This was really great. Very well written story.<p>The fact that he was able to re-invent himself so many times is a testament to human will and adaptability. I'd wager his violin training in some way prepared him for "what it takes" to change careers, or to excel at a new endeavor.
This is basically what happens to so many of us. And when we leave music, after studying so many things in great depth, we are treated as uneducated and illiterate; and so much precious time has been lost. And yet they always write these nutty, cheesy articles speaking of "gifts" and "mystics" and "prodigies" like there is some valuable genius that is being squandered. There is no magic in hours of practice, but that isn't the story anyone likes to hear. They like magic. Here's the big secret: everyone at conservatory is already a master player. This is the usual bio of those who can't land an orchestra gig or another position-- which is 98% of us, and the schools know it and know it is getting worse-- there are so few jobs, and what jobs there are are passed on in often unfair ways. (not merit based)Usually those who make it have money or deep connections through a long legacy. And when we try to have other careers, we are not embraced for these "magical genius gifts" people love to talk about in these articles. Everything hesays about classical conservatory is true. It's a life-consuming bootcamp that robs young people of time, money, and hope for a career in most cases. It's a pyramid scheme. I agree the Brahms are the best Sonatas, though.
How do we get past the message that asks us to pay? I think that should be the default way of posting behind-paywall content to HN. Doesn't make sense to say "Hey, why don't you pay $12 to check out this post?"