just a huge amount of experience as a pianist in many different genres, worked with great instrumentalists, with great singers, and just has a huge knowledge of the repertoire and of the life that one lives as a traveling troubadour.

Wow. Then, you know, you obviously traveled a lot and, you know, throughout continents, right? And so How has this mix of cultures, which I'm so jealous of, you know, because I love different cultures and being able to really experience as an artist, you know, that's incredible. And but how this mix of cultures shaped your artistry, the way you hear music, for example, the way you make music?

That's a great question. And that's something that's very important to me is uh, you know, learning from different cultures and paying my respects to them. And to, you know, it's just incredible. It's an incredible privilege to be able to travel and to see so many wonderful places, meet wonderful people, and hopefully bring them some, some joy and some some, you know, musical satisfaction. I come from a family that's very kind of— has many different roots, and I have citizenships on 4 different continents, which is also— wow. Yeah, so I think I'm very honored to combine the two passions that I have, music and traveling, into one career. And that's— it's just every time I have to pinch myself and say, well, what's incredible to, you know, other people pay to travel to certain places and I get paid to travel to them, which is something that I I don't take lightly, and I always try and remember it and be thankful and to enjoy it while I can. Yeah.

Wow, that's fantastic. But how many languages do you speak?

Not enough. Not actually. Yeah, I'm becoming a father very soon, which is very exciting. And this will be something that I'll be thinking of a lot, you know, what language will the child be learning and what languages. And of course there's a temptation to teach many languages, as many as possible to the child, but one has to be careful not to overdo things, of course, not to be too zealous. Um, but they are, they're, you know, 2, 3 languages which I would, which I would still love to learn. Um, as an art song pianist, as a collaborative pianist, one is exposed to German a lot, of course, German, English, French, and Spanish, I'd say. Of course, they're wonderful Russian art songs as well. And then there's, you know, any language, you name it, there's the great art songs. So there's just, it's an endless path of discovery. And that is another privilege as a pianist to not only work with wonderful music, but also with literature and great literature from great composers, you know. The great settings of Pushkin in Russian, the Goethe in, in, in German, of course, Heine, Eichendorff, Mörike, and wonderful English poetry from across the Atlantic, you know, from both sides, from England, from Australian art song, American art song, which has its own long tradition. So yeah, it's, it's, it's a lot of discovery and always something new and fresh.

So, well, almost congratulations being a father. Yeah, thank you. That's exciting. That's so life-changing moment. It is. Yes. Yeah. And then with all the projects you do, you are giving birth to music too, you know what I mean? Like, so that's, that's exciting. Yeah. Yes, that is true. That is true. Full of, you know, birth to something new. It's always, always, especially in a time like this, these kind of moments are so precious, right? That's true.

That's true. I think it's interesting what you say because I think as a performer, I mean, you're a pianist as well. It's so, it's strange because a lot of what we do is abstract. Performing in a concert, and one prepares for so long for this performance, and afterwards it's all in the air, you know. It's maybe in people's minds and, and hopefully in their, in their hearts as well, but it's, it's very abstract. Whereas, uh, you know, uh, uh, artists who paints a painting, the painting is there and stays there for hundreds of years. Uh, so for me, like you say, the, the albums are— it's almost like giving birth in a way, creating something that, that's hopefully a contribution to, to culture, that can— that's, that's something concrete that can stay for hopefully a few years.

Thank you for sharing all your wisdom and knowledge, and I'm learning a lot by speaking with you.

Yeah. Oh, thank you. That's kind of you.

Yeah. And you're such a good teacher too. So now, speaking of that, you teach and give master classes around the world, you know, from working with young pianists preparing to collaborate with singers, also maybe teaching them about being a soloist as well. So from a technical standpoint, what are some of the most common challenges these young artists face?

Well, I think One example is a wonderful young pianist I taught in China who played La Campanella of Liszt, which is, you know, legendarily difficult technically. And it was just played, you know, perfectly. It was just so perfect. But he didn't know really what the title was or who the composer was. And that creates a— it's an interesting question to think, you know, how much does one need to know of the history and the concept behind the work? And I think it does help on the long term, even though it's really impressive what one can do technically. I think, you know, being involved in the history and the culture and the story of the composer's life is is also so important in interpreting it. Um, so for me, I often try to bring these aspects in and not just to focus on the technical, because I, I, I often teach, uh, someone just once. I have 1 hour and, uh, and then that's it. And I think if I focus on technical things, it will maybe just confuse them or, or you know, it will maybe give them a little bit of help for some technical problem or technical issue, but I'm not sure if it will inspire them for the, you know, for the long term. And I think it's, it's more important to me— the, the inspiration is so important because then one really has the discipline to focus on, on, on learning something, a sonata, let's say, let's take Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Sonata, which is this huge piece. The willpower it takes to sit down for hours and learn this work is so immense that one has to have some reason to do it. And I think for a young pianist, it's so inspiring to think, okay, I can achieve something one day if I sit down and work consequently and carefully as a pianist, one day I can be able to travel, to earn my living, to, you know, make— bring people joy through these performances. I think that is the most important to me as a teacher, to try and find something that can motivate and inspire a young a young person. Beautifully said.

