Russia lends backbone to New Ross Piano Festival

ARTISTIC director of the New Ross Piano Festival, pianist Finghin Collins, has put together a bold Russian-themed programme for the festival’s eighth edition. Having secured President Michael D Higgins as the festival patron, and taking place amid celebrations of the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s visit, it’s an auspicious year for the festival.

As in previous years, the focus is on high quality events rather than quantity, with seven concerts taking place over four days. Something of an international star himself, Collins has a connoisseur’s appreciation of today’s pianists as well as an insider’s access to them. “This year we have a Russian invasion,” Collins jokes. “Russians have always been very dominant on the piano scene. They have a natural technical approach and an amazing work ethic and, of course, Russian composers have left an amazing legacy of music too.

“Russian pianists tend to be very deep, very heartfelt, never soppy or frothy, or sentimental like some might describe the French style. Their playing has backbone, it’s very solid and they are sure of what they want to say. Russians play on the dark side of dark. They might be harsh but they always leave an impression.”

In programming the festival each year, Collins is careful to include a range of age groups and a gender mix. The best-known of the three main visiting pianists this year is Lilya Zilberstein. “Lilya I heard in Austria 10 years ago and she really made an impression on me,” Collins says. Irish audiences heard Zilberstein earlier this year at the National Concert Hall as guest soloist with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. “She really draws you in, she’s very powerful and convincing. She has a very big career,” he says.

“Then, in contrast, we have a younger pianist, Denis Kozhukhin, who won the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. He’s in his late 20s and becoming very well known. I haven’t heard him yet myself and am very curious.”

Also performing will be 19-year-old Nikolay Khozyainov who won last year’s Dublin International Piano Competition. “He’s very, very talented,” Collins says. “He has amazing fingers flying up and down the keyboard, he’s very virtuosic. He will play the Saturday coffee concert, as well the late-night concert with the Vanbrugh Quartet.”

It will be the Vanbrugh Quartet’s first visit to the festival, “though, of course, they’ve had me to the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry since I was a whippersnapper,” Collins says. They will perform Boris Tchaikovsky’s 1962 piano quintet with Khozyainov. “Each year I try to pick one piece that’s off the beaten track. This year it’s Boris Tchaikovsky.” Collins will himself perform several times during the festival, including with the Vanbrugh Quartet for Shostakovich’s great piano quintet.

“I’ve been making reference to the Cold War a bit, because we’ll be honouring the John F Kennedy celebrations in New Ross with a special concert too,” he says. An all-American programme will feature on Sunday afternoon under the fingers of pianist Alexander Bernstein from San Francisco.

The final flourish of the festival will be Chausson’s concert for violin, piano and string quartet, with star Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts flying in especially for the performance. “He’s coming to play this one piece, but it’s a tour de force, very flamboyant, a great showstopper,” Collins says.

www.newrosspianofestival.com

*Season tickets cost little more than €100, and €40 for students.