It has been called “The Super Bowl” of piano pieces and was immortalised in the movie Shine, and now Rachmaninov’s famous Concerto No. 3 will take centre stage for another reason in Brisbane on Friday.
UQ student and outstanding young pianist Oliver She will take on the challenge in hopes of taking away the $20,000 prize in the 2009 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition.
Mr She is one of four finalists in the annual competition, which takes place at QPAC and is the largest and most prestigious event of its type in Australia.
UQ Piano Performance Fellow Dr Liam Viney said the Bachelor of Music student had given himself a good shot by performing such a bold choice.
“Oliver's playing perhaps the most famous and show-stopping concerto ever written,” Dr Viney said.
“I once likened this piece to the Super Bowl of piano concertos, and a Los Angeles Times music critic asked to ‘steal’ my line! I still think it's an appropriate analogy because it involves great pianistic athleticism, pyrotechnics, and huge melodies that audiences love.”
Dr Viney is himself a winner of the competition, taking the top prize in 2001 before completing his doctorate at Yale University and performing to concert houses across North America, the Middle East and Europe.
He recently joined UQ’s School of Music to help mentor young artists and shape their expectations of what a professional performance career entails.
At 18 years of age, Mr She is already an accomplished musician, having won several honours including the National Yamaha Australian Youth Piano Competition in 2003 and 2005 and the piano division of the 2005 Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards. He also took 4th place in the 2007 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition at age 16.
Dr Viney said the event was a true test of musical skill and stamina, with 20 players selected and only four making the cut after a demanding series of heats and semi-finals.
“It’s unique in Australasia because it recreates the exacting conditions of an international piano competition such as the famous Tchaikovsky, Leeds, Van Cliburn or Sydney International competitions,” he said.
“It requires a large amount of repertoire spread out over two weeks and multiple performances, and culminates in an exciting concerto performance with the Queensland Orchestra.”
Performed in three distinct movements, Rachmaninov’s concerto is colloquially known as the “Rach 3” and is considered one of the toughest pieces in standard piano repertoire.
Mr She will perform at 6.30pm on August 28 at the Concert Hall, QPAC. Among the $50,000 in prize money awarded on the night will be the $20,000 first prize and a $5,000 people’s choice award.
Tickets are available online, or by contacting QTIX on 136 246.
Media: Dr Viney (07 3365 3504, l.viney@uq.edu.au), Tracey Whealey (0417 146 552) or Jane Balkin (0419 772 550) from the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)
