Hastings Battleaxe and the Hastings International Piano Competition

This post will be piano-focused. Our trip to London for lunch at Rules with the Duke of Kent – well – not quite – he was at the next table – will have to wait a few days, as will the great tadpole trauma… So much to write about, so little time.  Last week and the week before, the Hastings International Piano Competition was in full swing. I did say, ages ago, that we were planning to host a competitor this year, but as you know, have been poorly, so we didn’t do it. Philosopher did driving, though. Last week we went to one of the semi-finals and then, as usual, the two big finals nights at the White Rock with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Here’s the overall winner, Ryan Zhu, collecting his prize from Jury President Vanessa Latarche. He’s 22 and comes fom Canada. It was noticeable that the competitors seemed a bit more grown-up this time – in their twenties rather than in their teens, and most well-familiar with the international competition/performance circuit. So much then, for my fantasy about hosting a terrified South Korean teenager who wouldn’t eat anything apart from rice and fermented soya beans. Anyway, Ryan gave an absolutely scorching rendition of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2, for the very last performance of the finals, and won both the orchestra prize and the audience prize  as well as being the jury’s choice. Here’s the Hastings On-line Times take on the final.

It sounds heretical to say it, but in some ways Battleaxe preferred the semi-final to the final nights. The theatre was mercifully much less crowded, and we could move about to find the best possible seats. The orchestra was not the RPO, but the Sinfonia Smith Square. The young musicians were very keen, lively and sparkly. Also, there weren’t so many of them. The RPO is a very big orchestra, and the brass/woodwind sections cram in right at the back of the White Rock stage, which I feel has a slightly muffling effect. Sadly, our favourite performer, a Russian girl, didn’t even get through to the final. If she had, we’d have had both a Ukrainian and a Russian in the final…

But as ever, the finals nights are the big Hastings Nights Out. It is lovely to see so many of our friends. I know it’s silly talking like this about a massive theatre, but Piano Finals nights are a bit like going into your local pub… Battleaxe felt a bit inhibited because the day before she had been to Eastbourne Hospital to have a little bit of non-threatening basal cell whatsit excised from the side of her face. (oh, the hassle getting to that bloody place… the parking…)  The operation was done by Mr ToBeOnThe-Safeside so I ended up with six stitches and a bloody big dressing right on public view. Kind friends said they didn’t notice it… bless them.

The Hastings piano competition continues to increase in size and reputation – not least due to the efforts of Sarah Kowitz and her family.

One of our friends, Richard Wray, told us some interesting things about the theatre. It has had a far more distinguished history than most of us realise. In the 3os it was one of the most acoustically-advanced concert venues in the country, and hosted many illustrious performers and conductors, as well as being a recording studio for Decca. Here’s the information about it.

We had two different Prokofiev concertos in the Saturday final. I suppose, on reflection, the orchestra had to be big because just about every possible instrument was utilised to maximum volume and impact. I had a great view of a percussionist, who emerged from his apparent torpor at intervals to rattle a castanet, shake a tambourine or clash some cymbals. The piano took a terrible beating. It reminded me of those Tom and Jerry cartoons where you see Tom at the piano in his white tie and tails, then Jerry interferes and the piano keys fly off…

Both concertos are terribly demanding. It was all jaw-dropping, but ssh, Battleaxe does prefer a bit of Beethoven or a Mozart concerto…

The jury took ages to reach a verdict. At one point the audience, who were clearly getting restive, were greeted by Rainer Hersch, the presenter, and Rory Macdonald, the conductor, who rattled on to fill time. Here they are.

I kept on hissing to Philosopher ‘another five minutes and we’ll go.’  I wasn’t too sure abour Rainer (he’s the one in the fancy jacket). He kept running onto the stage far too boyishly and enthusiastically. He reminded me of the Cancer Race for Life MCs in Alexandra Park, who, accompanied by pounding music, jump up and down manically, screaming ‘ALLO ‘ASTINS’ at the crowd. Then, OMG, next thing, Rainer is shouting ‘Who is from St Leonard’s then? Who is from Hastings?’  Say no more. But eventually the jury appeared. Here are the five finalists and the jury etc. One quick question… Why are so many outstanding young musicians from China, Japan, Korea etc?