This is the 17th in a series of interviews with the next generation of classical musicians. ― ED.
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Pianist Freddy Kempf's meteoritic career owes itself, ironically, to not winning the top prize at the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. The Russian public heavily protested when Russian virtuoso Denis Matsuev won the title rather than the young Briton, ``the hero of the competition.''
``I had a lovely time at the Moscow competition,'' recalled the 31-year-old when The Korea Times sat down with him in Seoul, Monday. ``I think it's great that it launched a career for both the first prizewinner and myself. It made such a lovely relationship for me with Russia,'' he said, smiling softly.
But it's after such competitions that the real competition begins. ``People only invite you back if they think you're worthy,'' he said. Ten years down the road, the pianist appears in music capitals all over the world, giving sell-out concerts in London and St. Petersburg and touring extensively in Tokyo. He returns to Korea for the third time and will play one of his childhood favorites, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, tonight at Seoul Arts Center and Thursday at KBS Hall.
It is difficult not to be spellbound by his playing, which is at once lyrical and edgy. ``Staggering as Kempf's technique is, he is a pianist willing to take risks, pushing himself to the limits of his capabilities. That, no doubt, is why there was standing room only on Sunday afternoon,'' wrote BBC Music Magazine.
``I'm always surprised,'' he said about hearing such feedback. ``I always think that I'm playing the way everyone else is playing, but people say I do something daring and new… I'm just honest and I play the way I feel at the time,'' he said.
Meeting Kempf in person is a very striking experience ― one is immediately taken back his incredible ``normalcy,'' the way in which he demystifies certain expectations one may have about renowned artists.
While classical music is important, it doesn't dominate his life. He has always hated practicing, so common piano playing-related injuries like tendonitis is unknown to him (the one time he got hurt was from skiing rigorously). He tunes into the latest pop music and was once addicted to video games. He loves reading and learning languages. He speaks Russian and a little bit of French (to his hairdresser once a month) and is picking up German and Japanese.
``People tell me I'm not so mysterious about music,'' he said, speaking in a very matter-of-fact way about everything. ``I think the most important thing about music is that you have to express your life, so the most important thing is to live your life. Don't miss any chances, don't be scared to do things, and then use all that in your playing,'' he said.
Born to a German father and Japanese mother in London, he started playing the piano at age four. As a little boy, he wanted to do everything from tennis to kung fu and motor racing. His relationship with the piano began almost by chance. When his parents took the four-year-old Kempf to a toy store for Christmas, he picked out an electronic keyboard ― because it was glossy and expensive rather than because of a natural calling to music (though he is in fact related to the late German pianist Wilhelm Kempf).
But he has always loved the sound of the piano, whether it was in a Disney movie soundtrack or a Frank Sinatra album, he said. After winning regional competitions ― which were a good source of pocket money ― he debuted at age 14 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One thing led to the next, and a hobby became a full-fledged career.
``I really do love playing on stage. I'm not good at many other things, so it's really nice to find something that you're naturally able to do. I feel very lucky,'' he said. But he doesn't simply rely on fancy technique. Of course he practices when it's necessary, though he believes ``much more important than practicing is understanding the brain.'' One can discern a profound sensitivity and intellectual concern in his tones.
Kempf confesses to having been preoccupied with impressing people as a younger man. His training is grounded in mastering technique and spontaneity: one of Kempf's teachers as a boy used to make him perform from memory right after playing ball in the streets. Thanks to Ronald Smith he doesn't need to warm up before playing.
But he believes that music, in essence, is about communicating emotions. ``I think music is very emotional and I love being able to communicate that with people,'' he said.
The openness with which Kempf seems to live life and breathe music is reflected in his wide-ranging repertoire. He made critically acclaimed albums with BIS of sonatas by Chopin and Listz, Beethoven, Schumann and Rachmaninov. It is part of a project exploring 10 composers, and in August he will be recording his first concerti, Prokofiev's 2nd and 3rd. ``I guess I am able to cope with (different repertoires) and that's one of my strong points. I love doing different pieces,'' he said.
Kempf is also very receptive to playing different pianos. Unlike many concert pianists who swear by Steinway, he has recorded with Yamaha and recently tried an Australian piano by Stuart and Sons, which offers strings wound with steel rather than copper. All he asks for is that a piano possesses ``a full range of colors, from mellow sounds to very bright sounds'' and that it is tuned to fit the concert hall.
The artist also loves performing in chamber groups and tries to play modern classical music whenever he can. He reminds you of the ocean ― a vastness in both width and depth, and an appearance that sparkles in varying shades beneath the radiance of the sun or the glow of the moon. One has yet more to see from his sea of musicality.
Both concerts ― tonight at Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal and Thursday at KBS Hall in Yeoeuido ― will begin at 8 p.m. In addition to Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, esteemed Dutch conductor will lead the KBS Symphony for the overture of Glinka's ``Russland and Ludmilla'' and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88. Tickets cost 10,000-50,000 won. Call (02) 781-2243 or visit https://kbsso.kbs.co.kr.