Nearly four years have passed since Jon Nakamatsu, a high school German teacher, seemingly came out of nowhere to win the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Nakamatsu

        A native of Sunnyvale, Calif., Mr. Nakamatsu never went to a conservatory. He was a German major at Stanford University and studied privately with the same piano teacher from the age of 6. When he became the first American in 16 years to win the Van Cliburn, one of the world's most prestigious and grueling contests, he was wearing a borrowed tuxedo.

        The 32-year-old pianist makes his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut today in Music Hall. Next month, his third album on harmonia mundi will be released, a world-premiere recording of Lukas Foss' First Piano Concerto.

        Mr. Nakamatsu spoke from Albuquerque, N.M., where he was performing with the New Mexico Symphony.

IF YOU GO

What: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, John Morris Russell, conductor; Jon Nakamatsu, pianist.     When: 7:30 p.m. today; 11 a.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday.     Where: Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine.     Tickets: $12-$49; $10 students with ID. 381-3300; cincinnatisymphony.org.     The program: R. Strauss, Til Eulenspiegel's lustige Streiche; Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major; Schumann, Symphony No. 4.

        Question: It has been nearly four years since you won the Van Cliburn. How have you changed since then?

        Answer: One thing I've learned is that you can really enjoy this. It's a life where yes, it's full of pressure and it's work all the time, but the rewards are quite unbelievable.

        Q: Do you still get nervous?

        A: Sure, a little. What I've always done is try to channel that energy into something positive. You need to feel that kind of heightened awareness or that different energy than I would feel practicing for myself in my living room. Because otherwise it's not a performance; it's a practice session.

        Q: Many people don't realize the challenge of playing on a different piano, night after night. How hard is that?

A: It's really the double-edged sword of pianists. You can be horrified at what you find, but you really have no choice because the hall cannot find another piano.

        When you play, it can be the most terrifying two hours of your life. The audience doesn't care if you don't like the piano, because they're there for a good performance, no matter what.

        That doesn't mean, necessarily, old pianos. I've had (new) pianos that haven't had time to be broken in. I once sat down and pressed the “A” key, and it didn't come up. I had to flip the keys up during the concert.

        Q: How did you juggle preparing for a major international competition with teaching high school?

        A: I tried, not always successfully. The problem with teaching is that it takes up so much time. It's not just the hours you spend at school — it's bringing home all the work, the planning, the grading, calling the parents. It's so exhausting. When I would come home, I would be completely drained, and have to find time to go to the piano.

        Q: What's the difference between performing in a contest and a symphony concert?

        A: You should go to a competition as you do for any performance. The difference between them is there's a chance you're not going to be asked to play again (in a contest). That's somewhat demoralizing.

        Prior to the competition, everything swims through your mind. What do they want to hear? You work so hard. . . . When they say, we don't want to hear you again, it's difficult to take.

        Q: Why would anybody want to put themselves through that?

        A: I'm sure there isn't a competitor on earth who hasn't asked him or herself that! It is grueling. But I would also submit that the real test or real pressure come after these competitions are over. The real world is so much more difficult and there's so much more at stake.
       

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