Now, you've also offered, you know, benefit concerts and masterclasses for humanitarian causes in places like Ethiopia and Brazil and so on. So tell us more about them. Well, this is a—

it's an aspect of my career that I really enjoy. As I mentioned, I love traveling, but classical music doesn't always tend to bring one to developing countries and places like, as I mentioned, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, parts of Africa, parts of South America, which are— which don't have the infrastructure to have regular classical concert series or big performances of great artists. So for me, just just being able to visit these countries and perform for communities there, to try and— I mean, I wouldn't say that— it sounds arrogant to say that I'm contributing in a big way, but even if I just managed to inspire one or two young, young people, it's— for me, it's, it's worth it. Um, yeah, one, one story I have is from a a school in, in rural area of, of Zimbabwe near the border of, of Mozambique where I, I performed at the school. And they had a small grand piano and, uh, I, I played the concert, uh, played a lot of Liszt, I remember, in the, in the concert. And I kind of— the poor piano suffered a lot. And afterwards, the music teacher of the school told me that The Piano had— in fact, it was an old piano that had ivory keys, and over the years the ivory had been, had been taken off and probably sold or had disappeared. So it was just the wooden keys on the piano, and he took old ice cream containers and pieces of plastic and cut out piano keys and stuck them on the wood. So that it would be playable. And it was, it was so moving because the piano was, was in a great condition because of that. He had himself taken the effort to spend hours to repair this piano so that I could play on it. And, uh, yeah, that was just, it was very moving to me.

That is special. And how was it to play on that keys?

They were fine. I, I wouldn't have even noticed it if he had not mentioned it because they were so so perfectly done to the millimeter. Had filed them and sanded them. It was— yeah, that's incredible.

That's an incredible story. Wow. And how were the reactions playing all that Liszt pieces?

They loved it. There was a standing ovation, and I think most of the children there, and maybe the adults as well, had never heard a full piano recital before, so So that was, that was a great, uh, great moment for me and far more special to me than many of the bigger concerts I've given, which, uh, which of course good for my ego and that, but in terms of, of contribution, I'm not sure how much I contributed to, to the audience. Um, yeah, and, uh, together with my, with my wife Letizia Grimaldi we created a non-profit organization called Voices of Orpheus, Les Voix d'Orphée in French, during COVID because we had the time. Many concerts— she's a wonderful soprano and many of our concerts were canceled, of course, so we had the time and it was a project that she had been wanting to do for a long time. And yeah, so together with our the nonprofit association and partners such as the Goethe-Institut and the Alliance Française, the Institut Français, which are worldwide organizations bringing especially German and French culture to the rest of the world. We've collaborated with them very often and Yeah, so that's something very special to me. And some of the most unforgettable musical moments I've experienced have been in such places. Ethiopia, for example, it's such a beautiful country and such generous, warm people. Just, that's a wonderful experience.

Thank you. And your work really involves with such love and empathy, and then it really shows through your playing as well. Yeah, I hope so. Yeah. And so what do you think audiences most need from music today?

Well, I think that, uh, as I was mentioning earlier, the just to take the time to find a place of refuge, to find somewhere where one can just be quiet and be comforted and find some healing from the, the stress and the, the turmoil of everyday life. As I, as I said earlier, life has become so, so quick Everything is very fast and very regulated, you know. It has to be— we need to do this and this and this in a day. And I think music is a space to escape from that and to find, as I said, a place of refuge and almost a place where one can meditate and let things from life sink in, or maybe leave them behind. I think that is— it's almost escapism for me, for me and hopefully for the audience as well.

Absolutely. And healing as well. Yeah, you're right. Yes.

Your podcast is of course focused on creativity, and I think that's something very, very special because as classical music performers, we are vessels of something that has already been composed, and we have this enormous privilege and responsibility of kind of exposing it in a fresh new light. And that's such a great experience because it's creative, And it's in a way, uh, like being a curator of an art gallery, you know. To, to create a new concert program is in a way curating an exposition. And, uh, and I think that's, that's, that's a great privilege. It is.

And wow, what a wonderful conversation it's been. Like, you are such a perfect guest for this season of Creativity and Connection. And, you know, although Schubert is— the pieces, piano solo pieces, traditional classical pieces— however, the way you approach to interpretation, to the way you approach to spreading this wonderful music of Schubert to the rest of the world is just so unique and innovative. And so I not just limited to Schubert. But, you know, so I appreciate you for being here. And we're really coming to the end of our conversation. But is there anything else you want to really—

I need to talk about this? No, I think, as you mentioned, this creativity is for me the embodiment of Schubert, that his music is so— as I mentioned earlier, he was criticized a lot during his time for almost being too creative and not obeying the formal rules of, uh, composition, which were of his time. Uh, and I think that's why I love him so much, because he has this freedom that just— he follows his soul and not his brain, not his, his mind. And that is, for me, the essence of, of Schubert. It's just the, the love and sharing the love That's, uh, and, and sharing the pain as well, because for me, Schubert is pain and love mixed together. And he, he wrote about that as well, how love and pain are so connected. And, uh, you know, in life we have ups and downs, and that's what makes life so special. You know, being on top of a mountain, seeing a wonderful view, it takes a lot of pain and effort to climb that mountain. And, uh, yeah, so I think, uh, for me, Schubert is an expression of what life is. And yeah, so, oh, thank you.

