DOUBLE (PIANO) FORTE

When one cannot get access to the piano to practice the only thing to do is get vicarious practice. By that I mean, when there was an piano competition all last week, i.e. the 9th Scottish International Piano Competition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow I booked myself into 2 of the performances. Now that we have moved house I am a very convenient bus ride (free for those of us of a certain age) both to and from the RSAMD building in the city centre.

So Wednesday night I headed off for the semi-final. This gal was one of three playing with the Brodsky Quartet. Her name is Oxana Shevchenko and she comes from a place I hardly know where to place on the map - Kazakhastan!

(The other two players that evening were also from that part of the world, namely, Nadezda Pisareva (Moscow) and Pavel Kolesnikov from Novolsibirsk, Russia.)

I had a most enjoyable evening sitting next to a gentleman who clearly knew a thing or two about this music competition and also the 5 grand pianos that were sitting on the floor of the auditorium. (The competing pianist tries them out and selects one on which to perform.) I never knew this man's name - had something to do with the organisation of the event - except that he was heading off to the Edinburgh train as I headed off for the bus home.

Then on Saturday night Colette and John gave me a lift into another evening performance for which we all had bought tickets.

Giving a recital was not a competitor but, rather, this lady, Idil Biret, a concert pianist from Turkey. Her website is here.


A gifted musician from the age of three (like many of the young competitors) she played with technical brilliance, and to me, somewhat Germanic... meaning everything was very muscular and loud. (My piano teacher would not approve....) Well, it's interesting to compare styles. One man gave her a standing ovation at the end; the rest of the 3/4 full auditorium did not. To me, that says it all.

However, again, I sat next to a most interesting person - a London Lady who chatted as much as I am inclined to whenever I am treating myself to an evening such as this. (I guess it comes from being single ticket holders.)

She was up for the weekend - as you do! I couldn't envisage her spending the following day, Sunday with rain forecast, in Glasgow so there was nothing for it but to take her out (to Ross Priory) and smell the flowers. Definitely the way to spend a driech day until the 4 pm final concert (she had a ticket) at which the winner of the competition was to be chosen (and receive £10,000 plus a Bluthner grand piano). And who was the winner (I found out today by checking the RSAMD website).....?

Oxana from Kazakhstan!

__________________________________________________________

Photo sources: Idil: www.eskisehirkultur.com
and Oxana: www.concorsobusoni.it