Anne Akiko Meyers: Blog

It’s amazing how similar it is to start with an idea, germinate it, cultivate it and then voila! Give birth to it like a baby.  As I prepare to release my latest album, ‘Air-The Bach Album’ on Valentine’s Day, 2012, I started to think of the process it took to reach this place.

I listened to the Bach Concertos in A minor and E major, and the Double Concerto my entire life. My earliest memories of this music are when we were on a family vacation, driving in the beautiful woods of Canada.  We had to leave our beautiful new puppy named Melody, back home in California. My dad got off the pay phone (that’s how it was back then!) and had a very somber look on his face…we found out she picked up an infection and died in the kennel. It was one of the saddest memories I have as a child and this music was wafting through the car, patting and soaking up my tears…

Andante from ‘Air-The Bach Album’

I also remember playing the Bach Double Concerto at my teacher, Dorothy DeLay’s memorial.  The folks who had their last name begin with A-M got first fiddle and M-Z got second, with Itzhak Perlman conducting.  It was also one of the saddest days of my life, remembering the woman who gave all of us so much to challenge our lives with, joy and humor. But it was incredible to have all these violinists who’s lives were affected by one grand lady, together because of Bach. Playing Bach, I always think how he has influenced our lives with the deep profundity his music has reached in us all.

From the time my record producer at eOne Records, Susan Napodano DelGiorno, started discussing this project, to the actual recording sessions in London, this past May and New York, this past September, to editing, photography, mastering, finalizing product and release, will be a year long process. Just like a baby!  You can see a bit of the incredible making of this album here:

Thank you Johann Sebastian Bach for giving us this incredible music and baby No.2.
I can’t wait to see your pretty face this spring……..

Thank you for sending me all sorts of questions when I suddenly felt I had absolutely nothing new to report or blog about. I asked for 5 questions and herewith I will attempt to answer #1.

Jessica Livermore asked:

It would be really interesting to hear how you balance your career as a talented, independent musician with having a baby and husband. Some women think those things are mutually exclusive, but obviously you do both!

This is a tough one. Natalie (who’s now 15 months) has been the world traveler. Putting up with my demanding travel schedule, she has been everywhere including Germany, France, Japan, Hawaii, New York maybe 10 times, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St.Louis, Seattle-you name it. Thankfully I have incredible support from my better half-that being my husband. He travels with me as well, is sensitive to the rigors and demands of my work while we both deal with the different sleep schedules, the food, playtime and bathroom breaks. Being able to travel the world is incredibly exciting but can really take it’s toll on a baby (and her parents).  The work/rehearsals, his work/phone calls/meetings, practicing, concerts, getting around, emails, and going to sleep after a late concert, is a lot to juggle but oh sooooo worth it. (Where would we be without MUSIC??)
It also really makes one appreciate being home sweet HOME.

I have done some concerts alone and the plane ride definitely turns into a sleep lab and OMG I can actually flip through a magazine but I end up missing her and my husband so much from the road, it can get rough. When I performed in Korea this past March (and she was 9 months old), I was there for a week skyping like crazy. I was seriously dreaming of bursting through the computer to kiss and hold her.
And now, BREAKING NEWS….I am actually pregnant with baby #2 (!!!), it will be even more of a balancing act. I will send updates from the road with our family of 4………in other words I have no words of wisdom but, HELP!!! I am INSANE! and moms, you must know this already, but it helps to try and stay organized.

I am in my old hometown of New York City. It’s so great to be back. The weather is perfect and my tummy and mind are sooooo happy to see all my old haunts. My favorite Italian, Greek, Japanese, Korean and Chinese restaurants…ramen, oden, soba, burgers, pizza, luthiers, radio stations, shopping and friends. It’s all here in about a 3 block radius (okay, I’m slightly exaggerating as I didn’t include Central Park!).

All of this made me think about the reason why I came here originally. I moved to New York to study with Dorothy DeLay, the greatest violin teacher in the world, whom I studied with for 6 years-3 years in the pre-college division and 3 in college, trying to get my bachelor’s degree while touring, recording and flying like a maniac around the world.  Ms.DeLay could have been anywhere-Bloomington, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Boston, Florida…but she chose New York City to teach and be seen in. I am so thankful for this and my home continued to be New York for almost 20 more years after I graduated.

Today, I did an interview for Sirius XM Radio, Symphony Hall and played 2 pieces in tribute to the 10th anniversary of 9-11. Every American remembers that day like the previous generation remembers what happened when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I was in my apartment in New York, and I was supposed to meet a broker downtown to look at some apartments. She phoned me to say she was stuck on the bridge as she heard that some small plane mistakenly flew into some building. She told me to see if I could find out anything more by turning on the TV, and several minutes later, my mouth was on the floor.

