Gerry Christine has had piano lessons for 17 years from the age of 7 from Goffe van Gelder (1917-1977), who died unexpectedly at the age of 60. Goffe van Gelder was an educator, pianist, composer and choirmaster.
Reason
She was able to replace the Schimmel grand piano (1.60m), which her parents had bought for her, with a new 2.10m Blüthner grand piano in 2010. Having this new instrument at her disposal, as well as a visit to Mumbai, India in 2011, where her husband Willem Okkerse came up with the idea of giving piano recitals for charity, were the reasons to seriously start separating her time between her work as a personal development coach/business psychologist and playing the piano from that moment onwards.
Presence of a piano teacher
Gerry Christine felt the presence of Goffe van Gelder on a daily basis from the moment she started playing the pieces she had learnt during her youth on the new grand piano. Unfamiliar with this type of awareness, she decided to test this experience with a clairvoyant. This person confirmed Goffe van Gelder had been accompanying her in her piano playing at the request of her father (Gerhardus Martinus van Ravenzwaay, the dearest father in the world, 1917 - 2009), who had died in 2009. Her beloved piano teacher encouraged and coached her meticulously and Gerry Christine wrote notes in a notebook, just like he used to do.
How it all started
Gerry Christine heard piano music coming out of her husband’s study one morning in January 2012. What she experienced that morning turned out to be the start of an extraordinary collaboration.
Completely overwhelmed by the magnificent, energetic and intense piano playing of the 2nd Polonaise by Liszt, a performance which was in no way comparable to any other master pianists, by a pianist whom she had never heard play in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw before, she committed herself to the grand piano that same afternoon with Liszt’s Polonaise in front of her.
As soon as she started playing, she felt a driving energy which was focused on a different way of playing. In the blink of an eye she knew this was the phenomenal pianist she had seen playing that morning: György Cziffra.
Now knowing this feeling bore witness to an absolute reality, she started making notes in her notebook that very same day.
Desire to create a ‘Book’
Inspired by the daily, continually, expertly and carefully written, what appeared to be ‘Instructions’ for the piano playing, György Cziffra and his son György Cziffra suggested writing a ‘Book’ about this in June of that year.
During the years which followed, György & György Cziffra patiently transferred all the musical wisdom over to Gerry Christine, a musical wisdom within which spirituality appeared to have been naturally incorporated.
Now, after a loving and intense 6 year collaboration, we can state this concerns a process which can be analysed as follows. It is the explicit wish of Cziffra Foundation Master over Mind to publish this 'Book' together with the Fondation Cziffra in Senlis, France: in september 2012 this special project was with this aim explained during a conversation with Cosima Cziffra.
Collaboration process
In principle the process consists of three phases, which take place in a completely natural manner between György & György Cziffra and Gerry Christine, namely:
- the provision of ‘Instructions’ by György & György Cziffra
- the processing of these ‘Instructions’ by Gerry Christine in 5 steps and
- the entering into a dialogue between the three of them.
By 1. writing down the ‘Instructions’, 2. practicing these during the piano playing, 3. looking at this with an enquiring mind, 4. processing and newly applying the ‘Instructions’ during the piano playing and finally 5. investigating the ‘instructions’ as critically as possible, as and when required – all in writing – Gerry Christine has managed to familiarise herself with György & György Cziffra’s musical and spiritual wisdom.
Master over Mind™
The three core phases of this process are jointly referred to as Master over Mind.
The products resulting from Master over Mind are Books, CD’s, Articles, Sheet Music, Benefit piano recitals and (Interactive) lectures.
In other words, Master over Mind is an iterative process in two different ways:
- between György & György Cziffra and Gerry Christine and
- between wisdom and design.
The result is unison: we speak with one voice, whereby the time factor plays no role.
“Many practice”*
A continuous exercise in accordance with György & György Cziffra’s wisdom, shaped in ‘Guidelines’, will enable for the classic musician to:
personally achieve the realisation of the music’s soul in its interpretation.
* Rev. Jomio Tanaka (1946)
Since 2018 this process is supported by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910 - 1991), one of the most distinguished and high-souled (Tibetan) Buddhist masters ever.
Quintessentially Cziffra Foundation Master over Mind has the conscience of the patronage of permeating distinct high-fields-of-love.