Who or what inspired you to take up piano and pursue a career in music?
When I was very young, my grandmother made up a game of tapping a rhythm and having me name the song the rhythm was from. She seemed to think I was good at this game so one day, as a 4-year old, I was taken to an admission test for a “special music school for gifted children” in Riga, Latvia (the former USSR). After tapping out some more rhythms, singing and matching pitches, I remember being asked whether I wanted to play the violin because my 4th (ring) fingers were relatively long. I said that I couldn’t play the violin “because we didn’t have one at home but we already had a piano” and so it was decided. I spent 9 years at that school and received an excellent musical foundation. It was always assumed by my family that I would become a musician. There was also a personal experience of catching the music-making “bug” which remains a vivid memory. I was once practicing a piece by Khachaturian called “Ivan’s Song” and suddenly I heard myself play and appreciated the beauty of the music; there also seemed to be a meaning to that haunting melody which couldn’t be put into words. I guess a part of me understood the importance of this experience and I realized that I have a skill which, in turn, gave me a sense of identity.
Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?
I was always fascinated by the piano’s orchestral potential and studied many transcriptions, primarily by Liszt and Busoni. That led me to making my own piano versions of music I was dying to play on the piano, like “A Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky.” Not being a composer, transcribing still gives me a feeling of creating something new. I also love jazz and the freedom it gives and try to bring an fresh, improvisatory element to my playing. And of course there were various teachers along the way, Vladimir Feltsman being the most important one.
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
Unquestionably, the need to propel one’s career is a challenge to many musicians and it has been a source of many soul-searching hours for me. Motherhood was also a show-stopper, literally. That existential struggle between just wanting to play the piano for my personal growth as a musician and serving the larger purpose of bringing art and beauty to people because of my training and calling is always present.
Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?
My most recent recording, the newly transcribed set of “Brandenburg Duets” is a result of several painstaking years arranging all 6 Brandenburg Concertos by Bach for piano-4-hands. Embarking on a project of such magnitude taught me an important lesson on perseverance. I am very happy with the way the recording came out and grateful to my piano partner Jenny Lin and the Grand Piano label of Naxos Records for making the CD set a reality. The feedback has been tremendous so far as I am constantly being told by listeners that they just love how the music makes them feel and how the piano conveys the material somewhat more clearly than an orchestra in this case and brings the concertos into a new perspective. It feels great to have been able to pull this off and I can’t wait to get the arrangements published.
Which particular works do you think you play best?
I have always found playing Bach gratifying, especially the Partitas, since it’s a challenge and a thrill to memorize long sequences of such superior material and to have to focus on precision and conveying intentional meaning to such a degree. His music is an endless source of wonder. I love Liszt, especially his poetic and mystical side, and have had some transformative experiences while playing his music. I feel a special affinity for the musical personalities of Schumann and Brahms and the Russians, of course, since they permeated my upbringing. I also absolutely revel in Spanish music, particularly Albeniz.
How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?
There is usually a mental queue of repertoire in my head and possible combinations which evolve over time. I try to play the music I enjoy most.
Who are your favourite musicians?
I have heard some amazing recitals by Radu Lupu where one’s attention was held from the very first note until he walked off stage. I love Martha Argerich, Richter, the recordings of Gyorgy Cziffra and Rachmaninov.
Do you have a favorite concert venue to perform in and why? What is your most memorable concert experience?
I had an epiphany a long time ago while waiting to perform a harpsichord recital at a small venue on City Island, in the Bronx. In the middle of the usual, mild pre-concert anxiety, it occurred to me that the audience members were gathering to hear Bach at noon on a Sunday because it was important to them. They made the trip instead of taking a nap or watching TV. My nervousness and ego didn’t matter, what mattered was transmitting the music they wanted to hear in a manner worthy of the task. Since then the venues and other details became secondary to the privilege of being the medium for this singular venture.
As a musician, what is your definition of success?
Being able to hold people’s attention and transport them into a different time and place.
What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
As much as I venerate iconic pianists, I think that one shouldn’t listen to recordings before learning a particular piece well enough to have found one’s own interpretation, however initially tentative it may be. Other than hours of practice and years at schools and conservatories, It’s important to have cultural and artistic references to gain a deeper understanding of music we perform. Traveling, reading, looking at art and investigating historical details will help you find a unique voice and interpretation. In turn, that unique voice will help a musician find success in today’s musical market.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being alone in a (pleasant) place I’ve never been before.
What is your most treasured possession?
Without a doubt, my Bosendorfer piano.
Eleonor Bindman’s Brandenburg Duets were completed and recorded in 2017 and released by Naxos Records on their Grand Piano label in March 2018
Praised for “lively, clear textured and urbane” performances and “impressive clarity of purpose and a full grasp of the music’s spirit” (The New York Times), New York-based pianist, chamber musician, arranger, and teacher, Eleonor Bindman has appeared at Carnegie Hall, The 92 Street Y, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and on solo concerto engagements with the National Music Week Orchestra, the Staten Island Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the New York Youth Symphony, and The Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, Russia. Ms. Bindman is a prizewinner of the New Orleans, F. Busoni and Jose Iturbi international piano competitions and a recipient of a National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts award.
Born in Riga, Latvia, Ms. Bindman began studying the piano at the E. Darzins Special Music School at the age of five. Her first piano teacher, Rita Kroner, hailed from the studio of Heinrich Neuhaus, the venerable Russian piano pedagogue. After her family immigrated to the United States, she attended the High School of Performing Arts while studying piano as a full scholarship student at the Elaine Kaufmann Cultural Center. She received a B.A. in music from NYU and completed her M.A. in piano pedagogy at SUNY, New Paltz under the guidance of Vladimir Feltsman. The Poughkeepsie Journal describers Ms. Bindman as a strong pianist who attacks her work with great vitality and emotion…and mesmerizes her audiences with her flair and technique” (Barbara Hauptman).
The Cross-Eyed Pianist 