5 notes: Andre Watts on travel, drama and the perfect evening

Andre Watts' big break came when he was 16 years old, in 1963. First, he was the piano soloist on one of Leonard Bernstein's nationally televised young people's concerts with the New York Philharmonic. A few weeks later, after another pianist canceled, Watts stepped in to appear in the orchestra's main concert series. The ensuing publicity -- and recording contract -- set him on his way.

Watts, who performs in Charlotte on Monday with the Bergen Philharmonic, has been onstage ever since. Has life as a sought-after pianist been like the one he imagined when he started out? Not quite. He compared the two -- and commented on other aspects of his life -- in a telephone interview with Observer classical music critic Steven Brown last month, just hours before a performance in Oregon. Watts' comments, in italic, were edited for brevity and clarity.

"What happens often enough to feel good is that people say they're moved by something you play. That's pretty nice. I don't think I thought about that so much when I was young. "I don't want to be Pollyanna about it, but I didn't realize how much salve for the soul music can bring. It is a refuge -- for me, anyway."

Fantasy vs. reality
When Watts was a youngster, he said, he had "a very romanticized notion" of the pianist's existence. Because of a nomadic streak in his personality, he liked the idea of traveling. He didn't anticipate today's security-crazed airports."It's very difficult to maintain some equanimity and some charity in your heart. Because it's a kind of brutalization and trampling of the individual. It gives new meaning to the term `cattle call.' I don't know why these security people have to shout. What is all that hollering for? There's almost a need to ratchet up attention. When you encounter someone who is a charming human being, you practically want to kiss their feet. "You get used to it and you do it, sort of like a horse going back to the barn. You go to the airport, you go through the motions. Sometimes you get your suitcases out, and you think, `Didn't I just do this 48 hours ago?' "

Everything old is new
Watts was in Oregon for one of his war horses, Johannes Brahms' Concerto No. 2. The colossal concerto pointed up another realization that came to Watts with experience.

"When I was a teenager, I remember hearing people like (pianists) Rudolf Serkin and Arthur Rubinstein -- great artists -- say, `I've studied this piece for 50 years, and every time I look at it, I find something new.' I would think to myself, `Oh, please, get off it.' Well, you know, the older I get, the more I understand that they actually were telling the truth. It's a little astonishing. "The Brahms Second is a good example. I learned it when I was 19, and I've played it all these years since. I'm playing it here (in Oregon). The conductor is wonderful. The orchestra is really committed. This is pretty exciting. This kind of excitement and feeling of freshness is still possible, even with an `old' piece. That's the whole point."

Cutting loose
Powerful music such as Brahms' takes advantage of Watts' flair for the dramatic. Big, bold gestures come naturally to him -- and not just musical ones. Watts is one of the most animated people ever to sit on a piano bench. When the music gets worked up, he may wriggle, stomp his feet or make noises as he plays. He doesn't mean to."I try to keep it under control. It's generally just excitement and involvement. I wish it were less. And I do think about it. I try to keep the grunting and groaning down to a minimum. "But let's say you play a concert and you hear a yelp or something, and you realize, `Oh God, that was me.' You decide, `Hey, you can't do that.' So the next night you really, really pay attention. Well, of course, because your attention now is on something other than the music, you may find it's very difficult to play that passage! (He laughs.) It's just an ongoing battle."

R & R
Around once a month, Watts spends a few days at Indiana University, where he has piano students. Home, a place he doesn't see much, is a house in New Jersey. His No. 1 form of recreation is to "stop doing."

"My idea of relaxing time is to not travel. To read and have good meals and good company -- basically, a rather sedentary existence. "I try to listen to a lot of music. I've never quite understood people who don't listen to recordings. You can't go to enough concerts, because you're playing your own. That means you're only hearing your own music-making. I don't think that's so smart!" (Another chuckle.)

Sometimes a cigar is...
Watts has one more way to wind down. A longtime cigar smoker, he quit for 12 years -- then started back. He acknowledges "the nicotine addiction." But at best, he said, indulging in a cigar is "meditative, peaceful, expansive.""It's a whole lot more than tobacco and smoke. A little cognac, the end of the day, a good armchair and maybe a good book -- or maybe a little contemplation -- and a cigar is pretty wonderful."

ANDRE WATTS
The pianist solos with the Bergen Philharmonic to open the Carolinas Concert Association's season.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday.
WHERE: Belk Theater, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St.
TICKETS: $25-$65.
DETAILS: 704-527-6680; www.carolinasconcert.com.