A Movie “Seymour: An Introduction” 4/5/15

April 5, 2015

Seymour Bernstein started playing the piano as a little boy (that is not actually so special because most of professional pianists start our training pretty early), and he showed his exceptional talent in his early years. Interestingly when he turned 15 he was already teaching piano to others. He enjoyed an amazing performing career, but he gave it up at the age of 50. He did not deal with his fear of losing memory and stage fright at the concerts. So he decided to devote himself to helping others to develop their own gifts. The movie shows his studio apartment in New York City a lot, and if I remember correctly he has been living at the same apartment for 57 years!!! Ethan Hawke met Seymour Bernstein at the dinner party, and that encounter inspired him to make this movie. Ethan was suffering a sort of “Mid-Life Crises”. He was looking for “Authenticity” in his life. Bernstein has an exceptional artist mind, and is very sincere to study music. After the movie was over I heard one audience said she did not know the musicians study scores so carefully, a note by note, and she now so appreciate the music she hears. As a musician myself I sometime could not agree with what Bernstein thinks, but it is still a very good movie to depict the true musician’s life.