The smell, the burning air, the cloud that descended over lower Manhattan was horrifying. One could smell death-lots of it. I soon was asked to take the train to Washington D.C. to perform the Beethoven Triple Concerto at the Kennedy Center, as a violinist could not fly into America at the time. It was scary there too with a rehearsal being called off because a suspicious van was parked outside the Kennedy Center. It was difficult to sleep that entire time knowing what had happened to America.

At Sirius, I was asked to choose 2 pieces to perform. One about reflection and the other about life affirmation. I chose Somei Satoh’s ‘Birds in Warped Time II’, as Michael Arad, the architect who was chosen over 5200 entrants from 63 nations, was the sole entrant to use music.  This music together with his design was chosen and is now, the World Trade Center Memorial.

The second piece I performed was America’s National Anthem. It is one of the most beautiful anthems written (even though the music was an old English drinking song!).  I recently performed this in front of 42,000 baseball fans at a Mariners-Red Sox game in Seattle. Thank you New York City.

A. Work with Michael Bolton

B. Get dragged into the superficial Hollywood world of sycophants and cling-ons, and people who generally have no concept of how music is made and consult with them on a daily basis

C. Never be asked your opinion or get confirmation on the final song/product that’s distributed all over the world and have no recourse if it turns out nothing like you expected

I have learned these 3 valuable lessons when asked to make a duet album with Michael Bolton. I thought the record would be interesting, especially as other artists such as Eva Cassidy (who’s unfortunately passed away), Seal, AR Rahman and Chris Botti (who I have worked with) were also asked to take part in the duet album, ‘Gems’.  I was called when I was in the middle of my horrific trip to Asia, when the devastating earthquake hit Japan. About 2 weeks before the studio sessions in Los Angeles, the lady on the phone told me ‘to make something up’ and improvise when playing U2′s song, “Pride in the Name of Love” with Bolton singing the lead part.  I promptly phoned Gene Pritsker of ‘Variations on Sakura Sakura’ fame, who was in the middle of making a movie score. He sent me an incredible part and 48 hours before the session, when I was performing the Mozart Concerto in G Major on TV in Seoul, Korea, I was frantically practicing this part. It had me playing chords throughout the song, mirroring the guitar throughout the original song with some lovely melodies interspersed to show off the range of  ‘Molly’.  To hear my 1697 Strad violin sounding so glorious in U2′s song, was entirely entertaining in the studio and Michael and Dann Huff, the producer who was skyped in during the sessions, were beyond loving it and sending me happy notes of thanks.

Fast forward to today and while most of what I recorded lies on the cutting room floor, I cannot believe my ears when I finally had to purchase the album myself to hear the final version. There are maybe 2 bars of violin playing put in so softly that one can’t even tell it’s violin-it’s called ‘mime playing’ (and my management team agrees). And that is out of 4 minutes and 26 seconds of loud singing… I have been repeatedly told that my concept of duets is most definitely skewed from the MB camp. Oh, how right they are!

You can read a review from the Boston Herald…

I will be recording the Bach concerti with the English Chamber Orchestra in about one week and have been immersed in studying ornamentation (trills, mordents, etc.) tempi, and dynamics (Bach didn’t put in any dynamic markings).  It’s felt like I have been bathing my soul in Bach. I’d say, it’s a pretty good way to bathe as it is some of the most divine music to play. So much to get through while trying to be as authentic to Bach’s intentions as possible, even though none of the original scores survive today except the harpsichord concertos-which have all been arranged or transcribed from oboe/violin concertos. Confused? It seems everybody has an opinion of how Bach should be played. Some “purists” think that Bach would have a coronary if he actually heard his harpsichord concertos on a piano or his violin concertos without gut strings and baroque bows for audiences larger than 20. Really? An up bow here and a down bow there with no tempo markings make for a very subjective study. There is so much depth and purity to the lines that Bach ends up sounding choked if it is overly fussy. Let the music speak for itself-let it sing! let it breathe! I think Bach would be thrilled to know that every possible combination of musician out there has played his music and audiences have clamored for more, more, more. The music makes a big impact…..and this is almost 300 years later!! There is a stillness to the music that runs deeply, sounding fresh, inventive and so original. How did he do it? How did he crank out this music week after week for friends in coffee houses and church services? Funny, I bet he would have laughed at the idea that people in the future would be in total awe of his genius. The beauty is ravishing and breathtaking and so groundbreaking in its style and character. With the sound of ‘Molly’ in my ear, I cannot wait to get into the recording studio and play the A minor, E Major and D minor double concerto. **I have a pretty novel idea for the double concerto too-I will record the first violin part on the ‘ex-Napoleon/Molitor’ Strad, dated 1697, and then the second part on the ‘Royal Spanish’ Strad, dated 1730. Just about the same time Bach wrote the violin concertos!!  AMAZING!!

