Book Review: THE SECRET PIANO (From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations) by Zhu Xiao-Mei

The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I thought long and hard if I could post this mini review.
Just the fact that I had to pause and consider censoring my innocent summary, one of many attempts to preserve what I thought and felt about a book (primarily so that I wouldn't forget them), is an indicator of how serious, how dangerous these times are in Manila.

Do we no longer have the freedom to speak or write plainly?

True enough, this lack of freedom is a main theme of this true story, written by a Chinese pianist turned professor and performer, now based in Paris (listen to her on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FYbe...).

The first half of the book was the strongest, for me, and gave a peek into what it was like, growing up in Mao's Cultural Revolution in Beijing.

From concert hall to gulag, there was much to admire about this remarkable lady... and much to criticize, as well, I thought.

But that is what democracy is about: being able to respectfully disagree with someone's values, priorities, and beliefs, while acknowledging our common humanity, our fundamental rights to self-expression. Being able to hold civilized discourse with someone from the opposite camp enriches both parties, and this is what we lose when all but the approved voice is silenced.

One of my favorite composers, J.S. Bach, plays a big part in this book. As a piano student who only got as far as his three-part inventions, I find his restrained passion incredible, the depth of feeling broad yet balanced, and I thought Zhu Xiao-Mei's interpretation of his Goldberg Variations seemed very different from how I've heard it performed (less focus on the intellectual/physical demands, and more intuitive somehow, I thought).

Bach brings order out of the mundane, and out of chaos. And that is what Zhu Xiao-mei has wrought out of her life.

I feel that pianists would be very interested in her detailed descriptions of her many teachers and pieces, while others would find her life's story utterly fascinating!



View all my reviews