The 4th China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition kicked off on last Sunday evening. A young female pianist, Ms. Ma Ke, took the lead by playing Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Rhapsody. Compared with three years ago, her progress was obvious, and she made a good start to the music week. Followed by Ms. Ma Ke was the pianist Ms. Chen Sa who comes from Shenzhen and gains fame in the world.
The second Piano Concerto in B-Flat major by Brahms is incredibly special which is in a rarely seen form in the history of concertos. Its four movements not only prolong the playing time, but also set a very high requirement for the pianist. The piano is not the main instrument. In such case, if the piano is not played properly, the audience will suffer from a mediocre performance. However, Ms. Chen Sa behaved very maturely with her deep calm and enough patience, and she also seemed to have a mutual affinity with Mr. Lin Daye, the charming Director of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. With a tacit understanding, they made an exceptionally good teamwork. The orchestra’s individual key touch and their splendid performance won prolonged applause from the audience.
For three consecutive days, there was a heavy rain outside the Shenzhen Concert Hall. But inside, it was like flowers cascading and the spring breeze rippling. The first show began in the afternoon. The audience enjoyed the playing of 33 young pianists from all over the world. Lots of famous classical works of Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff were lingering in the audience’s ears, especially the three concertos K413, K414 and K415 of Mozart, which were in the must-play list of every young performer. Every time I heard it, I was intoxicated by the magnificent and elegant tone of Mozart’s music characteristic.
Looking back at the third Piano Association Reunion three years ago, I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful melodies of Mozart’s music. The luster was warm, and the music was extremely beautiful. In the second Piano Association Reunion six years ago, I was also “tortured” by Mozart’s music in the first round of performance. It was such a happy torture which was a comfort like the breeze on my face and I never got tired of hearing it.
In my opinion, the performers of this session were better than the previous ones and they did an extremely good job. The 12 performers on the first day came from China, Russia, Romania and South Korea, including Chinese overseas students. They performed Mozart works with different culture features to the audience. Mr. Florian Mittrian from Romania made a deep impression on me. He performed very stably and balanced with his comprehensive keyboard skill. His solo repertoire were Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 in C minor and Liszt’s Etude Paganini No.2 in E-Flat Major. By contrast, I prefer his 11th Piano Concerto K.413 in F major by Mozart. His music had a fascinating effect, especially the slow plate of the second movement. There was also a Korean female player, Ms. Jin Yitan whose simple temperament let us see the precious uncut jade from the hustle and bustle of the real world. It was a real feeling and it was much closer to the classical spirit.
The second day’s stage belonged to Chinese performers. The first pianist was Mr. Bai Yanfeng from Central Conservatory of Music. His performance stood out because of his spirituality, but I was more optimistic about his senior schoolmate Mr. Hao Yilei because he was cooperated very well with Polish ensemble. He was relaxed and was deeply immersed in the melody, and he was reveling in the concertos even when he was not playing. For the Piano Concerto Music Week, the first test for all the stage participants is the sense of integration with the concerto, which requires not only the adjustment of experience, but also the perception of cooperation. For some participants, they can have their wonderful solo performance, but cannot play well in the “collaboration”. And some participants may be more suited to bands than to quartets.
After three days of listening, dozens of hours of Mozart Concerto filled in my head, but I still couldn’t feel enough. Especially the later, the better performers would surprise you. Small and thin Asians, tall and straight Europeans, were sitting beside the keyboard. Their figures gave way to their voice, and their skin colors were different, so were their tones. There was a “Prince Charming” from Russia had dazzling blond hair, who was equally outstanding in image and skill. I not only admired his Chopin Etudes in A minor, but also appreciated his Mozart. He played Mozart’s K415 firstly magnificently in the first movement and exquisitely in the second movement especially refreshing in the weak parts. Rachmaninoff’s Etude in C minor is his specialty. My inner pride was burst out at his rapid and warm touch of the keys, and the music journey reached a glorious state in his heartily expressing then ended suddenly. It was far from enough. I wish I could hear him once more. It’s a pity he didn’t make the second round. The regret of losing is inevitable, but I’m sure the audience will remember his name Germaine Kitkin.
Ms. Pan Linzi, who comes from Shenzhen and went through further studies in Curtis’s, was very charming inside and outside. She was in a sexy fleshcolor dress and presented a beauty of music journey to the audience. I believe she will go higher and further in future and look forward to her world stage as her senior schoolmate Zhang Haochen.
Thanks to the organizing committee for choosing a brilliant string quartet. They were the Polish Vesta String Quartet, the country’s most prestigious chamber orchestra. When they first appeared on the stage, the sound of the chords spreading out made me ignore the protagonist ‘PIANO’. Every one of them was especially devoted and did a great job, especially the first violin. His chords and timbre were both entranced, and he influenced the other three musicians to achieve a wonderful harmony. It came from their deep interpretation of Mozart’s music, which was precise and charismatic in the bow and the fluttering chords. They performed well and ushered the pianists into Mozart’s music world by playing the beauty of the introduction. If the keyboard tone is as beautiful as the spring water dripping into a deep pool, then, you must have a dream-like intoxication from the quartet’s guidance each time. If only they could play a string quartet completely, whether it’s Mozart or Haydn, it will bring the audience into a state of ecstasy.
The chief said in an interview that they respected the style of every young pianist. In order to achieve a high degree of tacit understanding, they would take the initiative to communicate with each other before going on stage and adjusted to each other timely on stage, so as to satisfy every piano performer. Not only do they know how to play, but they also know how to enjoy the music. While they infect the piano players, they must also move themselves.
Different Line, different speed, different granular sense, and different dynamic of piano performance bring the same enjoyment to audience. I will never get tired of listening. If enjoyment is meaningful, then repetitive enjoyment is more intriguing.