AMAZING kids…and jury work.

wow…looks like I’m campagning for president!

Today, I was in the jury of the Steinway/Juhl-Sorensen competition for piano-playing kids up to 17. Some highlights:

David Fang, 10 years old, waving to the audience like a rock star when he got up on stage

Jonathan Nordmark’s beginning of his Debussy piece, it created maybe the most magic moment during the festival

Alice Power, 7 years, making such nice music and sounds having her feet on a big wooden box

Elena Reznikova making me think of Claudio Arrau with her fantastic way of producing sound from the wrist

Per Högberg playing with breathtaking virtuosity with his legs dangling in the air

There were so many we wanted to have a prize but we couldn’t give to this time…please come back next year! I have been the chairman for some years now, and for every year the level is higher. This year, it was just unbelievably high…these kids are absolutely amazing. Not only do they play so well, but they are also so cool and charismatic on stage. It fills my heart with pure joy to hear them and it touches me to know how much time they spend to prepare for this festival.

We in the jury listened to 55 young pianists in one day, and everyone of them have worked so hard to play as well as they do. We all feel that it’s our obligation and responsibility to give them our focus and to take the time to think and discuss things through. These kid’s performances should be treated with the respect they deserve.

I heard that someone in the audience had complained that we took our time, wondering if it was because of “Chairman-problems”. To that, I can only frown. Yes, I have collegues in the jury and I respect their opinions as much as my own. So, we take the time to make sure we make good decisions, and our and Juhl-Sorensen’s reputation is depending on us doing the best we can. And most importantly, we respect the kids way too much to make hasty decisions.I’m not kidding or overstating when saying that listenening the the young pianists today made me feel like there is more hope for mankind. I admire them so much, ALL of them. I wish we could have given everyone a prize.To the young pianists who played today, THANK YOU!

If anyone wants to leave a comment encouraging the young pianists or if you had a favorite, please leave a comment here…

Two more to go!

I have actually played 30 Sonatas now! The Beethoven recital went well, but I can’t wait to play those sonatas again, all of them were first timers, and I had a terrible cold with fever and jetlag, too. So, I’m happy I was able to do it reasonably well. The sonatas after intermission felt a lot better somehow. The early sonatas are so difficult, and long!

At the afterparty, Olof in the concert committee told me he was following the Devils, I was very impressed! I was informed that Johnny Oduya is not yet in the Swedish national hockey team, how is that possible? Just click on this link and you can see what that guy can do with a puck!

Johnny Oduya’s amazing goal against Carolina

More Ludwig…

This is actually a clock…Four new Beethoven Sonatas next Monday in Lund. Always a lot of excitement to learn, and some nervousness how I will keep it all together. As always, I thought I would have them secured in my hands and head weeks before, and as always , I’m still polishing details the days before the recital.I have now played 28 or so sonatas out of the 32…almost there. And when I finally have them all, let’s start all over again: plans are shaping up to get a series of them all in Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg 2010, YAY!Besides that, watched NJ Devils win a dramatic game in overtime against Ottawa Senators…after that I’m too exhausted to practice…maybe I’ll get up early tomorrow instead (yeah right…)

Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy

I’m in Malmö playing one of my favorite pieces: Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Rehearsed yesterday in dirty clothes since my luggage got stuck in Amsterdam, how I hate when that happens (it arrived to the hotel later in the day though).

This piece is powerful and a little crazy at the same time. When you arrive at the end and the Choir enters it’s the most amazing feeling. I heard that they have done some testing treating depressed people with Beethoven’s music, and that the results were that his music really does hightens the spirit. No surprise to me!
Click here for more

Swedish Grammy…

Well…I got nominated for a Grammy for two Mozart Concertos. Very nice, but the funny thing is that I have never heard the CD. It was recorded quite some time ago…when the label sent it to me for the final listening, I was too busy to listen, and they released it finally, anyway. And I have to this day not heard the CD. So while Grammys they come and go, I think I might be the only one ever who been nominated for a recording I never heard, haha…

MySpace…

I never really liked MySpace…it seemed messy somehow. But I have spent the day today to start a MySpace page, and it’s actually a good tool. If you like, go see it! My MySpace page

Helsingborg Piano Festival will continue!

Recieved news that we can start planning for the festival 2008, we didn’t know the future of the festival because of all the changes the City Council made…but this is indeed good news!

New CD: Mozart’s “Elvira Madigan” concerto available online

A recording with the wonderful Okko Kamu and the best Mozart orchestra in Sweden, The Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra, is now available here

All tracks will also be up on iTunes shortly.

I like this CD a LOT, but then I am partial….

Salle Gaveau October 28

Here is a promo for my upcoming recital at Salle Gaveau in Paris!

Program:
Esa-Pekka Salonen: Dichotomie
Liszt: Dante Sonata
Grieg: 8 Lyric Pieces
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7

Helsingborg Piano Festival Aug. 5-12 will be broadcast on YouTube: First video ready

We have started the festival, and are working intensely on the videos…

Eight videos are up already