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 Press Release  Distinguished Pianist/Psychiatrist Richard Kogan to Perform Benefit Concert, Providing Commentary on Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity During the presentation, entitled "Schumann: Music, Mood Swings and Madness," Dr. Kogan will discuss the connection between Schumann's manic-depressive illness, known as bipolar disorder, and his creative genius. Dr. Kogan will perform Schumann's masterpieces to demonstrate how he tapped into his illness for inspiration, translating the intense emotions, racing and sometimes disorganized thoughts, and unbridled energy of his manic states into brilliant compositions. Schumann wrote three string quartets over a two-week period in a burst of manic activity. Remarkably, he even brought memories of his life-shattering depressive states into his compositions, according to Dr. Kogan. "Schumann was a phenomenally gifted individual who suffered from a serious mental illness," Dr. Kogan explains. "Bipolar disorder can magnify normal, human emotions into larger-than-life proportions. Schumann's music was an extremely important outlet that probably prolonged his life and gave it a much higher quality." Schumann ignored traditional musical style and conventions and instead created a new musical language based on his desire to express his deepest thoughts and emotions, says Dr. Kogan. "The genius of Robert Schumann is accessible to all of us, and his genius is the ability to express emotion." About Dr. Kogan Dr. Kogan has managed to combine his two passions ®¢ music and medicine -- into an extraordinary career. A Juilliard-trained musician, he is a first-prize winner of the Chopin Competition of the Kosciuszko Foundation. Dr. Kogan has performed throughout the United States and in Europe and Asia as a recitalist and orchestral soloist. He has also been an active chamber musician and has performed regularly in a trio with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Lynn Chang. "Kogan, a physician, has somehow managed to excel at the world's two most demanding professions," according to The Boston Globe. The New York Times has characterized his performance as "exquisite playing... eloquent and compelling." Dr. Kogan graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. As a psychiatrist with a number of artists, writers and musicians as patients, he says the issue of creativity comes up frequently. For Dr. Kogan, medicine is an art as much as it is a science. His challenge as a physician is to help unlock an individual's potential, mindful of the effects of specific medical interventions. "We have to be extremely sensitive to what our interventions are doing. We do not want to take away someone's creativity when prescribing medication to treat violent mood swings, for example." Effective medications, such as lithium, that help to stabilize the moods of many people today did not exist in Schumann's time. Hydrotherapy and bloodletting were among the treatments he endured. Tragically, the composer spent the last two years of his life in a mental institution, where died in 1856 at the age of 46 after months of self-starvation. His music remains a lasting legacy to his genius, his passionÉ and his suffering. Dr. Kogan's presentation will be followed by a reception. Anyone who would like more information or to reserve tickets is invited to call (516) 829-0091. |
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