Today is my birthday. I am officially 10 months old and just in the last month, been to Austin, San Francisco, Osaka, Honolulu, Seoul (via Skype), Los Angeles, New York and Maui. My travel schedule is pretty demanding but I am an easy traveler-just requiring lots of holding. I pooped a record 4 times on the way to Dusseldorf, via Paris this past January (must have been all those prunes…). Since inception, I have heard lots and lots of music and scales and been privy to recording sessions and many many concerts. Even now, I still listen keenly to my mama’s practicing and really love it (thank God..). When I have melt-down’s, there is nothing better than my mama’s Beethoven Spring Sonata No.5, First Mvt. I don’t know what it is about that piece, but no matter how many times I hear it, it calms me down! I highly recommend it for any times you feel like you might be just on the verge of some kind of freakish episode! I have been warned that the next two months will be pretty difficult with travel to New York, London (Bach recording sessions!! yippee!!), Boston, Austin, and Los Angeles. I have already racked up a lot of miles and by the time I hit my one year birthday this June, will have a pretty swank passport! I have found that flexibility is key when traveling as so many things constantly change (once, mommy and daddy’s bags went missing and that meant a frantic search for formula in a foreign city etc.) I have been told that my little starfish hands are quite powerful. As I am so deeply moved by music, I hope to play some instrument (cello??) one day. We will see. I have also been told that I am incredibly huggable, unbelievably kissable and just plain adorable. Here are some recent pics:

The Author Posing For Her Photograph

Waiting for Mommy to Finish Playing the Barber Concerto With Nonna...

Eating My Violin

Spending Quality Time with Daddy in an Airplane

Sometimes There is Nothing Like a Great Nap...

Making Mommy Laugh

I have complained that I drown in email but lately, I have been truly grateful for the emails I have gotten. It started in Japan, after we landed right after the devastating earthquake/tsunami, people were so concerned with what our status was. Were we in it? were we OK? were we alive? (Read my earlier post about this)

Japan was very much on my mind and in my heart and I was thinking of every which way to present benefit charity concerts to help. I scoured venues in Austin, San Francisco and New York, thinking how to pull this together in no time, sell tickets to raise money and play with friends or by myself. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, with the syncing up of schedules, finding sponsors to help with expenses and finding the right venue to hold the benefit. I really admire the presenters who do this kind of ‘big thinking’ regularly! It is no easy feat. In principle, everybody was interested but it was incredibly time-consuming and I was getting frustrated. I then received an email from a friend in California, who asked if I would be interested in organizing a concert. After a flurry of emails, www.playforjapanusa.org was born. I am so looking forward to playing on April 29th in Woodside, California. I came up with this program:

Johann Sebastian Bach ‘Air’
Somei Satoh ‘Birds in Warped Time II’
Rentaro Taki ‘Kojo no Tsuki’ or ‘Moonlight over the Ruined Castle’ for solo violin arranged by Meyers/Saegusa
Michio Miyagi ‘Haru no Umi’ or ‘Sea in Spring’
Gene Pritsker ‘Variations on Sakura Sakura’
Maurice Ravel Violin Sonata

All funds will be donated to the American Red Cross, including CD sales which eOne Records has so graciously donated. Tomorrow, I will be flying to New York City, to play with the amazing Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Japan Society this Saturday, April 9th. You can watch the concert live at http://www.ustream.tv/japansociety when we are performing. It’s a 12- hour marathon of artists including Philip Glass, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto and others, and I will be playing at the 6 PM EST block. And you guessed it, I got an email about that as well. So that’s my email story….time to go back and see what’s in my inbox!

