Five finalists presented their last two pieces at NTD’s 7th International Piano Competition in New York’s Kaufman Center on Friday.
Contestants performed piano masterpieces from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods.
Some contestants told NTD they gave it their all for the jury and the audience, while enjoying the journey and presenting their favorite masterpieces.
Contestant Jean-Luc Therrien from Canada said: “One of the goals, of course and privileges, is to go through the entire round, the entire process of a competition when you prepare three rounds. So yeah, having just finished the third one, now, like, I can say I did everything that I prepared for, which is a great feeling. So yeah, that and also being relieved.”
Therrien is a professional pianist who often takes part in concert tours in Europe and Asia. He shared with NTD the motivation that has driven him to come this far in his music career.
“Classical music is kind of everywhere, but the music that we play as pianists, I think basically of myself as a historian. Sometimes, you know, because if we don’t play it, it’s gone, no one’s ever really going to be able to play it anymore. So it’s really a tradition that also evolves from generation to generation. We don’t play the same way that they played in Bach’s time or Beethoven. It’s very different. But still, we continue this tradition.”
Three contestants from Taiwan made it to the final rounds.
Shih-Yeh Lu said: “I just feel that it’s important to do what satisfies myself, without intentionally trying to compete with anyone. So of course, I’m very happy to make it to the finals. I get to perform all the pieces I prepared, and it makes all these months of preparation worthwhile.”
The first piece Lu presented in his final round was French piano master César Franck’s “Prelude, Chorale and Fugue.”
“In the end, it brings back all the elements and all the themes from the previous two sections, presenting everything together at once. It’s a very grand feeling. And compared to earlier fugues—although a fugue is a compositional technique—how to integrate personal emotions into this technique is something I think Franck excels at.”
Lu also shared his biggest takeaway from participating in the international piano competition.
“I think the biggest takeaway for me has been trying to understand the meaning of the stage and how to create a connection with the audience—how I can better express myself. This is the deepest insight I’ve gained throughout the competition.”
As well as the chance to compete and showcase their skills throughout the competition, in the semifinals contestants had the opportunity to study, prepare, and play the special commissioned piece, “Holy Grace”—a piece which left a profound impression on some of the pianists.
The piece is originally a vocal work composed by D.F., the artistic director at Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Composer Qin Yuan, who rearranged the work, said she was impressed with the performances.
“What I originally wanted to express was a sense of love and hope. The contestants truly brought us love and hope, and I can feel that,” she said. “At the same time, the name of this piece is ‘Holy Grace.’ What I hope for is that, whether in good times or bad, we can all hold on to a heart full of gratitude—showing appreciation to those around us and to the Creator for all that He has given us.”
Contestants also shared their understanding through playing “Holy Grace.”
“Gods created us and sent us down to the mortal world, as if to attend a class. So this piece has a sense of beginning and end, with a connection between them. There are some waves in the middle part of the composition, possibly more grand and expansive moments, which represent the realizations we have in life,” said Ching-Yi Lin, a contestant from Taiwan.
One part of the piece left a deep impression on Tang Hsing Lien, also from Taiwan.
“We see the bass as a kind of bell tolling—isn’t it a form of judgment? God is judging, judging humanity,” he said.
Robert Neumann of Germany was born into a musical family, and both of his parents are musicians.
“[Holy Grace] closely connects nature and the perfect state of the human inner world,” he said.
Winners will be announced in a total of six award categories during a ceremony on Saturday.