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By:
Besarte Elshani
- June 11, 2023 01:09
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The concert and piano marathon of the "Chopin Piano Fest" is a mosaic full of works, world stars, talents that come together with the public for good music and top performances. Completely tuned and in harmony. Such was the 13th edition, the curtain of which fell with the amazing playing of the American pianist Avery Gagliano. Concerts are one side. Conditions, on the other hand. In the middle are the promises for the hall and infrastructure that are already repeated, as in the closing concert, after the last sound of the piano
Nine concert evenings with international and local soloists, dozens of piano students from music schools in Kosovo, a piano marathon and thousands of people in the public, are the balances of the 13th edition of the "Chopin Piano Fest".
The last instrumentalist who completed the pianistic sounds of this edition was the 21-year-old American, Avery Gagliano. With her virtuosity and fascinating playing, she once again confirmed the mission of the Festival: to listen to high-level playing with the signatures of artists who step on world stages. This edition also ended with promises for better infrastructural conditions.
The Amphitheater of the University Library is the long-standing address of sound exploration. For this edition, the intervention on the stage has been more visible with attempts to make the environment as warm and worthy as possible for foreign instrumentalists. Although there was no progress in the infrastructure, "Chopin Piano Fest" managed to conquer the capital with the magic of the piano, even though last edition the organizers of the Festival had made sure that this year's would be held in a decent hall and with conditions. In fact, this edition, the performers and the public were awaited by a mess of leftovers from the inventory changes inside the facility before entering the hall.
However, it was the amazing interpretations that made this edition unforgettable for the loyal audience of the Festival.
Pianist Avery Gagliano has connected audiences with her sensitivity, emotional depth and musical expression. For an hour and a half, on Saturday night, she kept the audience engaged with her narration through the piano. Despite his age, he already counts participation in dozens of festivals and some important piano awards.
She started her recital concert with "Sonata No.4, K.282" by the Austrian Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. With her playing, she cast magic through each note of the work. It started off easy with a series of sounds at the beginning to steadily progress. With a short break in between, the flow changes completely and it's as if another musical narrative begins. There are two topics that develop in parallel. Each part is a separate chapter. It separates the intense game from the easier one by pressing two keys, but it still restores the previous state and even comes more powerful each time.
He also performed Chopin's "Mazurkas" neatly. "No. 1, G - major", was like a depraved melody with sound experimentation. He concludes the piece with the pull of the key, the echo of which is quickly cut off. In "No. 2 As - dur" the sounds seem to have sunk into a disorganized collection, to find their thread in a literal order. "No. 3, cis - mol" is characterized by the sounds ordered from the lowest to the highest. The piece is often interrupted by more serious and dominant sounds. The play with the tone comes to the fore in particular parts. When the intensity is lowered, the ending has a high-pitched sound that comes in stark contrast to the previous one.
"Barcarolle op. 60”, also by Chopin, has not expanded strongly beyond the sound frames that are kept in check with some tendencies to penetrate. However, he reaches it and the movements between the sounds develop with high notes to return to the initial state. It comes alive in the last part of the work and seems to break the boundaries and break free. The pianist explodes with sound, elaborating through it.
In the last part, Gagliano also interpreted "4 Impromplus, D 935, op. Posth. 142” of Franz Schubert. It's an ideal work to showcase the techniques and virtuosity that Galiano has proven time and time again.
He has performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, the MostArts Festival Orchestra, the Oregon Mozart Players, the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. As a passionate chamber musician, she regularly collaborates with ensembles and as a guest artist with the "Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players" in New York.
She gained international attention after receiving First Prize and Best Concerto Prize in the 2020 Chopin National Piano Competition and as the only American semi-finalist in the 18th International Chopin Competition in 2021.
Although she has performed everywhere on magnificent stages, the concert in Pristina was equally special for pianist Avery Gagliano.
