Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center

401 Shady Avenue ▪ Suite B-101 ▪ Pittsburgh , PA 15206 ▪ Phone: 412.661.4224 ▪ Fax: 412.661.2275

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact:  Naomi Herman

Tel:  412-661-5270

Cell:  412-370-0270

Email:  directorpcdp@aol.com

 

MOZART:  THE MAN AND THE MIND OF A GENIUS

 

The Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center will present Dr. Richard Kogan, New York psychiatrist and classically trained pianist on Saturday evening, April 25, 2009 playing selected compositions and discussing Mozart’s life at Rodef Shalom Temple ’s Levy Hall in Oakland at 8 PM.

 

“We are delighted to bring Dr. Kogan to Pittsburgh for the first time” said Dr. Howard Foster, President of the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center .  Richard, Kogan , MD has thrilled audiences with his insights into the minds of composers such as Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, and Gershwin.  He has played with Yo Yo Ma and Lynn Chang.  Dr. Kogan’s mother recognized his talent early on and he attended the Julliard Pre-college Program during high school.  When he opted to go into medicine at Harvard,  his mentor arranged for a special 5 year program to enable him to continue his concert tour.

 Kogan will be discussing why Mozart is generally considered the greatest of all the classical composers. "He composed flawlessly in every genre of music," Kogan said. "But what really separated him from the other titans like Beethoven and Bach is simply the way he composed. For example, Beethoven would fill up waste-baskets with discarded rough drafts before he eventually produced his masterpieces. But Mozart was capable of working out entire, lengthy, complex pieces of music in his head, even while he was engaged in other activities—playing billiards, for example."

What's more, Kogan added, "Mozart was clearly the greatest child prodigy in the history of classical music. By age 5, he was already composing miniature masterpieces. At the same age he took out a tiny violin without instruction and was able to sight-read music without any errors."

The Kogan program benefits the ongoing work of the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center (PPC), a nonprofit organization providing comprehensive training in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis.  The Center promotes education and research in accordance with standards of the American Psychoanalytic Association and is an advocate for psychoanalytic thought and discipline throughout the Western Pennsylvania area.  Its vision is to strive for excellence as an educational and training institution and as a valuable resource to the community. PPC supports the Clinic without Walls which provides psychodynamic psychotherapy for children, adolescents and adults through the residency training programs at Allegheny General Hospital and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.

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If you would like for information about PPC or the Clinic without Walls, or to schedule an interview with Dr. Kogan, call Naomi Herman at 412-661-5270 or email Naomi at directorpcdp@aol.com.