Raised by parents who were both pianists, Burnett Thompson's passion for music was ignited at an early age. Burnett is back in Shanghai this week for the premiere of "The Sonnet Song Cycle" in Chinese, collaborating with top-notch musicians and prepared for the unexpected.
How did you get into playing piano?
My mother and father both play the piano. My mother is very disciplined, reads music quite well, and as my first teacher, was quite diligent in finding me the best teacher. My father played jazz arrangements by ear, could not read music, and is very relaxed about music. So I guess I am a combination of the two. My mother was pretty "Chinese mom" about my practicing, since I hated to practice and wanted to quit every day.
How did ‘The Sonnet Song Cycle’ project come about?
It was born as part of a series of silent movies that I assembled music for in collaboration with the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, the Shakespeare Theatre, Freer Gallery, Goethe Institute, in Washington, DC. Eventually we were doing silent movies based on the Shakespeare plays, which led to including the Sonnets as part of the program. I have always been intrigued by the dark and conflicted content of the Sonnets, and was at first accompanying readings of the poems. Naturally, it occurred to me to do a song cycle. The idea of translating to Chinese came to me at the same time that I thought the best place in the world to perform the cycle in Mandarin would be twocities gallery. I would like to give better reasons, but honestly these ideas just popped into my head. Next stop will be Granada, Spain, with a new Spanish translation.
What do you love about what you do?
I love to perform. I love to teach. I love meeting new people. I love introducing people to the amazing, complex qualities of music and learning. This means that I am always around extraordinary people, and several of them will be performing with me at twocities. On stage, you never know what is going to happen. Prepare, plan, prepare - but in an improvisational environment; it will all be new. Thus everybody onstage and in the audience will be transformed in ways that we simply cannot plan. This is a principal reason why I and many others delve into the performing arts.
How do you contribute to building the “good city” in what you do?
I have always made it a habit to surround myself with people more talented than I am. The engine of the city enables us all to develop partnerships that make the sum vastly superior to the parts. While waiting to achieve our own goals, it is very invigorating to help others achieve their goals. In fact, this is now my favorite activity, especially when it comes to emerging performers. Enormously gifted artists also have enormous needs to make sure that their voices are properly conveyed to the world. I thrive on helping talented people move on to the next level.
If you could describe Shanghai in one word, what would it be? Why?
Urgency. Things happen fast in China, and in Shanghai, the Chinese concept of urgency infects everybody in the international community. I always feel like I am going to get things done in Shanghai. Quickly.
"The Sonnet Song Cycle" will be performed this Friday at twocities. Doors close promptly at 7:30 pm; no RSVP required.
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