Acclaimed pianist Pawel Kowalski will perform a free recital on Wednesday in celebration of Europe Day. The Polish musician will take the stage at the Paris Sorbonne University auditorium on Al Reem Island for a programme that includes selections from Chopin and Beethoven.
This is his third visit to the Arabian Gulf – where he has previously performed and judged competitions – and Kowalski says he has experienced first-hand the evolution of classical music in the region.
You were here in 2012 as a judge in the Chopin Competition Abu Dhabi, how was that experience?
It was a great experience and I also didn’t know what to expect. There were nearly 70 participants and we heard a large variety by people who were Emiratis or lived in the region. I also judged a similar competition in 2010 in Kuwait. The standard was good and you see this growth of classical music education in the area. From the Abu Dhabi competition there were four or five that were simply amazing and who I thought could immediately play in competitions world wide.
Is it a challenge for emerging countries in the Gulf to produce classical-music greats without the supporting history and culture that you find in European countries?
That’s not always the case – if you look back at Japan before the 1950s, classical music was not part of the culture as it is now. The language of music is universal and classical music is the same, so you can see it growing all over the world.
You are a seasoned performer. Do you approach your recitals in a specific manner?
I can tell you the performances are never the same. In all the years that I have performed – and some of the pieces that I have performed, perhaps, hundreds of times – I can say that I have never performed them all the same. It is the difference between listening to a recording and somebody performing live. It is always going to be different. It is very important for me to come with a strong idea of what I want to perform. A lot of it also has to do with the acoustics of the venue that you will be performing in. So I will be doing a three-hour practice in the venue and trying to imagine what it will sound like once all the people are there.
What would you say is the biggest gift that music gave you?
I am proud to say that I have travelled to more than 40 countries because of music and seen some places that I never would have without it. I also had the chance to meet some very interesting people because of music and had great conversations and shared ideas. I am very grateful for that and the way I approach it, is that since I made my debut more than 20 years ago in Poland under the baton of the great [composer and pianist] Witold Lutosławski, I have been paying it back with my performances for all the great things that music has given me.
• Pawel Kowalski is at Paris Sorbonne University Auditorium, Al Reem Island on Wednesday, May 13. Performance begins at 8pm and entry is free. For details, call 056 660 8583
