Piano Guild High School Diploma
Program
Martin Erzinger, Piano
DISCOVERY: Can
one instrument save a man from himself? Can 88-keys
be a source of light when days seem dark? In finishing eleven years
of piano,
I can’t begin to describe the great appreciation I have for the piano
and the
teacher who brought it to life for me. --- Martin
Erzinger - August, 2006
As
long as I can remember, my time has been
split between two loves: swimming and piano.
While swimming remained
the high maintenance
love that sapped my time and energy, its presence
in my life was not a lasting one. I was shaken to
my core after a shoulder injury in the fall of 2005
left me out of the water. The goals I had dreamed
of achieving just weren’t going to happen. As hard
as that was to accept, I realized that those goals
are not everything.
Mary Kay Kapustka took the time to show me that
loss is part of all of us…and an even greater part of
the music I was playing. I found that the complexities
of my frustration
were a perfect match for a Brahms
Rhapsody; similarly
my nostalgia fit a Chopin Polonaise just right. Empathizing with the
angst of the composers allowed me to enter their world through their
works. Mary Kay
showed me that the piano is a mirror for everything beautiful and agonizing
in our lives.
Music allowed me to transform my own pain into light. It offered me
the self-reflection
that I was missing. Because of her subtle touch, I happily owe a great
debt to the piano.
Playing
music is about expression, not achievement. When
music stops being personal,
it stops being. For helping me to discover this, and everything else,
I want to thank
Mary Kay from the bottom of my heart.
At
the Piano with Martin Erzinger
(reflections on eleven consistent
years of astonishing achievement
written by his teacher, Mary Kay Kapustka, June, 2006)
Every
composition Martin captures on this CD, reflects
the kaleidoscopic brilliance
that is the essence of Martin Erzinger. One turn reveals his sharp,
dry wit, another
lets us peek into the vast depths of his innermost being, depth that
is the product
of deep, intensive and persistent probing.
This depth of psyche was evident in Martin from
his very first piano lessons, back
in 1995, and carried through, ever deepening and expanding, throughout
this brilliant
recording that captures and reflects, as only music can, the most private
reaches
of Martin’s soul. Martin’s tastes in music reflects the
brilliant depth of maturity of his
inner self. Martin capably conquered the physical demands of this repertoire,
as well
as excelling in comprehending the high level of psychological, musical,
mature artistry
these pieces demand.
Martin’s exceptional musical talent, expressed
through the medium of piano, was evident
early on during his early elementary years. Because of his brilliant
mental capacity,
coupled with the desire to do his best in many varied activities ranging
from swimming,
tennis, football, lacrosse, skiing, backpacking, fishing, drama and
debate; while never
letting go of the absolute, self imposed necessity to excel beyond
his capabilities in his academic work; he successfully hung on to his
piano studies for eleven consistent, highly productive years of piano
study. It was evident to Martin, how much he needed the study
of piano to help give his life spiritual and emotional balance.
It was not easy for Martin to fit in the demands
of serious piano study with all the other worthwhile
activities that competed for his time. Many times
the piano practice, would
of necessity, be carried out in spurts. Martin was able to make this
approach work. He
did indeed rise to each challenge. He achieved his goal of earning
the High School Piano
Diploma through the National Guild of Piano Teachers as a wrap up of
his eleven years
of study.
Knowing he is fully capable of pursuing a brilliant
career in music, he chooses not to
do so. International Studies at Yale will be the focus of his College
Years, preparing
him for multiple career choices as he continues through Graduate Studies.
He hopes
to find time for some piano study while at Yale. Whatever works out
for the short term,
Martin has a grasp of what high levels of achievement at the piano
entail. Piano is his
to enjoy however and whenever he chooses indulge.
Releases:
LD001
- Church of the Holy Ghost - Latin Choral Tradition
LD002
- Franz Liszt - The Timeless Madonna
LD003
- Franz Liszt - Via
Crucis
LD004
- Franz Liszt
- Années
de Pelèrinage
Troisième
Année
LD005
- Franz Liszt
- Etudes
d exécution
LD101
- Franz Liszt
- LISZT and
the CROSS,
a lecture
recital
LDYS01
- Youth Series
- Jack Armstrong,
piano
LDYS02
- Youth Series
- Keith Erzinger,
piano
LDYS03
- Youth Series
- Martin
Erzinger,
piano
™