Israeli pianist David Greilsammer blends baroque and modern music

Not so long ago, Israeli pianist David Greilsammer had a revelation while strolling through a museum in Paris. The idea made such an impression it has inspired his many old-meets-new recital programmes, one of which he will bring to Hong Kong next month.

"I was struck by a strange and unexpected thought," the 37-year-old recalls. "As I walked from one room to the next, I suddenly realised how intense that very moment had been, that precise instant of leaving the previous hall and entering the next space, stepping into a new and different collection of paintings, looking at a new world of shapes and colours.

"This simple moment of exchanging one artistic world for a different one seemed like a revelation of great importance. In what felt like an effortless step, something had moved me deeply, something had made sense. Oddly, it is at that same time that I started creating programmes where past and present meet, where old composers converse with contemporary ones."

Best known for his interpretation of Mozart's music, Greilsammer says it is important for musicians to keep performing classical works because compositions from centuries ago continue to have relevance, and to inspire today.

"Once you know the past, you can be more connected to the present and to the future," he says. "We cannot forget what the old masters created, what they gave us; but on the other hand, we must be aware of the changes that happened in our modern world, and we must be aware of what music went through in recent decades - electronic music, pop, rock, jazz, blues, folk … as a musician, you need to have knowledge of everything."