'I'm definitely not a morning person and I get up as late as possible, usually not before 9am. First, I check my e-mails on my BlackBerry. I don't really have breakfast but I can't survive without tea; Earl Grey is my favourite.
On the day of a concert I always have rehearsals between 10.30am and 1.30pm. That's my routine. If it's a recital, where I'm alone on stage, the main purpose of the rehearsal is to try the piano in the hall - for the acoustics - and see how it feels on stage. Often we have a piano selection, where they will roll out two or three pianos I can choose from. I always play on a Steinway. The sound of the piano is the most important thing but, as a performer, the touch and the mechanics of the piano are also important.
I try to choose a piano that goes with the size of the concert hall and the programme I'm playing. I can select a piano in five to 10 minutes. Sometimes I need a more powerful piano for a big Romantic piece such as by Rachmaninov or Brahms. However, sometimes you don't need such a huge sound; colour is more important for an intimate piece. I don't usually use all the time allocated
to the rehearsal and I never go through the entire programme. I cannot do that twice in a day. I just play a few selected passages, that's it.
If it's a concert with an orchestra, it's different. The typical schedule is one rehearsal with the orchestra the day before the concert - usually for about three hours - and then a run-through of the entire piece for the dress rehearsal on the day of the concert. Sometimes the dress rehearsal is the only rehearsal you get with the orchestra, so it's really important.
I practise every day, a minimum of three to four hours. The only time I don't touch a piano is when I'm on holiday. Then I don't do anything for two weeks. It'll take me about two or three intensive days to get back into it.
