Life and Leisure

Chopin event to showcase young talents

By Chen Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-05 07:48

Even if you think you have listened to pretty much all the Chopin you can take in the 200th year of the Polish composer's birth, you don't want to miss November's Chopin Marathon at the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

More than 60 piano talents from China, Poland and Israel will give 10 concerts in the afternoons and evenings on four weekends, presenting all-Chopin works from nocturnes to mazurkas, polonaises and waltzes to concertos and even his early vocal pieces.

The performers comprise both young, promising pianists as well as established ones such as Poland's Ewa Poblocka and Karol Radziwonowicz; Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein and Chinese Huang Yameng, Tan Xiaotang and Wang Xiaohan.

A brainchild of Professor Wu Yin, of Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music, "the idea is to showcase Chinese's young rising talents" Wu says.

"Everyone knows Lang Lang and Li Yundi as also the fact that China has millions of kids learning the piano. These students need opportunities to showcase their talents."

Fully supportive of his idea, project manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall Zhu Jing, encouraged him to leverage the 200th birth anniversary of the musician to being his idea to fruition; otherwise, "you might have to wait for another 200 years" Zhu told Wu.

The project also received support from the Polish Embassy in Beijing.

"We are interested in promoting a new generation of pianists. Though they are not famous now, they are the future of classical music," says Maciej Gaca, culture counselor of the embassy.

"I know Chopin is one of the most beloved composers and pianists in China, which has many great Chopin interpreters such as Fou T'song from the older generation and young Li Yundi; now we must look to the youngest generation," he says.

The concert series will kick off on Nov 6 with Wang Xiaohan from China and Joanna Rozewska from Poland.The 22-year-old Polish pianist just participated in the 2010 Chopin International Competition and lost out just before the finals.

Beijing native Wang started to play the piano at 5 and learned under several famous Chinese pianists before heading to Hannover University of Music and Drama and coming under the wings of Arie Vardi, the renowned Israeli pianist.

He became the youngest player to win the 46th Munich ARD Music Competition in 1997 and in 2001, made it to the finals of the Van Cliburn International Piano, playing his own composition. It was the first time the competition saw an own composition being played and the best record achieved by a Chinese pianist.

The concert on Nov 20 will features Chopin's vocal music sung by Polish mezzo-soprano Anna Lubanska.

"Most are familiar with Chopin's piano pieces but seldom hear his songs. Chopin wrote many beautiful songs early in his musical career. Here's a rare chance to hear these songs in China," Professor Wu says.

In addition to concerts, the Chopin Marathon will also feature free lectures on the composer and his music by Chinese pianists Du Taihang, Sheng Yuan, You Xi and Zhao Lin at the Central Conservatory of Music at 6 pm every Thursday in November.

China Daily