美国国家公共电台 NPR Chopin In The Shadows: The Supernatural Adventures Of Byron Janis

(SOUNDBITE OF BYRON JANIS PERFORMANCE OF CHOPIN'S WALTZ, OP. 70: NO. 1 IN G-FLAT MAJOR)

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is the "Waltz In G-Flat Major" by Chopin. It was unknown to the world in this version until it was discovered at a chateau 1 in France in 1967 by the man who plays it here, Byron Janis. And the circumstances of that discovery are at the centerpiece of his autobiography 2, "Chopin And Beyond: My Extraordinary Life In Music And The Paranormal." Byron Janis turned 89 years old this year. He celebrated 3 with the release of his album "Byron Janis Live On Tour." He joins us from New York. Mr. Janis, thanks so much for being with us.

BYRON JANIS: I'm delighted to be here.

SIMON: And how did you find this piece of music?

JANIS: This was found in a very old chateau dating back to 1500. Count La Panouse, whose property it was, showed us around and took us in to the old antique room, where there were all kinds of letters and things. And there was a box marked old clothes. We opened the trunk, and that was something that looked like a manuscript. I said, I found a waltz here. He said, oh, my grandmother used to write down music all the time and fool around. I said, no, no, no. This is not your grandmother. This is Chopin (laughter).

SIMON: So do you feel that you were drawn 4 somehow to find that manuscript? Or what happened?

JANIS: I found - no, not the first time. But the second time, when I found them at Yale - the same two waltzes again in different versions - I felt I was drawn to that somehow.

SIMON: So you unexpectedly and by coincidence found two versions of the same Chopin waltz years apart from each other?

JANIS: Yeah, six years between the time I found the first one at Thoiry and the later one at Yale.

SIMON: You do feel a special connection with Chopin, don't you?

JANIS: Actually, I do. Many things have happened to me. I don't like the word paranormal. I like the word the unknown normal because that's what it really is.

SIMON: So it's extraordinary that you should discover two different versions of a Chopin waltz that was previously 5 unknown.

JANIS: I agree. I was shocked - really shocked - when I found them. And then many things happened to me with Chopin through my life.

SIMON: Such as?

JANIS: Well (laughter), you're not going to believe this if you don't believe in the unknown normal. But I had a death mask of Chopin given to me. Some friends came over, and they said, what's that? I said, it's death mask of Chopin. That's what they used to do in those days. When someone died, they'd get someone to put wax on his face and make this death mask as a memorial. I took it off - down. I said, please be careful with it because it's, you know, very unique. There are only two or three in the world. My wife was there. My son was there - he was about 17 - and these two friends. And, suddenly, a fluid started coming out of one of the eyes. And I put my hand into this fluid, and it was salty. So I guess there was no question in my mind these were tears. What I felt was that Chopin was happy that he could communicate somehow with the current world.

You know, I learned one thing. People who are negative about these kinds of unknown normal things - they will never change. They'll always find another way that it could've happened or try to find another way that it could've happened. But I just give up try to convince them because they won't ever be convinced. The ones who are skeptics - once they hear about it, they say, oh, actually, it's real.

(SOUNDBITE OF BYRON JANIS PERFORMANCE OF CHOPIN'S NOCTURNE, OP. 27: NO. 1 C-SHARP MINOR)

SIMON: You've been afflicted 6 with arthritis 7 in recent years, I gather.

JANIS: Yes.

SIMON: But you've continued to play.

JANIS: Yes. I can speak about it - the fact that I had arthritis for some 12 years. And then it was announced - Arthritis Foundation, when I was one of the spokesmen. It was announced at a lunch at the White House by Nancy Reagan. So she announced it. And I remember one of the things I said was, I have arthritis, but it doesn't have me (laughter). And it was very difficult.

SIMON: Yeah.

JANIS: It got worse and worse. The joints 8 were affected 9. I had to have injections. I will not to try to tell you what that pain was like (laughter). But I managed somehow to play and to keep my standards. You know, music is and was my life. And I had fortune. I was born with a talent. And, secondly 10, I am passionate 11 about making music. And when you're - you've got to be passionate about something, so you just keep trying. At moments, I was going to give up because it was very difficult. I couldn't do what I wanted to do. But I persisted. I said no, no, no, keep going. Come on. You'll be able to do it. It was kind of, like, a mind-over-matter thing. It worked, to the amazement 12 of the doctors.

SIMON: Byron Janis - thank you so much for being with us, Mr. Janis.

JANIS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF BYRON JANIS PERFORMANCE OF CHOPIN'S NOCTURNE, OP. 27: NO. 2 IN D-FLAT MAJOR)