Portrait of a Piano Prodigy: Elisey Mysin

My name is Elisir Lysin. I started to play the piano at the age of four. I started to play the piano at the age of four. I don't think he's a wunderkind. He's a very gifted boy. Wunderkind was Mozart at the age of six. But he's already twelve. Just a very gifted kid. It's strange to say, but I like it because a normal kid should be lazy. He should be lazy because it's normal. But when it's necessary, you have to know how to work hardly and be very resultive in a very short period because you are responsible. To be lazy and to be responsible, it's possible together. I was playing on the Cleveland International competition for young artists. So in the final round, I played trio and concerto. And the experience with trio was very interesting for me. Before, I've never played trios in school, for example. And it was the first time for me. You need to listen to the balance between violin and cello. How did you do with the competition? You didn't mention it. It was a success for me. I won the first prize. Our next candidate is Alice Myosin from Russia. The Schumann competition. I played a very interesting piece and very difficult. And I also played Bunte Blätter. Emotionally, he is an adult. He can react to emotions, which can be closed absolutely for a 12-year-old boy. It's intuition. The gift of this is instinct, which is just pure. So it is very hard to explain, but I think before I play, I need to listen to this music in my head. And I'm thinking about how to play it better, more interesting. We have to just share the professional things, which are, for example, pedaling. It doesn't matter if it's Chopin or Schumann. You have to breathe with the pedal. And to breathe in service of this phrase. Do you see any markings by your teacher that you remember being important when you were learning it or in your lessons? One of the very important marks is a breath pedal. Because you can't play like... Would you show us the proper way? Yeah. Or how to play the cadence, for example. Of course, sometimes we pass, and you have to understand what you pass and when you just show the cadence. This is up for the artist. But the knowledge how to do it is just professional. So it is like a light touch, and we need to hear main notes. Do not forget the bass notes. To always show the bass note when the harmony changes is important. It's all professional. And in this part of our teaching process, of our collaboration, of course, no freedom. That's impossible. It doesn't matter what age, but especially when it is a kid. It should be in the music. It should be natural. And the problem is how to develop his imagination. And especially in our epoch now, when this world does everything just to kill imagination of all new generation. Do you imagine a picture or a scene when you play? Yes, it is a very interesting piece. It's like wind or shadows, something like that. His mother, Olga, she is very clever. Because he travels a lot, and they, when mother, they always go to some museum, to some exhibition, just to look some palace, or just a lot of interesting things. And they don't stay just in a room, and he doesn't practice for hours this day. And I don't push him to practice already too late, the concert is this evening. Go for a walk, look, what is this city about. Because it's also, it's imagination, it's open eyes. And for example, never you know what he will remember after. In two years, if I ask him, do you remember this city, what was interesting? Maybe his answer will be very strange. Not the palace, not the museum, but some goose. It doesn't matter, but some very funny things on the street. It doesn't matter. Means it is a possibility to react, it is life. And they have to be open for this life. Do not stay and practice, and just to go into the music, and just to be interested in the music, in my view, it's very bad. Life is so rich. Could you talk about this, what is this? This circle and this. So, like, if I say that, like, sync. Sync. So, maybe when you first played it, it wasn't singing enough, it didn't hold on enough. Maybe like this, I played. And how do you play it now? I have another question about a spot here. What does this say here? So, it says that, think about how to play this. Right, so it needs to be different, right, than before? Well, maybe you play it, and then we'll see how is it different than the first time. Oh, like, it's very hard, but you need to return to home. Our first approach to the music is visual. Because first, we just look at this course. Nothing is here, but the picture. And if you react to the picture, it's already some impression of the music. We don't form it verbally, of course, verbally. But it's visual impression. And then, after that, you start just to read. And to be able to read and to understand what composer wanted to text you. Because it's a text from the composer. Yes, I try to keep balance, both composer and how I perform. By the way, I'm not his official teacher. And we work together with Daniel Tsvitkov. He is my ex-pupil. And now we are just colleagues. He's not my assistant. And we work together at school, in special music school. And he's his official teacher. And his job to him is absolutely unbelievable. Because I observe, I show, I drive a bit. Yes, but he's with him twice a week. I like to work in a team. Not to be just alone. I talked to your teacher about this piano. How did you first play it when you showed up for your first lesson? Do you remember? Something like that. What did she say? It is in three parts. Here I have to balance between the size of his hand and his body. Because some repertoire still is difficult. I'm afraid that... The hand is okay, but he's small. Means when you have to just play here and here a lot of chords. Can be not normal tension. And this is very dangerous. Could you show us your hands? Just hold them up. So what is the... Octave. The octave. This position is already difficult. When first and second are very close, it's difficult. Are you looking forward to growing one day? I can do it! It's not so important.