PATRON OF
THE CHOPIN SOCIETY OF HONG
KONG
Room 646 at Hong
Kong ’s Peninsula Hotel
is also called the Music Room. It is a luxuriously decorated suite with its own
Yamaha grand piano, and that was where this interview (in October 2008) with
VLADIMIR ASHKENAZY, President of the jury at the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, was
conducted. The maestro was practising the piano part of works for violin and
piano by Rachmaninov for a forthcoming recording, and was most gracious for
this intrusion of his time and space.
You do not make a regular habit of judging
piano competitions, do you?
Frankly, I am
not interested in competitions. Besides, time is precious. I have however made
a few exceptions. About 25 years ago, André Previn asked me to judge in a
one-day competition. He is my very good friend, and it was difficult to say no.
In 1995, I managed two or three days at the Finals of the Chopin International
Piano Competition. Warsaw and Poland
are very close to my heart. It is a very cultured country – the land
of Chopin , Szymanowski and
Mickiewicz – and that was where I made my first trip abroad. That was easy, we
all agreed that no first prize would be awarded that year.
If so, how did you end up becoming the
chief judge of this piano competition in Hong Kong ?
What about Hong
Kong ? It is a very peculiar but true story. Sometime during the
1980s, I was performing Brahms’s Piano
Concerto No.1 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic when I was introduced to Drs
Andrew and Anabella Freris. They had just moved to Hong Kong ,
and were very friendly to me. They invited me to be the Patron of the Chopin
Society of Hong Kong. I was impressed by the way they were promoting music, and
enhancing cultural life in Hong Kong . They also asked me
if they have an international piano competition in Hong Kong
and whether I would agree to the President of the jury. I said “Yes”, and then
thought that event would not ever happen. But so 20 years later, they had
organised the first Hong Kong International Piano Competition in 2005! I had
made a promise, and so kept my promise. To do otherwise would have been
dishonest.
The Maestro demonstrates Rachmaninov's early piano writing and accompaniment for his rarely performed violin pieces. |
What do you think of this year’s
competition so far?
They are fewer
pianists this year, but the playing is of a higher level. There are four
Orientals among the five finalists. Lots of attention is paid to classical
music in Korea ,
China and Japan
today, which accounts for this interesting Oriental presence. Spiritual
inspiration is high in these exciting young people, and it does not matter
where they come from. By judging in Hong Kong , I feel
that I am contributing something to the future of music, and to support the
efforts of young musicians in Asia .
Did you formulate the rules, regulation and
repertoire of this competition?
The rules and
regulation were done in consultation with Professor Li Mingqiang (piano
pedagogue based in Hong Kong ) and Dr Andrew Freris. It
was a collective decision as I did not want to act like some Prime Minister!
The required
repertoire is extremely important. There is a lot to choose from the prescribed
list of set works. Pieces like J.S.Bach’s Partitas
and Goldberg Variations, late sonatas
by Beethoven, Schubert and Prokofiev are the building stones of our culture,
and are the most demanding in the area of musical communication. There is no
second-rate music in this repertoire, which may be easier to interpret and
understand. We the judges want to know all the aspects of a young person’s
musicianship, and whether he understands great music. We do not expect them to
be master performers, hut hope to judge their potential in tackling important
repertoire.
What about the inclusion as compulsory set
pieces shorter works by Sibelius and Albeniz?
About the
Sibelius Impromptu and Albeniz Triana (from Iberia ),
works from the North and the South, we wanted to see whether each performer
could infuse something special into what is not regularly performed. Isn’t Triana such a miraculous pieces of
music? Such character and imagination, and what a gift of harmonies. This music
was not just composed – it just came out on its own. We just heard twelve
performances of Triana, and I could
hear this twelve times a day for a whole month, and not tire of it!
The Hong Kong jury
is one of the most prestigious assembled in the history of all piano
competitions. Tell us more.
Our jury is
formed by people who are committed musicians, all of whom know so much about
music.This includes experienced performers like Gary Graffman, Peter Frankl,
Pascal Rogé and Cristina Ortiz, who know what it is like being on stage. There
are also people who do not perform, like Jeremy Siepmann who is unbelievably
experienced on all matters in music. I also hope to include conductors and
music critics in future competitions.
The Ashkenazys have an impromptu conference. |
Your wife is an interesting addition to the
jury. Does she have much experience judging?
We had several
cancellations among the judges. Geoffrey Norris, Vladimir Krainev, Gennady
Rozhdestvensky, Viktoria Postnikova, Maria Joao Pires and Paul Badura-Skoda
could not come for various reasons. So Dr Anabella Freris invited my wife
Thorunn (Dody to her close friends) to be a judge as well, and she agreed. In
February 2009, we would have been married for 48 years! We care very similar in
views and tastes, and there are no disagreements. She has an unbelievable
memory and can not only remember everything that I play at home, but can also
play every note without mistake. She is an honest critic who never flatters.
Once after having given a fantastic concert, she told me, “That was good…” and
then went on to show me how I could further improve! I could not have a better
judge.
What do you look for in a winner at this
competition?
To reiterate, we
are judging potential, both musically and artistically. Winning First Prize does
not necessarily mean one is ready for a career. If the winners are too young,
they have to be careful not to be exploited. In each winner there is a gift,
and if he or she works hard to develop this gift, there is a chance of making a
good career in music.
Play live dealer casino games online - KTM Hub
ReplyDeleteGet 정읍 출장안마 live dealer 밀양 출장샵 casino games online here 원주 출장안마 on 경산 출장샵 KTM Hub. Get the latest live games with 군산 출장안마 no download and no registration required! Rating: 4.1 · 1,200 votes