Why classical music instead of, perhaps, the more expected genres, like jazz, hip-hop, R & B?
Well with classical music – it sounds a little bit strange – but it’s like defining yourself as tightly as possible. Haydn, Mozart — the music is so refined and there’s something about that. All the corners are rounded off in trying to achieve this sense of order and texture. I was really drawn into that dimension. Which brings up the point that if you’re thinking about a career in classical music, the major thing is that you’ve got to be really, really good, a virtuoso. You don’t make it by being passable or just good enough. It’s not about superficial packaging, which in other musical genres is enough to get by. You have to be good and you have to be really interested in the craft. To achieve at a high level you have to make it a personal journey. You have to be willing to sacrifice, to get better at it. As a pop artist, you might make it big and get that hit and make millions of dollars, but in classical music there’s no such reward. You might get a regular Sunday church-playing gi
