What follows are my impressions of the round of solo recitals, programs chosen by the contestants to display their pianistic wares and to show why they should be chosen to be one of the finalists. As a veteran attendee of all nine of the previous incarnations of Honens, it has been interesting to see both the continuities, as well as some new elements.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Compared to other years, the technical standard displayed by all the contestants is equally as high as in the past, if not a trifle stronger. All 10 pianists play astonishingly well, the most fearsome difficulties mastered and taken in stride. Despite the challenges, there was never a sense of struggle or effort to deliver the notes – the very thing that plagues the developing pianist.
Competitors are welcomed at Honens Office in Calgary, Oct 18, 2022. Standing: Illia Ovcharenko, Angie Zhang, Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker, Lucasz Byrdy, Ádám Balogh, George Fu. Seated: Aleksandra Kasman Laude, Rachel Breen.As maverick in all this was the performance by Rachel Breen of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, an oddity as a work for a competition like this, and performed in a highly individual way.
A few things, common to all competitions, could be noticed. Pianists whose technical abilities are seemingly without limit, and whose strength is amazing, tended at least sometimes to play to these strengths. There is a wonderful athletic side to virtuoso piano performance, not so different from an Olympic skier or the best tennis player, and if you’ve got it, the tendency is to flaunt it. And so they did here, frequently.