Well, thank you for really sharing this special moment together because I think it's really wonderful. Like, you're almost becoming a parent, you know, it's such a really special moment right now. I'm capturing you, so Yeah, it's really wonderful. So how can my audience get in touch with you? So we talked about your website, bushkovitz.com, to learn more about your work. But, and also, I know there are a lot of exciting recordings coming up. So would you like to maybe promote yourself?

Well, yes, there's the new solo recording coming out in June 2026. The recording of Schubert's 1826 songs in 2026, which is called Hoffnung, as I mentioned, Hope, together with Samuel Hasselhorn. That's coming out in April 2026. And there's a wonderful recording with baritone Konstantin Krimmel of songs by Brahms and Mandyshevsky, which is also coming out later in 2026. This is a special project because it's songs in German and Romanian, and it includes a lot of world premiere recordings of the songs of Mandyshevsky, who was a contemporary of Brahms and a great friend and colleague of Brahms in Vienna. So these are 3 projects which are, which are very dear to me. And, uh, other than that, yeah, I'll be, I'll be traveling a lot and, uh, uh, being recording, being a father, and, uh, and hopefully, um, yeah, sharing this one, this beautiful world with other fellow humans.

Wonderful, thank you. Thank you really for being here and sharing your beautiful stories and expertise. But before I let you go, we have one more thing to do. It's called The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song rapid-fire questions. And then I take this segment very seriously. You shared your stories today, but you know, these next questions will give you, our listeners, a glimpse into who you truly are. So let's do this. Each question is really short. I want you to answer them as the shortest response as possible. So let's start with number 1. What's your comfort food?

Salad, in fact.

Salad? Oh, you're—

yeah, well, I love different kinds of, you know, crazy salads, everything mixed together. It's It's, yeah, crunchy and healthy and yeah. Great.

How do you like your coffee in the morning?

I say black and bitter like my soul.

Cats or dogs?

Dogs. Although I love cats as well, but yeah, dogs are to me almost like people.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. I'm too lazy for sunrise.

Summer, summer or winter?

Ooh, that's a hard one. I'll have to say winter, but in the desert. So that's a compromise.

That's a good one. Yes. Yeah. What skill have you always wanted to learn but haven't had a chance to?

Woodwork. I find, yeah, I find wood very beautiful. And as a pianist, you know, The Piano is, is a lot— it's made out of wood essentially, and wood is what resonates and what creates these beautiful vibrations and sounds. So yeah, woodwork. Wow, yeah, that's great.

What is your word or words to live by?

Um, hope is very special for me. Love, light, and longing.

Ah, longing. Beautiful. Favorite venue you've ever performed in?

That would have to be a place called— a venue called Eukarya in Australia. It's in the Adelaide Hills, which are beautiful. It's a wine region of Australia. And it's covered in glass, so one sees the sunset while one is performing. It's just unbelievable.

Wow. What is the most important quality you look for in other people?

Uh, honesty, I think. Yeah. Even if it's direct and brutal, just honesty. Honestly.

Great. Name a composer you wish more people knew about.

Well, that would be Mandyshevsky, who I, whom I mentioned, which, whom I, I must admit, didn't even know about. But yeah, as I mentioned, the contemporary of Brahms, beautiful Slavic romantic music, very special.

Yeah, I need to check him out. Yeah. Name one piece in your current playlist, any genre.

Well, At the moment, it's the Elijah of Mendelssohn, the oratorio, which is for me incredible music.

The last question: fill in the blank, music is blank.

Uh, music is light, I would say.

Thank you so much for joining us today, for sharing your story, artistry, and journey throughout.

Thank you so much, Yukimi Song. Oh, great pleasure to have been here. Thank you.

So for our audience, if you would like to explore more of Emil's incredible work, please visit www.lischkowitz.com and listen to his acclaimed recordings available wherever you listen to music. And of course, a huge thank you to all of you for tuning in today. And if you enjoyed today's episode, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to The Piano Pod on YouTube, share the, uh, and review this episode on favorite platform and tag us @ThePianoPod. It's one of the best ways to help our community grow, and we love hearing your feedback. For the latest updates, guest news, and stories that inspire creativity and connection, follow The Piano Pod on Substack, TikTok, and LinkedIn. We'll see you in the next episode of The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song with Yamil. Thank you, Yamil, once again.

Thank you, Yukimi Song. All the best to Yeah, same to you.

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