Thrilling young performers grace stage for Hastings International Piano Competition gala concert

SussexWorld

An unforgettable evening is the promise as two prize‑winning pianists from the 2024 Hastings International Piano Competition, Harmony Zhu and Curtis Phill Hsu, perform Chopin and Rachmaninov with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Hastings.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely to

00:06speak to Vanessa Latash, who is the Artistic Director of Hastings International Piano.

00:12And you have the Gala Concert coming up at Hastings White Rock Theatre, Saturday, September

00:17the 27th. And this is such an important concert. You're bringing together last year's first

00:23and second winners, aren't you?

00:26We are indeed. Thank you very much, Phil. We're bringing together

00:29Curtis Phil Hewitt and Harmony Jew, our first and second prize winners from Hastings International

00:35Piano Competition, to play with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which is a wonderful event for

00:41them, as well as for obviously for audiences. A fantastic experience for our young winners.

00:47And they will be playing respectively Chopin Concerto and Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto.

00:52Of course, Rachmaninoff being a very, very famous piece of music and very accessible

00:59I think to listen to.

01:01So a year on from the competition, what were your reflections on why these two won? What

01:06made them so special, would you say, that they stood out and that they're back this year?

01:12Well, they're both, as those people who went to the competition will remember, they're both

01:17tremendous characters. They both have personalities on stage. They both really light up the stage when

01:23they walk on in different ways. Curtis is a real lion of the keyboard and he's a tremendous technician,

01:33wonderful musician, very thoughtful, but a very exciting young performer. And Harmony is very lively,

01:42a very neat player, very exciting as well, but very different personalities.

01:49Personality is crucial to performance, isn't it? And crucial too, to the audience's enjoyment, isn't it?

01:55Of course, the communication is key here. If they don't communicate with the audience,

02:01then they won't communicate with a jury. Therefore, they wouldn't get a prize. But these two had very strong

02:06personalities when they played. And also the communication with the orchestra, which is really

02:11important, this collaboration. And that's why doing this wonderful concert, again, you know,

02:16second time that they all have played with the RPO, because of course, they played with them

02:20in the finals of the competition as well. So this second opportunity to play with them and collaborate

02:26with them again, it's fantastic for them. And it's also fantastic for us.

02:30And they will have such an important conversation the day before the concert, as you were saying,

02:35when they meet with the conductor and effectively tell the conductor what they're looking for in the RPO.

02:40That's quite something, isn't it?

02:42Yes, indeed. Scott Dunn, our marvellous conductor who's coming over from the States, who's going

02:49to conduct the concert. He's also a former jury member. He's coming back to sit on the jury again

02:54in 2026. And he will be talking with Curtis and Harmony on the Friday afternoon, working through

03:01with the piano, sitting down, going through how they play it, seeing where they take time around

03:06corners, seeing what they need from the orchestra, where they need a little bit more from the

03:10orchestra, where they need a little bit less, what they particularly do, and how he can then

03:15blend with them. So that's a very important relationship. Conductor-performer relationships

03:22is crucial for the success of the whole event.

03:26Absolutely. It sounds so appealing, the whole thing. And it's part of the cycle, isn't it?

03:31Part of the two-year cycle. You are already thinking about next year. Applications are open,

03:37running until, did you say, the end of September?

03:39That's right, yes. Our deadline is the end of September. And then, well, after that, that's for

03:44video and applications. And then we look at the videos by the middle of October. And then

03:50we have the results out just before Christmas. And then we go on from there.

03:56And your reward is to do it all again?

03:57Yes, that's right. And it'll be very exciting. I'm sure it will be. It always is. And looking

04:05for young talent is so exciting and so rewarding.

04:08Absolutely. That's where it moves on, isn't it? Well, congratulations on all the successes

04:13of the competition and all the successes of all that the organisation does.

04:18A fabulous concert with your first and second position winners. Hastings White Rock Theatre,

04:24Saturday, September the 27th. Hastings International Piano Gala Concert. Lovely to speak to you again,

04:30Vanessa. Thank you.

04:31Thank you, Phil. Thank you so much.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended