Nick van Bloss

Last updated

Nick van Bloss (born 1967) is an English classical pianist and author who has Tourette syndrome. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London.

Contents

Early life

Van Bloss was born and grew up in London and, at the age of seven, suddenly developed severe motor and vocal tics. Far from being a "passing phase" the tics did not subside, but rather became more aggressive. He was taken from doctor to doctor in hopes of an explanation for his uncontrollable movements, but the medical profession failed to find any medical explanation. It was suggested that his behaviour was "attention seeking". [1]

Van Bloss found school life a harrowing experience as he entered secondary school in London, where he was bullied and mimicked for having explosive tics; his life became a misery. He also faced a difficult situation at home: his brother was a heroin addict who committed suicide when Nick was 15. [2] During this time, he never felt he could confide in his parents, telling them how the bullying terrified him, because he felt that their dealing with his brother's heroin problem was already a trial great enough for them. [3]

Music and piano

Van Bloss began piano lessons at the relatively late age of eleven. Although his brother had been a budding pianist, van Bloss himself had never felt drawn to the piano; moreover, his parents had got rid of the family piano when his brother began his drug habit. [4] However, once he began his study of the instrument, van Bloss took to it and progressed quickly. He entered the Royal College of Music in London at the age of fifteen to study as a Junior and then, at seventeen, to attend full-time.

At the college, van Bloss excelled, but was held back by his tics and his condition, which still was undiagnosed. He studied with Yonty Solomon and won numerous prizes. In a master-class held at the Royal College of Music in 1987, the Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva described van Bloss as "already a pianist". [5] However, his relationship with the college was unhappy. He was in constant conflict with College authorities, who, he felt, appreciated neither his talent nor the difficulties that accompanied living under his condition.

Diagnosis

After years of enduring a condition for which he had no name, Nick was finally correctly diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was twenty-one. Although Nick felt jubilant in finally having a name for his condition (after a fourteen-year wait), he was resentful that the medical profession had not detected the tell-tale signs of Tourette syndrome. [1]

Career

Nick van Bloss played recitals, concertos and chamber music in the UK and around Europe for a number of years before "retiring" from public performance [6] because of his Tourette syndrome. Up until that point, he had remained "tic-free" whenever he played the piano. He claimed that playing the piano was the only solace he was ever granted from a body that never stopped moving. However, in a major international piano competition, he eliminated himself from the competition in mid-performance when, for the first time in his life while playing, he had severe tics throughout his body.

After 15 years of 'retirement' from professional and public life, van Bloss made a comeback concert on 28 April 2009 at London's Cadogan Hall playing a concerto by Bach and the Emperor Concerto by Beethoven with the English Chamber Orchestra [7] [8] This concert received enormous media attention [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] and was described as a 'triumph' by London critics. [15] [16]

In January 2010, van Bloss released a recording of the Goldberg Variations by Bach by Nimbus Records [17] which received widespread acclaim from critics [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Van Bloss's recording of five Keyboard Concertos by Bach with the English Chamber Orchestra was released in 2011 by Nimbus Records as NI 6141. It was followed in 2013 by a Chopin disc containing the Sonata in B minor, Op 58 and the 24 Preludes Op 28 (NI 6215) and in 2015 by a Beethoven CD containing the Diabelli Variations Op 120 and the Sonata in F minor, Op 57 Appassionata (NI 6276). In the booklet issued with the last-mentioned CD (page 11) a further recording of music by Schumann, Kreisleriana and the Etudes Symphoniques Op 13, is announced as due for release in November 2015.

BBC Horizon

In April 2007, Nick van Bloss was the focus of a BBC Horizon documentary called Mad but Glad, produced and directed by Nicola Stockley [23] The programme follows van Bloss on a journey of self-discovery, in which he hopes to find the answer to the old question, "Is there such a thing as the mad genius?" In particular, van Bloss seeks to find whether his talent for the piano might have in some way been caused or enhanced by his Tourette's. Van Bloss meets many other "afflicted" people on his journey, with conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and automatic writing, all of whom show an unusual and unexplained talent in an art form. He also speaks with clinicians about his condition and the musical connection, notably Oliver Sacks. The programme ends with Nicola Stockley asking van Bloss whether, given the severity of his Tourette's, he would ever consider playing in public again.

In 2007, Oliver Sacks wrote about Nick van Bloss in his book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain . Sacks writes that in conversation with van Bloss about his piano playing and Tourette's, van Bloss speaks in terms of his condition's constituting an "energy", one that is "harnessed and focused" when he plays the piano. In a paradoxical way, Sacks says, Tourette's plays an essential role in Nick's piano playing. [23] [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Gould</span> Canadian pianist (1932–1982)

Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian classical pianist. He was among the most famous and celebrated pianists of the 20th century, renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach. His playing was distinguished by remarkable technical proficiency and a capacity to articulate the contrapuntal texture of Bach's music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna MacGregor</span> Musical artist

Joanna Clare MacGregor is a British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator. She is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and a professor of the University of London. She was artistic director of the International Summer School & Festival at Dartington Hall from 2015 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Loussier</span> French jazz pianist and composer (1934–2019)

Jacques Loussier was a French pianist and composer. He arranged jazz interpretations of many of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the Goldberg Variations. The Jacques Loussier Trio, founded in 1959, played more than 3,000 concerts and sold more than 7 million recordings—mostly in the Bach series. Loussier composed film scores and a number of classical pieces, including a Mass, a ballet, and violin concertos. His style is described as third stream, a synthesis of jazz and classical music, with an emphasis on improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Perahia</span> American pianist and conductor

Murray David Perahia is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Known as a leading interpreter of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann, among other composers, Perahia has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards from a total of 18 nominations, and 9 Gramophone Awards in addition to its first and only "Piano Award".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grigory Sokolov</span> Russian pianist

Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov is a Russian naturalized Spanish pianist. He is among the most esteemed of living pianists, his repertoire spanning composers from the Baroque period such as Bach, Couperin or Rameau up to Schoenberg and Arapov. He regularly tours Europe and resides in Italy.

