PIANO WORKS

I mainly choose scores which fascinate me and you can probably hear that in my interpretation. Above all I am interested in form and rhythm, the soul of the music. It’s about trying to understand what the composer wished to express with his composition. There are many opinions about how a score should be interpreted and naturally I also have my own after so many years of study. I am however not very good at discussing the result, since it has to do with my feelings. Winning a first prize at a competition is rewarding, but the most important thing for me is to be able to convey my feelings to the public, so they get swept away and feel the same joy that I am experiencing while performing.

Among my favourite composers are Kapustin, Chopin, Liszt, Poulenc and Moussorgsky. I heard Kapustin for the first time at 19 when still studying in Tokyo. It was his Sonata Nr. 2 and I was immediately enraptured. It was so jazzy and made me happy. I started to search and found a CD on which Kapustin himself interprets this sonata and also eight concert etudes. I performed all these pieces at my final exam. I was above all fascinated that they sounded like improvisations, although they were composed music with existing scores. Contrary to what one might think when hearing it for the first time, his music is very demanding and difficult to learn, but that is exactly the kind of challenge I like.

By adding romantic composers to this CD I just wanted to give a small taste of Chopin and Schumann/Liszt. It was obvious that as a Japanese student in Paris I would above all get to learn the whole palette of French composers. I adore Chopin because even if his music seems to be happy, it is always tinged with a touch of melancholy. To me, his nocturnes are like small prayers and I can well imagine how he worked at night and dreamed of returning to his motherland Poland. The Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Op. 22 is one of my favourites, a brilliant piece full of contrasts. Liszt’s adaptation of Schumann’s love song (Liebeslied) is a little gem that needs no explanation.

A romantic at heart, I sometimes also like to surprise my public with an unusual repertoire.

Interview Yuki Kondo 24-7-2016