"I really felt very connected to the audience. It's just great when you can play and feel like you're sharing that experience with everyone. The fact that it's a completely new place for me, I've never been here before, made this a completely different experience. I also saw the audience very loving, everyone was very happy. They were very careful and this really means a lot to me", said the pianist Gagliano, whose main performances include those in world-famous halls and festivals, such as the "Verbier", "Gilmore", "Bravo!" , "Vail Festival", "Ravinia Festival", "Aspen Music Festival", "Sëiss Alps Classics Festival". He has also played in magnificent halls, such as "Carnegie Hall", "Warsaw Philharmonic Hall", "Cavatina Hall", "Louis Vuitton Foundation", "Salle Cortot", and "WQXR Greene Space".
At the very end, pianist Avery Gagliano played a piece from "Magnolias Suite" by the American composer Robert Nathaniel Dett, as a sign of thanks to the audience.
The Festival's artistic director and piano professor, Lejla Pula, has shown that she first heard Gagliano's performance in 2021, when she was performing at the "Chopin" competition in Warsaw. He said that in the framework of the "Chopin Piano Fest" there have been artists from the USA several times, but that it is the first time that such a young pianist comes with such a high level of performance. "We were all amazed, he played a very close program, from Mozart, Chopin and Schubert. Our audience listened very attentively, we as organizers are also very thankful that they were with us for a month and I am glad that this subtle artistic virtuosity and subtlety was expressed. Everyone has impressions from this concert. Indeed, this is also the main goal of the Festival", said Pula.
According to her, the goal is to listen to as much quality classical music as possible, while she also highlighted the difficulties and effort of preparing for a recital concert. For the concerts in general, he estimated that they were of a high artistic level.
"My heart melts when you see that there are people in the audience who have nothing to do with music, but students, yes, yes." I myself know the scene and I know how difficult it is. It is music performed on the spot. It takes hours a day to practice for a year to prepare such a recital. It's great fun, but not rewarding enough in terms of how much to invest. I want classical music in Kosovo to be popularized as much as possible, we have talents in all the cities of Kosovo", said Pula further, while for the next edition he said that they plan to bring the artists that this edition did not have the opportunity to come .
In front of those present, Pula together with the organizational director, Besa Luzha, announced that they will open a fund for the supply of a new piano, which will be of better quality for interpretation. They have revealed that anyone who contributes will have their name engraved on one of the piano keys.
Luzha has considered this edition as challenging, but also enjoyable.
"It has been a long one-month journey with many challenges of course, but also with a lot of pleasure, with beautiful evenings, with the most diverse impressions of the many artists who have come to perform. We certainly had the best impressions from you, who have been following us all this time,' said the organizational director, Besa Luzha.
The Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Çeku, has appreciated the Festival as a reflection of the classical music scene in the capital.
"We saw another very successful, very long edition, with many concerts and beautiful performances from many countries around the world. This further ensures Pristina's rich cultural scene. I am very happy that we are here together to crown this success of the 13th edition of the Festival", said Minister Çeku.
The mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, has said that the appropriate infrastructural conditions will soon be provided. He said that the project to turn the former object of "Gërmia" into a multifunctional cultural space will be implemented in April 2024.
"We are working on the design of the multicultural hall until the end of this year. Even the European Union is joining this process. They have promised us that they will support him with funds. We will start construction in April 2024, i.e. next year, to become the capital with a concert hall", said Rama to the audience. According to him, "Chopin Fest" is among the festivals that have raised the artistic and cultural level of the capital.
The deputy ambassador of the United States of America in Kosovo, Alyson Grunder, was also present. It has been said that they feel proud when such a young pianist represents them on the international stage.
“It is truly my pleasure to address this wonderful audience of music lovers tonight. We had the opportunity to attend some wonderful performances at 'Chopin Fest' and I was truly amazed at the talent both local and international on display at these concerts. It is always a pleasure for us and we feel proud that such a young pianist represents us on the international stage", said Grunder.
From May 9 to June 9, "Chopin Piano Fest" gripped the capital with the spirit of classical works. Prominent figures have climbed the stage of the Amphitheater of the University Library in the capital. The organizers have announced that they will start preparations for the next edition from now on. For another concert marathon.