G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Berkofsky</span> American classical pianist (1943-2013)

Martin Berkofsky was an American classical pianist, known primarily for his interpretations of music by Franz Liszt and Alan Hovhaness.

Societal and cultural aspects of Tourette syndrome include legal advocacy and health insurance issues, awareness of notable individuals with Tourette syndrome, and treatment of TS in the media and popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André Tchaikowsky</span> Polish composer and pianist

André Tchaikowsky was a Polish composer and pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lars Vogt</span> German concert pianist and conductor (1970–2022)

Lars Vogt was a German classical pianist, conductor and academic teacher. Noted by The New York Times for his interpretations of Brahms, Vogt performed as a soloist with major orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic. He was the music director of the Orchestre de chambre de Paris at the time of his death and also served as the music director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia. He ran a festival of chamber music, Spannungen, from 1998, and succeeded his teacher Karl-Heinz Kämmerling as professor of piano at the Musikhochschule Hannover.

Olli Mustonen is a Finnish pianist, conductor, and composer.

AntonyCicoria, is a man who is famous for having developed an obsession for piano after being struck by lightning. He is a doctor specializing in orthopedic medicine, orthopedic surgery, orthotics, prosthetic supplies, and sports medicine. He is best known for acquiring an unusual affinity for music after being struck by lightning. He was profiled in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Fray</span> Musical artist

David Fray is a French classical pianist. Voted "Newcomer of the Year 2008" by the BBC Music Magazine, Fray has gained attention for his musical interpretation as well as his eccentricities in performance and rehearsal, which were highlighted in the 2008 ARTE documentary about him titled Swing, Sing and Think.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ezra Okonşar</span>

David Ezra Okonşar is a Turkish–Belgian pianist, composer, conductor, writer, and educator. He was previously known as "Mehmet Okonşar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Levit</span> Russian-German pianist (born 1987)

Igor Levit is a Russian-German pianist who focuses on the works of Bach, Beethoven, and Liszt. He is also a professor at the Musikhochschule Hannover. He lives in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detlev Eisinger</span> German pianist

Detlev Eisinger is a German pianist.

James Friskin was a Scottish-born pianist, composer and music teacher who relocated to the United States in 1914.

Konstantin Yakovlevich Lifschitz is a Russian pianist of Jewish descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice Rana</span> Italian pianist

Beatrice Rana is an Italian pianist.

Markus Becker is a German pianist and academic teacher. He is focused on chamber music, and on piano concertos from the time around 1900. His recording of the complete piano works by Max Reger earned him awards. He is also a jazz pianist, and has been professor of piano and chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover since 1993.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Nick van Bloss on living with Tourette's syndrome". The Independent. UK. 18 April 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2008.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 61
  3. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 55
  4. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 52
  5. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 132
  6. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 188
  7. ↑ van Bloss (2006), p. 277
  8. ↑ "TLS - Times Literary Supplement".
  9. ↑ "Entertainment | Tourette's pianist makes comeback". BBC News. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Adams, Stephen (6 April 2009). "'Superhuman' Tourette's pianist returns to stage after 15 years". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  11. ↑ Sam Coates, Deborah Haynes and Roland Watson. "The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion". London: Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  12. ↑ "Observations: Some strokes of genius – Features, Music". The Independent. UK. 17 April 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "Pianist with Tourette's returns to the stage (4:00) | PRI's The World". Pri.org. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Chelsea comeback for Tourette's pianist | News". Evening Standard. London. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  15. ↑ Sam Coates, Deborah Haynes and Roland Watson. "The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion". London: Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  16. ↑ Ivan Hewett (29 April 2009). "Nick Van Bloss at Cadogan Hall, review". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Bach Goldberg Variations. "Bach Goldberg Variations". Wyastone.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  18. ↑ Fiona Maddocks (30 January 2011). "Bach: Goldberg Variations, Nick Van Bloss – review | Music | The Observer". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  19. ↑ Nick van Bloss (24 February 2011). "Nick van Bloss Reviews: Sunday Times Review Goldberg Variations Four Star '...Sublime poetry, playfulness ...'". Nickvanbloss.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  20. ↑ Gill, Andy (21 January 2011). "Album: Nick Van Bloss, Bach: Goldberg Variations (Nimbus Alliance) – Reviews, Classical". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  21. ↑ Classical CD Reviews (5 March 2011). "Bach: Goldberg Variations, CD review". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  22. ↑ Nick van Bloss (24 February 2011). "Nick van Bloss Reviews: Review: International Piano Magazine". Nickvanbloss.blogspot.com. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  23. 1 2 "Mad but Glad". BBC. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  24. ↑ Sacks, O (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Knopf
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.