I Hate Practice

Classical musicians are just musicians. Buttoned up and tuxedo clad on stage, behind the scenes, their lives can be as insane as rock stars'. I HATE PRACTICE traces the extreme hilarity of rehearsals, the failed romantic entanglements backstage and the ridiculousness of performing Rachmaninov with full orchestra having played the piece only one time end-to-end. Getting a full ride scholarship to UCLA in piano, quitting and graduating with a film degree, AKIRA NAKANO, traces his journey of dropping the music major, the road to resuming a performance career years later and the difficulties of finding love in the process.

Classical musicians are just musicians. Buttoned up and tuxedo clad on stage, behind the scenes, their lives can be as insane as rock stars'. I HATE PRACTICE - A RHAPSODY ON REHEARSALS, RELATIONSHIPS AND RACHMANINOV BY A CLASSICAL PIANIST was originally intended to a one man show. Except when I told my sister the plan, she immediately said, "But you're not funny." I completed a draft, excited to go into production, and then my director gave me notes. She was hoping to see more of a “play” with a stronger thematic through line. She wanted me to go deeper into the struggles of practicing and quitting the piano; and somehow, over the course of ninety minutes, find redemption. I had viewed the show as the opportunity to play some songs, get some cheap laughs and include a couple of way-too-politically-correct behind-the-scenes stories of concert prep. She wanted something stronger. Less gloss, less sanitized, less safe. Fine. Problem… I am not an actor. Meanwhile, one of my best friends from college read the script and made an off-handed remark that I should write a book. Suddenly, I could take the director's notes which were undeniably insightful, and save everyone the embarrassment of watching me “act”. I could talk about the extreme hilarity and epic failures during rehearsals. The perils of dating while prepping for a show. My love/hate relationship with Rachmaninov and the stupidity of putting up his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” with full orchestra having played it in its entirety only one time before performing it. I decided not to go all the way back, but rather use one piece of music, "Totentanz" by Franz LIszt, as a marker for discussion at various performances over a span of twenty-plus years. I would have included Liszt in the title of the book, but Rachmaninov fit the alliteration better, is a far more vexing piece of music and was with me during the same time period. I am clearly procrastinating from the piano, as I HATE PRACTICE.

AKIRA NAKANO is a classical pianist and writer… a product of the Colburn School for music and UCLA with a degree in Film and Television Production. After a number of years working as a video editor and live event producer, he wrote and produced the play, "A Concerto for Claire" which premiered at Colburn in 2002. He was the Music Director and on-stage pianist for Lodestone Theatre Ensemble's "Closer Than Ever" (L.A. Times Critics' Choice) in 2009 and resumed classical piano full time in 2010. Akira returned to the Zipper Hall stage in March 2012 in a solo recital. In September 2013, Akira Nakano paired with the Dream Orchestra in a concert of Liszt, Rachmaninov and several original works. Akira continues to perform throughout Southern California. He feels that since this book is autobiographical, writing any more would be redundant.