"Oh, he is so into the music," she bubbled about her piano-playing son. "It's very exciting. He's the No.
1 student in his school. He goes to Central Music School, which is a very difficult place." Back in the late '90s, as a young single mom and struggling pianist living in Moscow, Kern could spend more time with Vladislav.
Then came her triumph at the 2001 Cliburn competition in Fort Worth, where she shared top honors with Stanislav Ioudenitch. Soon, she was appearing around the world - and concertgoers quickly fell for this talented, exuberant pianist. Olgamania was born.
And the demands of audience and concert-presenters soon took her away from her son for huge chunks of time. "He is always in my heart and my soul," she said of Vladislav. "I so miss him, but it's good for him to be in school with his friends.
If I took him with me (on tours), it would be great for me, but not for him." Instead, her son stays with her parents - which works out well, since Kern's mother was also her first piano teacher. No doubt, his practice sessions are closely watched.
Even at 8, the boy already is committed to following in his mother's footsteps. And that eases the pain of separation. "He knows that I am working," she said.
"He understands that this is my life. And he knows that he is choosing the same life for himself." Kern's angst at not being with her son is offset by the joys of pursuing a career on the concert stage.
"For many people, doing this is sometimes difficult to enjoy. But for me, it's amazing. Incredible.
To do what I love and share that love with the public is so wonderful. "For me, my life is an adventure." When she triumphed at the Cliburn in 2001, Kern had no idea of the adventures to come: from high-profile concerts in major cities to small-town gigs in far-off spots, such as an eventful visit to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.
Kern spared no details in telling of that recent appearance, which began badly - and soon got worse. "When I arrived at the hall, I tried the piano, and it was not working well. It was making strange noises.
"Then, we got a lot of rain. And when I went in to practice, my right hand was completely wet, because the roof was leaking on the piano. So we took it backstage to dry out.
"The next day, when the concert was going on, I heard a big noise from the piano, right in the middle of a piece. Then, some keys weren't working. I managed to finish, and everyone loved it.
But when I looked inside the piano, I saw that about 10 of these metal things holding the strings to the wood were hanging in the air. The hammers just weren't hitting the strings." From her description, some of the tuning pins probably had come loose due to the dampness.
It appeared that the performance could not go on - but Kern and her fans would have none of it. "We all waited for half-an- hour, while they tried to find another piano," she continued. "Soon they came back with a 200-year-old baby grand that was terribly out of tune.
" Here's all you need to know about Kern's spirit and her childlike joy at being a musician: While most other pianists would have grumbled about the instrument or simply walked out, Kern remained. "I knew the people would be disappointed if we had to cancel, so I told them, 'I will play on this one.' " She not only continued, but found herself transported.
"The sound of this little old piano - it reminded me of my childhood, of the instrument I played back at the beginning. It was d j vu. As I played, I came back to my past, and I was so happy.
" Kern, 30, is still early in a remarkably successful solo career, one that will no doubt steer her away from small-town dates such as her rain-drenched recital in Mexico. "I'm so excited about everything," she said. "I want to have more time with my son, but I hope I can continue doing this.
"You never know what can happen. Right now, this gives me everything I want. I know that I'm young.
Inside of me, I feel like a child." Olga Kern at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Works by Scriabin, Liszt, Barber, Schubert and Judith Lang Zaimont.
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1. With Christopher Seaman leading the Rochester Philharmonic.
Rachmaninoff: Sonata No. 2; Balakirev: Islamey Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1.
With Anton Wit leading the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.Kern Records Exclusively For Harmonia Mundi. When and where: 7:30 p.
m. Wednesday, Gates Concert Hall, 2344 E. Iliff Ave.
Of note: Prize-winning pianist Olga Kern plays Mendelssohn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer.
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