Pianist Ji Sung Lee: “Being a pianist is like a bull rushing to the red cape”

Written by Ut Quyen for Hanoi Grapevine
Photos: Ut Quyen, VNOB

This year’s Autumn Melody Concert, taking place at Hanoi Opera House on Thursday, August 16, marks the first collaboration between young Korean pianist Ji Sung Lee, the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) and conductor Le Phi Phi. Hanoi Grapevine speaks to Ji Sung Lee during the first rehearsal – two days before the concert – about his exciting experience at VNOB.

How did you come to work in collaboration with VNOB?

I was introduced to the VNOB Orchestra concerts at the Hanoi Opera House 6 years ago by a friend. But it was not until this March I just had a chance to go to their concert house for the first time. I thought they were really awesome, the concert house was very nice and neat. During the concert I ran down to the waiting room and asked to talk with the supervisor directly and I met Tran Ly Ly. I told her: “I want to play with your Orchestra.” She was surprised: “Who are you?” So I introduced about myself and my music experience and that I’ve been with a lot of different Orchestras before. And she told me: “OK!” Just OK! After that we exchanged some emails, set out the date, and now I’m here. It is a very cool story isn’t it!

Yes indeed! So what drove you to Vietnam 6 years ago?

I had a big crisis when I was 22 year old. I couldn’t afford the university tuition fee, which was very expensive. I had to provide myself for living and studying, that was too hard. There was times when I thought of giving up the piano and planned to travel somewhere. Meanwhile, a friend in Vietnam invited me to come and give a solo recital. The performance went really well. I met pianist Nguyễn Huy Phương and he invited me one more time in the same year. After that I met more Vietnamese colleagues, my connection in Vietnam grew bigger and bigger. I always feel grateful for my Vietnamese friends who have helped me a lot. For that I can say because of Vietnam I didn’t give up.

It is such a moving story. If playing the piano is so hard for you why did you choose it in the first place? And why Piano but not other instrument? I have to asks this because one of my friend has abandoned playing the piano to play the violin instead for she feel it’s too lonely to be a pianist.

I don’t know why. Maybe because I don’t know any other instrument except the piano (laugh). I used to go to church, and felt in love with the piano when seeing concerts there. At that time I thought I really wanted to play the piano. Then I started playing like a hobby. But things changed when I met my first piano professor Chun Yung Hae. She taught me not only skills but also good manner and inspired me great passion in playing the piano.

It always has to be lonely when you practice music, no matter what the instrument is. So for me, being lonely is a way of living. Do you know bullfighting? The bull always looks at the red cape held by the bullfighter and rushes forward. Even when its body gets pierced by many swords, sometimes more than 100, it still keeps on looking and rushing into the red cape until it eventually dies. I want to be that bull.

You said your first mentor taught you a lot about manner and passion in playing the piano. Can you tell me what is your attitude in being a pianist?

For surviving. I mean, I feel more alive when I play the piano. How can I say. For me playing the piano is even more important than getting marriage (laugh). I also asked some Vietnamese students: Why are you playing the piano. The answers were almost the same every time: “Because I love it.” But for me it is more than that.

Undoubtedly, some pianists are genius, others are not. I think the less gifted pianists will have work really hard. I’m the less gifted one. I was really scared. I’ve been through many failures, 1001 times maybe. And I know why. I started playing the piano quite late, when I was 16 years old. Some of my teachers told me: “Please give up the piano. You don’t have talent.” I received many harsh comments on my music. But I didn’t give up. I practice from 8 to 12 hours per day non-stop. So I think piano is for ardent and earnest people. It requires a great deal of effort. And without ardent, without earnest, we can’t play any instrument. We can’t even create music.

For example one of my most favorite composers is Schubert. In his late 20s, Schubert faced serious illness which caused his early death at the age of 31. If you are sick, what do you do? You take a rest and go to hospital? But Schubert did not do like that. He composed music. He compose 1,500 works in his short lifetime. Do you know why? And Beethoven lose his hearing during the age of 30. A musician who can’t hear anything, how can he manage to compose music until his death 26 years later? Chopin, too. Until his death at the age of 39, after almost 10 year suffering from a serious illness cause him a lot of pain, he still gave concerts, and still composed music. Only the death can stop them in composing music.

I think passion alone is not enough. One has to have earnest and ardent in order to push themselves so desperately in doing something. Like if you do not do it, you die. So whenever I play the piano I always play as if this could be my last performance.

So Chopin is on your list of favorite composers. To play his music in this year Autumn Melody concert would be so exciting for you?

To be honest, I rather feel worried. There are a lot of rubato and ritardando in these two works by Chopin. The tempo is really fast. I just finished my solo recital recently and did not have much time to practice on these two pieces. Also, this is my first time playing Grieg’s Concerto.

Is that so? As I watched your rehearsal this afternoon, everything seemed to go very smoothly, isn’t it?

It’s because Phi Phi’s conducting is really nice. He respects my music. Sometimes I can follow his music, too. So it was really well done. I must say my music is unique. You can feel some different colors compare to other pianists. Because of that, I was quite worried before meeting him today, wondering whether we can work together. But things went exceptionally well.

What do you expect after this concert?

As I said I always feel grateful to Vietnam. I hope to do something to return the favor. I want to help connecting between Vietnamese and Korean music societies, bringing Korean artists to Vietnam and Vietnamese artists to Korea. Meanwhile I also get involved in some projects of teaching young Vietnamese piano students. From October 2nd to the 9th I will organize three big concerts in Korea with 10 piano professors from Vietnam. But first of all, I’m looking for more opportunities to give more concert and performance in Vietnam so I really hope to continue my collaboration with VNOB Orchestra.

Thank you very much!