Q. You studied with several renowned teachers including Jakob Gimpel, Jose Iturbi, and Rudolf Serkin. What were their teaching methods?

A. Jakob Gimpel was an artist type teacher rather than a pedagogue. He was very careful in his preparation, seeking details in how students could develop technique and how that technique would influence their performance. His interest was to create a complete musician and his students were required to study harmony and composition. After our piano lessons we would go to Jerry Goldsmith's small apartment on Melrose Ave. for counterpoint and analysis lessons. We studied Bach chorales, preludes and fugues.  

     Joseph Iturbi belonged to the Slavic teaching tradition that dictated that no one was to play an instrument until they had mastered theory, orchestration, conducting, transposing, reading of clefs and solfege. Before becoming a pianist you had to establish the foundation for becoming a real musician.

     Rudolf Serkin was quite the reverse. He was emotional, dynamic and on the moment. He would give you a burst of energy by means of an explanation or play something that would inspire you.

Q. You also studied with Lillian Steuber and Ethel Leginska. What are some of the lasting influences they left with you?

A. Lillian Steuber was practical in her approach. She worked with me on focus and continuity of preparation in order to attain reasonable goals.

     Ethel Leginska was a well-known composer and conductor in addition to being a teacher. She taught the art of practicing and was very strict in her application. One technique she used that seemed silly at the time, was to have a string of 6 beads and each time you played a troublesome passage perfectly she would move a bead. You had to play it perfectly 6 times before you were allowed to go on. This taught you to set a goal and solidify it both musically and technically. It is a simple concept but when you were done you were prepared. Very often we are tempted to grab a Beethoven sonata and go full bore ahead only to realize that several weeks later we aren't playing it any better than when we first sat down to play it through.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Q. You have performed as soloist with many major orchestras throughout your career. What are some of the surprises you've encountered?

A. One surprise came when I was playing the Brahms Second Piano Concerto in  Bb Major. It opens with a horn solo and the horn player started in B major, a half-step higher. I knew it but he didn't realize he was doing it. I played the first two measures in B major and by that time everyone heard what was wrong and adjusted. By the fifth measure we were back in Bb.

     Another surprise came when I was playing the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto. In the middle section of the second movement there's an oboe solo in quarter notes and the piano accompanies in thirty-second notes. The soloist doubled it and started playing in eighth notes. We went along for four measures when the conductor caught the problem and cued the soloist and we got back on track. Things like that happen.

Q. You have won many competitions. What is your viewpoint about them?

A. I agree with Piatogorsky when he said "competitions are for horses." They don't produce what they promise. They prepare you to play a wealth of repertoire on short notice during the immediate cycle that you go through, but they don't help to sustain a career. Some pianists remain satisfied with what they have won and keep playing the same works 25 years later. Maintaining a career by playing a few works well is stifling. They are not moved to learn anything new or go any further. A pianist is not a complete musician until he/she has tasted a variety of works and is able to deal with them in an intelligent musical fashion.

Q. You are currently engaged in reissuing live performances of 19th century works for the AR label. What is the value of live performances over studio recordings?

A. There is no substitute for the live performance in its purest form. We have become such a technically oriented society that somehow we've lost the essence of what music really is. Music is not a perfect art and people are tired of canned music that has been edited and touched up so it's not real anymore. I'm developing an archival revival with AR records that includes the reissue of live performances of myself and others just as they happened, not touched up by reverbs and echoes and delays.

Q. You are also engaged in recording rare romantic music of the 19th century for Genesis records. Tell us about that project.

A. There is no greater period in music history than the 19th century and most people don't realize how much music is out there. Genesis Records is dedicated to recording the neglected works of this period. Composers like Rheinberger, Raff, Hiller and Schulhoff are not well known but they have made valuable contributions to music literature.

Q. What is the selection process for choosing the recordings?

A. It is a difficult process. From the volumes of material, we have to go through the music of a composer we don't know or have any connection with. Not all the music is good, so we have to study it, compare it to other works, read through it, put it aside, return to it later, and finally make a decision. This can take months and sometimes years.

Adrian Ruiz is an immense talent, when at the age of nine he debuted in his first concert and went on to win the Busoni Prize, Michaels Memorial Award, Ciudad de Montevideo Competition, Kimber Award and Young Musicians Foundation Award in his native Los Angeles. His eminent teachers included Jakob Gimpel, Ethel Leginska, Jose Iturbi, and Lillian Steuber. He received extensive coaching from the legendary pianists Mistislav Horozowski and Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute. As the mark of a true artist, Adrian was able to absorb their formidable knowledge and meld it into his already dynamic keyboard technique. He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Marlboro Festival Orchestra and major orchestras around the world. Mr. Ruiz graduated cum laude from USC where he eventually became chairman of the keyboard music studies department while teaching alongside Gregor Piatogorsky and Jascha Heifetz. He now devotes full time to his concert and recording career where he is recognized as a foremost interpreter and champion of the works of rare romantic composers.