THE ART OF PIANO
2010年03月24日
Here it comes again, the 2nd Takamatsu International Piano Competition 2010! This is a becoming prestigious and a biggie in the piano and classical music world and will be held in the very plush and beautiful, multi tiered Sunport Concert Main Hall in Takamatsu City. The venue really is new, modern and great. Right near the water, the smell of the sea and a stone throw from the Central Takamatsu JR Station.
Sunport Concert Main Hall in Takamatsu City
Already a springboard competition for pianists getting ready for, or trying to break into the international classical music arena. The first prize is a cool ￥1,000,000, 500,000 for the runner-up and 300,000 for the third place. Previous winners such as Pave Gintov, Stanislav Khristenko and Chao Wang have all gone on to successful careers as professionals or semi professionals. So crack those knuckles and get those scales up to speed. There will be lots of Haydn, Listz and Mozart and …Oh? The deadline has expired? Well that’s probably lucky for anyone who’s heard my feeble piano efforts.
For the contestants there will be four rounds, each with pieces selected from a menu of classical repertoires in etude or sonata form. The second 40 minute round with the previous sonata finished in its entirety. Contestants are free to choose which movement in the first round … In the third round, any one of 4 Mozart concertos performed together with a symphony orchestra. After this, a six minute mystery piece composed by Ken Fujimitsu which nobody quite knows how it goes ? (hum a few bars please Ken? I won’t tell?) All finalists must play this one piece.
The competition has been opened to anyone up to age 40, which means I’m too old by just one year, damn.
For visitors to Takamatsu it will be an opportunity to see this wonderful place, which has a lot of venues for the arts including the Anabuki Citizens’ Hall, which is also another world-class facility for music and close to Sunport. This hall also holds live performances of any genre.
Anabuki Citizens’ Hall
On another note, (excuse pun) there’s a lot of other interesting architecture in Takamatsu and some world-famous buildings from different eras such as the Citizens’ Sports Center built in 1968 is just one.
Citizens’ Sports Center
The Sunport facilities are all very central and near the waterfront as mentioned. This allows easy access to the many islands in the Inland Sea area (Setonai Kai). Shodoshima, Naoshima are just one hour away and the port’s ferry ticket offices are just a few minutes on foot to the east of the Central Station.
Ferry ticket offices
From the entrance of the Sunport Hall just walk twenty or so meters to the end of this street to see the port and the vehicular/passenger ferry facilities.
Vehicular/passenger ferry facilities
"Pat has lived in Takamatsu continuously since arriving here on a one year study and leave 1981. Originally from Tasmania, Australia, he was involved in education at a variety of levels including as a specialist teacher for children with learning difficulties, and at senior high schools throughout the state. Pat is employed full-time by the i-pal Kagawa International Exchange as a co-oridintaor for international relations amongst other duties including traveling to schools and giving talks in Japanese to kids about Australia. He has been involved with youth education exchanges between Japan and Australia for many years.
Pat has been many things in his colorful life including a seaman, helmsman, welder, carpenter, traffic warden, scholarship/studentship winner at the university of Tasmania, staff at the Australian Embassy in London to name but a few. Pat has far too many hobbies which include tennis, playing jazz flutes and saxes, riding bicycles with the Takamatsu Cycling Club all of which his long-suffering family tolerate. Recently he's become interested in painting again. His wife wishes he would put more time in to helping around the house and the garden which he artfully avoids ..."
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Posted by pat at 14:38
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