It has been the most unbelievably sad and tragic situations ever to strike Japan. I was scheduled to perform the Prokofiev Concerto No.1 with the Osaka Philharmonic. We boarded our flight from San Francisco, and after 12 long hours of sitting with my husband, baby and mother, we circled the Osaka Airport for over an hour. The pilots gave no explanation as to why and everybody was dreaming of a shower (or, in need of one)….After we left customs and got into our taxi, we sat in traffic for over an hour before finally seeing the very crew who were on our flight, check into the same hotel. Things seemed pretty normal and I overheard that there was an earthquake somewhere in Japan. After turning on the TV, I proceeded to watch some spotty coverage about this monster earthquake with total terror.
As I was traveling with my baby, her schedule was way off (when is it ever on?) and she was crying through the night….we woke up to watch and learn about the unbelievable devastation. I went to my rehearsals and couldn’t focus with so much on my mind. My 96- year old grandmother in Tokyo, my cousins, aunt, uncles, the suffering and pain that was going on up north as we were in the same country, the size of California. It seemed just wrong. Imagine this happening in Los Angeles, while you were visiting San Francisco when it struck. There would be total panic but there wasn’t one ounce of it anywhere here. It was surreal. I felt deeply saddened and depressed yet everything was business as usual in Osaka. People were laughing, eating, exercising, living…
There was talk about nuclear meltdowns, Chernobyl, 3 Mile Island, the Fukushima power plant on fire, reactor one, two, than three…a fire in the fourth, more earthquakes, the baby crying….
Australia, France, Germany and the US asked for all their citizens to go home. The BBC Philharmonic canceled their tour of Japan and my dream of going to Tokyo was quickly fading. My ailing grandmother’s long wait to meet her 8 month old great-granddaughter, was becoming just a long planned dream. I had to make the decision to leave after so much fear about what the radiation would do to the baby, not to mention my immediate family. All flights were sold out for weeks, but we got the last seats available to Hawaii. I sit here now looking at the waves of the ocean, thinking how cruel and ironic that the very same water that took so many lives away, killing entire generations of families and villages, is now a source of hedonistic fun and adventure with sailing, swimming and surfing going on daily.  Next week, I have concerts in Seoul, Korea and I will return to the Far East to play Mozart #3 with the KBS Symphony. I will travel alone this time with my family returning home and me most likely, sobbing, and blowing thousands of kisses to my family and everybody in beautiful beautiful Japan.

*Please help with a donation to help earthquake/tsunami relief

1. Japanese Medical Association in America

JMSA has created a disaster relief fund to help the victims rebuild their hospitals and medical system in the areas that were hit the hardest. Your donations will be tax-deductible and will be sent to the appropriate hospitals or organizations which will be determined in the near future. The fund will direct 100% of your donation to disaster relief efforts and does not retain any administrative fee.

http://jmsa.org/latest/earthquake-relief-fund.html

Alternatively, you can send a check to JMSA, 100 Park Avenue, Rm 1600, New York, NY 10017. Please indicate ‘Japan Disaster Relief Fund’ in the memo section of the check.

2. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City – Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund

The fund will direct 100% of your donation to disaster relief efforts. The Mayor’s Fund does not retain an administrative fee.

https://www.nyc.gov/html/fund/html/donate/donate.shtml

3. Text-to-Donate for Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief Efforts

You can donate through one of the following organizations by simply sending a text message from your mobile phone (billed to your mobile phone bill). mGive, the agency working to collect and process donations on behalf of the following organizations, charges a fee (for RC, $.25 fee) per donation.

The American Red Cross: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10.

Convoy for Hope: Text TSUNAMI to 50555 to give $10.

GlobalGiving: Text JAPAN to 50555 to give $10.

World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals: Text WAVE to 50555 to give $10.

When prompted, please remember to reply with YES to confirm your one-time, tax-deductible mobile donation. Also may text further STOP to avoid further text receiving and fee. This donation will appear on your next mobile phone bill. Message and Data Rates May Apply.

Up to date information about the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami may be found on the following websites.

Google Crisis Responses: 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

NHK World (English)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/11_53.html

It started in New York. I got a fever and the sorest of all sore throats. I thought I had strep throat but no, it continued during my concerts and I somehow stumbled back home after taking non-stop pills. Zapped of energy, add a cough and congestion that would keep me up all night long, I saw a doctor and he prescribed a syrup with codeine in it. I would feel so drugged the day after and continued to feel like absolute crap. I couldn’t practice and yet a concert was looming in Florida. The thought of playing the Mendelssohn d minor trio with Andres Diaz and Wendy Chen, gave me temporary happiness and I kept on taking Musinex, Sudafed, Benadryl and Nyquil. I seemed to be eating through all this over the counter medicine and before I knew it, I was rehearsing the Prokofiev 1st violin concerto with the Austin Symphony. This was week 3 and I wasn’t getting any better. I called the doctor again, got a steroid shot, a chest x-ray and some antibiotics. The cough was really fierce and just would not go away. Concert time!!

My husband took this pic right before I played the Prokofiev….I heard that singers were told to drink bourbon to help get rid of their coughs before singing so I gargled with it (didn’t trust myself to drink it!) to try and help my throat relax. I also stuck 2 Chloraseptic cough drops in my mouth and walked on stage.  M’gad…..The first 2 movements were okay and I think the adrenaline really helped but come the beauty of the last movement and that tickle in the back of my throat would not go away!! I just coughed while I played…never done that before. Tickle tickle tickle….and those high notes with a tickle in the throat. Yowza.  The closest thing to playing Nike Air Violin.  Just phoned the doctor again and need a refill on the codeine syrup! Enough already!! But I got a review for the concerts that has uplifted me for awhile…….