Shlomo Mintz, who is soloist of the Philippine Philharmonic in the Bruch violin concerto on Friday, Sept. 27, said here competitions are no perfect way to determine future of a young talent.
A jury member of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels and the International Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poland, Mintz said competitions are not without flaws. “It is extremely challenging to quantify the open and subjective nature of art. This issue persists across competitions, including the most prestigious international ones. Having served as the president of numerous international competitions, I’ve learned that while they have their shortcomings, they also reveal an important truth: non-winners often go on to achieve significant success on the international stage, while some winners may not.”
But, he qualified, “Competitions, despite their imperfections, serve as a valuable method for guiding the careers of young artists. They are necessary because they foster a connection with the public which always exhibits curiosity and a desire to discover and support emerging talents. While imperfect in some ways, competitions are an effective means of introducing young artists to the international stage.”
On his other role as conductor, he said it is important not necessarily to conduct, but also equally important to study other relative works of a composer that relates to the specific work. “Let’s say for a violin concerto or a piano concerto, what conducting teaches you is to have a relative ear and a better introduction or a better understanding of the music which you are playing just by relating to different works and try to put different works relative to this composer. That can give you a more general view and a sounder foundation for a good interpretation.”
A winner of several international competitions, Mintz said there are many things in an artist’s life that are more important than competing with fellow artists. “I think that what is important is to have passion for music and the passion should be transferred to the audience because the audience is there to be emotionally moved and impressed and it is a task of the performer to do so. I’m looking forward to interacting with Manila audiences for the first time and to work again with Maestro Grzegorz Nowak and the PPO.”
A recipient of prestigious international prizes including the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Diapason D’Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Gramophone Award, the Edison Award and the Cremona Music Award, Mintz was born in Moscow and emigrated to USA where he studied with Ilona Feher who introduced him to Isaac Stern who became his mentor. He was also a student of Dorothy DeLay in New York.
The concert at the Samsung Theater for Performing Arts will feature him as soloist in the Bruch Concerto which he has earlier recorded with the Chicago Symphony under Claudio Abbado.
“I have met Maestro Novak in a famous cruise ship where famous international musicians perform. He also conducted me in my first performance of Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in Copenhagen. I’m very much looking forward to our renewed relationship and sharing music on stage with Maestro Novak!”
Mintz added the Bruch concerto is very special to him. “First of all, I have studied this concerto with the great maestro, Isaac Stern when I was a very much young and around the time when I actually met Cecile (Licad).
“I studied that concerto with him. That concerto was also the first big recording that I did for for Deutsche Gramophone at the time with Claudio Abbado and the Chicago Symphony. I remember the very fond support that Maestro Abbado gave me for that recording and I still think that this is a very, very fine recording and a good sample for a starting artist. This concerto is, well, very melodic, very beautiful, very harmonious, very emotional and it’s a work that is very, very much liked by the audiences worldwide.”
Apart from the Bruch concerto, the Sept. 27 opening concert of the PPO’s 40th season will also feature Jeffrey Ching’s Fiesta Contrapuntistica and Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben.
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