BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
When you were a kid, did you ever nag your parents because you really, really, REALLY just had to have this awesome toy?
And by toy, we mean an actual piano?
This was Timothy Young’s childhood. His path to the piano was determined when he was a 3-year-old and unashamedly engrossed in a toy piano. Pressuring his parents into buying him the real thing, he received a full-sized piano when he turned 7.
And he’s been performing on the instrument ever since.
These days, though, Timothy looks after two bubs of his own – and while trying to juggle fatherhood with a musical career, he has “found that getting a few hours practice before 8am is the only solution”.
“So that means the sweet dulcet tones of my alarm at 5.30am,” Timothy says.
This month, the pianist spends his mornings preparing for MLIVE’s Wood, Metal and Vibrating Air – the final event of this piano recital series in 2018, in which he’ll play solo in Robert Blackwood Hall.
“Preparing for a concert is an evolving process, I guess, because our circumstances can change and we keep changing ourselves,” Timothy says as he heads toward the performance.
“Repertoire can in many ways determine the process, how much might be new, or rethinking old works, but also how am I feeling physically and mentally.”
The idea for it all began with Debussy’s piano etudes, with 2018 marking a century after the composer’s death.
“These technically demanding etudes are extraordinary works, and unfortunately rarely performed. They cover a multitude of technical approaches – thirds, fourths, sixths, and octaves – and one of them even pays a cheeky homage to Czerny, the composer of those wretched children’s piano studies.”
Wretched though he may describe them, we all need to start somewhere when it comes to music, and Timothy no doubt practiced one or two of Czerny’s studies when he was growing up.
“Coming from a small town in regional Victoria there was very little classical music,” Timothy explains; not without expressing appreciation for his then-teacher Judy Hall.
“Pursuing music professionally was never something I really thought of as a real option, it was just something I loved doing.”
After delving into the world of jazz, Timothy took a liking to Mozart – and from there, he was set. He studied a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne before making a home in Italy, which he describes as “one of the most exciting periods in my life”.
“Italy became my home for nearly 10 years,” Timothy says; and during this time, he graduated from the Paganini Conservatorium.
“It’s hard to underestimate the stimulus of just living in a place where you could literally see ‘history’ on a daily basis. These were formative years, full of life experiences and I always feel a strong and affectionate connection.”
Now back in Australia, he looks forward to making “the most of the beautiful space in Robert Blackwood Hall” through his MLIVE concert. Outside the Debussy, Timothy will also bring us works from Rameau, Bartok, Rachmaninov, and Cowell.
Of the latter, the pianist explains: “His works are the inspiration for many modern composers with regard to the clever use of the piano as a percussion instrument. I don’t want to give anything way, so I hope this whets your curiosity.”
As you read this story, it’s likely Timothy has just finished another early morning start, doing his best to bring you the sounds of these composers at MLIVE.
“It’s so true that it requires unwavering discipline and practice and, sure, there are sacrifices to be made,” he says of his life in music.
“But I find the actual process of studying so rewarding, because it is so intrinsically linked to the best that life has to offer: being creative, expressing ideas, thinking, listening and communication.”
See Timothy Young in MLIVE as part of the final Wood, Metal and Vibrating Air Piano Recital Series at 7.30pm this September 27 in Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University.
CutCommon readers can score $10 tickets by using the promo code CUTCOMMON during online purchase! Grab your tix here.
We partnered with MLIVE to bring you this story and discount opportunity! The event has a seating capacity of 150 people, so be sure to get in quick!
Image supplied. Timothy Young captured by Pia Johnson.
