Battle of the hands: International guitar and piano festivals go head to head

It’s either a cruel twist of fate or a deliberate David-and-Goliath-style showdown between two producers that this year’s Singapore International Piano Festival and International Guitar Festival take place in the same week. Produced by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Tomas Music Consultants respectively, both festivals feature the same premise: four international-level virtuosos each performing an evening’s worth of music in a solo recital. From 15 to 19 June, audiences are spoilt with an embarrassment of riches as eight musicians vie for their attention.

This year’s Singapore International Piano Festival, now in its 18th year, takes transformation as its theme. ‘[It’s] about how life and art are intertwined, how life’s constant changes find musical and pianistic rationale in the theme,’ say the festival’s programme notes. ‘Making seemingly simple musical ideas metamorphose into large, poetic forms.’ This year’s performers include Israeli-born Shai Wosner, a virtuoso who counts world-famous conductors Daniel Barenboim and Zubin Mehta among his colleagues, 22-year-old Armenian Nareh Arghamanyan and widely respected Brazilian old-timer Arnaldo Cohen.

Perhaps the performer with the most significant human-interest story is Canadian Janina Fialkowska, 60 – a protégée of piano legend Arthur Rubenstein – who suffered a rare cancer of the left arm a few years ago, but has since bounced back with a highly acclaimed Chopin collection. ‘The old pieces that I still play are maybe a little bit fresher now because I look at them from a completely different point of view, paying a little more attention to the left hand,’ she says.

Fialkowska cites her ancestry as an advantage for playing Chopin’s music. ‘I have an affinity for Chopin because I have a Polish name; if you have one drop of Polish blood in you, you have to have an affinity with Chopin. Another thing is that, funnily enough, my hands are just about the exact same fit as his. I’ve seen plaster casts [of his hands] and they are almost identical; our fingers are the same shape, our thumbs are the same; I think that’s why I feel so happy playing his music.’

International Guitar Fesitival

Sporting an only slightly less high profile is the International Guitar Festival, having been running nine years. Remarking on this year’s clash of dates, festival founder and director Thomas Liauw, 49, feels it’s only beneficial to concertgoers: ‘It’s a coincidence but a good thing for music lovers as it’s like killing two birds with one stone, especially if you are travelling to Singapore. The only problem is deciding which to attend, but it really depends on which you prefer. To my knowledge, only a handful of audiences are “torn between two lovers”.

But despite its similar premise, what separates the Guitar Festival from its counterpart is its competition, with prizes worth more than $50,000. Liauw sees it as a positive step in developing the next generation of guitarists.

‘Some of our winners in past competitions have become well known both in their native countries and internationally. So far our first-prize winners have come from Taiwan, Russia, China and Thailand. Most of these winners have also [gone on to win] other competitions and have since become professional musicians,’ Liauw adds.

The Guitar Festival also boasts a star-studded cast featuring Kaori Muraji from Japan, Argentinian María Isabel Siewers, Gaëlle Solal from France and Italy’s Elena Casoli. While Liauw recommends that newcomers attend Casoli’s concert for her mix of light classics and popular songs, he adds that Muraji’s recital is the one that guitar lovers are most looking forward to.

Well known for her five recordings on the Decca label, and colleagues like baroque conductor Harry Christophers, her stylish image and fearless virtuosity have won her widespread popularity among guitar lovers. Her many admirers include the legendary guitar composer Joaquín Rodrigo, who called Muraji ‘the 21st-century interpreter of my music’. ‘I’m really honoured by this compliment, it’s more rewarding than any medal or trophy,’ says Muraji, 32, who has loved Rodrigo’s music since childhood. ‘Conflicting things such as light and shade, holiness and earthliness coexist in his music. That’s why it fascinates me so much.’

She recalls meeting the composer at his Madrid home in 1999. ‘That was approximately six months before he passed away. I couldn’t talk to him much because he was already very old, but I was just happy to play for the great composer and sit with him. Since then I have felt more love for his pieces than ever before.’

The 18th Singapore International Piano Festival 2011 runs from 16-19 June at the Conservatory Concert Hall. The 9th International Guitar Festival runs from 15-19 June at RELC International Hotel Auditorium.