The Gouda Piano Festival can look back on a highly successful second edition. The festival format—featuring a diverse lineup of concerts and a substantial educational component—has proven to be a success. Whether young or old, pianist or non-pianist, there was plenty for everyone to enjoy and learn. Nearly every event was fully booked or sold out.
The highlight of the festival was the concert by Enrico Pace, who captivated the audience with his magnificent piano playing on Saturday evening in the Agnietenkapel. The Italian pianist performed pieces by Schoenberg, Schubert, Brahms, and Liszt. Pace is an internationally acclaimed pianist and the 1989 winner of the prestigious International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht, which marked his international breakthrough.
Rossini’
On Thursday at the Gouwekerk, Gioachino Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, performed by the Collegium Sint-Jan under the inspiring direction of Gerben Budding, was also met with great acclaim. Featuring two exceptional 19th-century historical grand pianos, Mieke Verduijn, the festival’s artistic director, and the enthusiastically playing Russian virtuoso pianist Slava Poprugin.
’s Spectacular Valentine’s Day ConcertOn Friday, February 14, a dinner concert with a Valentine’s Day theme was also held at the Gouwekerk. The audience was treated to sparkling performances by the Belgian piano duo Elato, Illia Fialko, and Sterre Hond—all young, promising, and talented pianists. Sterre Hond stole everyone’s hearts by accompanying her piano playing with a spectacular play of colors—perfectly in keeping with the evening’s theme. The day before, the young Gouda pianist Jure Jurakic performed a lunchtime concert in the Agnietenkapel featuring beautiful works by Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Prokofiev.
’s Diverse Opening ConcertThe festival opened on Wednesday, February 12, at the Agnietenkapel with a performance by the Brioso Trio. After a lighthearted piece by Haydn and a beautiful piece steeped in historical drama (World War II and the loss of a friend) by Dmitri Shostakovich, the Trio concluded with a cheerful, uplifting piece by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.
A lesson in music
The Foundation also looks back on a successful festival in terms of the educational component of the program. Among other things, the elementary school program, which was organized in collaboration with the Brede School for schools in Gouda, was highly appreciated. In this segment, the Brioso Trio took the students on a musical journey of discovery. The goal was to teach children to recognize the sounds of instruments and to show them that musical instruments can imitate all kinds of animals and people and express emotions.
Peter and the Wolf
On Saturday afternoon, even the youngest audience members were treated to the famous musical tale of Peter and theWolf, performed by the inimitable Tobias Wenting and the renowned piano duo Scholtes-Janssens. The performance drew more than 300 visitors to the Sint-Jan. The audience included not only parents with children, but also older people without children.
Open StageThe Open Stage offered a completely different kind of learning experience, where anyone could perform for a panel of expert judges. This part of the program was opened by Mayor Pieter Verhoeve, who gave a virtuoso performance in a “quatre-mains” with artistic director Mieke Verduijn. The winner of the Open Stage was invited to perform that same evening as the opening act for Enrico Pace.
WorkshopsThere was also a great deal of interest in the workshops. Here, too, the focus was on expanding knowledge and improving playing skills. In one of the workshops—titled “It Went Better at Home”—participants received helpful tips on how to overcome their stage fright. In another workshop, participants learned about the history of the piano. Among other things, they were told about ongoing technical developments and the changes in sound that these have brought about. To illustrate and demonstrate these points, two historical grand pianos and a modern Henk Hupkes grand piano were on hand. Those who wanted to dive into the organ could head to St. John’s, where a select group received an explanation from organist Gerben Budding about the technique of organ playing. Of course, everyone was also allowed to play themselves to get a feel for it. One of the participants proved just how much is possible by trying a piece by pianist Einaudi.
MasterclassAnyone looking to improve their skills could attend one of the two masterclasses led by renowned instructor David Kuyken, who teaches at conservatories in Amsterdam and The Hague. These classes were open to everyone. There is much to be learned simply by watching and listening.
Photo by Pim Torn
