Calgary native Katherine Chi is a pianist’s pianist. She champions a wide range of music, from Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev to avant garde works by late 20th century masters like Karlheinz Stockhausen. However, this week Chi will play Mozart in Montreal and, as she told us, she expects to be astonished once again by his music.
On Feb. 15 and 16, Chi appears with I Musici de Montreal to play Mozart’s intimate Piano Concerto No. 14 at the newly inaugurated Salle Bourgie in downtown Montreal. The guest conductor for this concert is Jean-Pascal Hamelin, himself an accomplished pianist whose playing graces the score of the Oscar-nominated film Monsieur Lahzar.
Although Chi’s talent was recognized early (she entered the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia at the age of 10), her success has been achieved through hard work and dedication to her craft. Chi discussed her career and her love of Mozart when, en route to Montreal, she took a few minutes to answer some CBC Music questions.
Q: You won first prize at the 2000 Honens International Piano Competition. What impact did that prize have on your career over the past decade?
A: I was certainly very fortunate to have won Honens and to have been taken care of by this organization. Winning the first prize has allowed me to pursue a concert career and to make connections that otherwise would have been much more difficult to reach.
Q: Your concerto repertoire is broad. You play major romantic and 20th century works (Prokofiev is clearly a favourite), but also Mozart. How does Mozart fit in to your musical world?
A: Mozart, for me, is sublime and ineffable, and I can say that every time I come into contact with his music it is always astonishing and I never get tired of re-opening his scores.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring young pianists hoping for a concert career?
A: Absorb and learn as much as you can, practice, be reasonable and never give up.
Q: What's your favourite recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations?
A: Glenn Gould's early recording and Sergey Schepkin's 2008 recording.
Q: Is there music that you hope to perform some day, but have not attempted so far?
A: J. S. Bach's The Art of the Fugue.
Q: Which qualities do you like most about yourself?
A: I don't give up too easily and I’m always ready to laugh.
Q: Which quality do you admire most in colleagues?
A: Courage.
Q: Name three composers who top your current list of favourites.
A: Currently, it’s W. A. Mozart, Arnold Schoenberg and Alexander Scriabin, but it can change tomorrow.
Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?
A: I would like to live on one of the mountains in Banff National Park because it is wild, beautiful and secluded.
Q: What should the Montreal public listen for in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14?
A: This is an intimate concerto for a smaller orchestra, and while it isn't played often, it is beautiful. The first movement is regal, with many moments of elegance and charm. The second movement is a flowing Andantino whose beautiful melodies are contrasted with more embellished, sinuous textures. The third movement is a gentle, joyous and spirited romp. To me, this movement feels like a maze where one keeps going on but there are wonderful twists and turns along the way.
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