Pianist keyed into solo performances
Philip Chiu touts benefits of carrying ‘weight of the performance’ on his own
Nationally recognized for his musical teamwork, Montreal-based pianist Philip Chiu will go it alone when he takes his in Regina for a program called Legends and Stories.
“The collaborative pianist doesn’t have the same type of easy appeal, the same type of glamour, that a solo pianist does,” said Chiu in a recent telephone interview.
Playing piano with other classical musicians earned him some money early in his career and then last year the Prix Goyer, the largest prize in Canada and a world-class accolade for an emerging classical artist’s collaborative work.
“It is for me representative of a lot of what is meaningful about music,” said Chiu of the award — which he lightheartedly compares to “playing well with others.”
Something he dearly loves, playing with other classical musicians opened up opportunities that were unimaginable when, as a student, he learned the fundamentals of classical piano.
“That’s kind of how we grow up, as piano players, is training as solo pianists,” explained Chiu, who will be in Regina on Nov. 19 for a performance in the Cecilian Chamber Series. "We don’t have it the way string players do, they play in groups, they play with other string players, in youth orchestras and that kind of stuff. Mostly we just get, as piano players, basically reading Christmas tunes with our teacher — four hands.
“For me, when I discovered there is a (lot) of music written for pianists and strings and all these other things, it really opened up my eyes to what a gift it is to communicate music with other musicians.”
However, variety is the spice of life, and a couple years ago his interest returned in performing solo — when the success or failure belongs to a solitary figure.
“So it’s really great to be coming back to that, because I missed it. They have very different skill sets,” he said. “There’s the obvious point about, you have to be able to play the piano. But they require such different things. On the one hand you have to be able to support someone and all that means musically. And to be able to listen and create things together and to change things on the fly.
“And then playing solo … you have the weight of the performance and the story that you are weaving on your shoulders, but you also have the freedom to not have to adjust and not have to make any concessions.”