The sounds of the renaissance conducted to the future played to you by Nicolas Namoradze
By Abbas Hussain, December 5 2024—
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has been in operation since 1955 and has become a vital part of the thriving arts scene in Calgary. On Nov. 15-16, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra hosted Nicolas Namoradze, the winner of the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition in 2018, which is one of the most renowned competitions for pianists worldwide. The reward for the competition is $100,000 but more importantly, an artist development program.
“[It] was the perfect way to begin a career because [the artist development program] brought lots of concert opportunities, like debut recitals in major concert halls in the world, management, PR, recording deals to release albums … the ideal way to put me on the international stage,” Namoradze said.
On this particular night, Namoradze played Rachmaninoff, one of the most renowned and celebrated pianists around the world, and played an iconic piece again in Calgary, after almost 100 years when Rachmaninoff himself played here in Calgary. Namoradze specifically played Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.
“[It’s] one of the most popular and beloved pieces in the piano concerto repertoire,” he said. “Interestingly enough, the last time I played this was exactly ten years ago in 2014 and it’s such a joy to come back to it, especially because I have been quite a bit of Rachmaninoff in my solo programs, especially last year, because we had the celebrations of Rachmaninoff 150th Birthday. There’s been so much Rachmaninoff in my mind in the past period so it was really nice to build up to playing this piece, which is such an extraordinary piece of music.”
When asked on what it’s like playing such a beloved piece of music that has been performed millions of times, Namoradze said, “One always tries to find the right balance between honouring the tradition of this piece that began with the composer’s own performance of it but also making sure one’s own personal perspective and thoughts on his artwork come through… one is always in conversation with the entire history of the work. It is an ongoing conversation … the piece of music, once it’s been completed by the composer … takes on a life of its own.”
Namoradze’s performance of the piece was picturesque and striking. The piece was quite powerful, bringing out the emotions of the heart and soul. On the one hand, it was very simple and elegant, taking the audience on a journey through history, touring through Renaissance Europe, yet on the other hand the piece was in touch with the time, adding modern elements to it. It is very clear that Namroaze is an exceptionally talented as well as passionate pianist who wants to bring this music to the new generation.
After this performance, Namoradze will return to New York to teach, then tour in Europe.
“I have a very exciting spring coming up with lots of new repertoire that I am performing, collaboration with many fantastic orchestras and performing in some of my favourite concert halls in the world,” he said. “I really hope to be able to find the time to write some new music that I have in the works because I try to find more minutes in the day than there are minutes in the day. It’s a constant struggle but it’s a good problem to have.”
More about Namoradze and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and their upcoming events can be found on their website.