Chopin Salon @ Home: Peter Miyamoto
Until we can see you again at our live events, we are pleased to present the Chopin Salons @ Home. We sincerely hope that all of our members and subscribers are keeping safe and healthy, and we invite you to enjoy these specially curated programs online, at home, and at your convenience. [HINT: when watching the videos, click on “settings” and under “Quality” select the highest option.]
In addition to our flagship event, the National Chopin Piano Competition, the Chopin Foundation offers live concerts for the community and an annual Scholarship Program, among other projects and collaborations. None of these efforts would be possible without the hard work of many talented people working behind the scenes. This week’s episode allows us to bring one of those people to center stage. Peter Miyamoto first came to the attention of the Foundation when he was the third prize winner at the 5th National Chopin Piano Competition in 1995.
We will begin our virtual recital with a Chopin Nocturne and Scherzo, both recorded by Mr. Miyamoto in June of this year:
A Contrast of Mood, Sound and Tempo
Chopin composed the nocturnes over the course of many years - the first in 1830 and the last around 1848. As the name implies, these are dreamy pieces that evoke the poetic stillness of the evening and moonlit landscapes, but with just enough drama and contrast so as not to be confused with a lullaby. The example performed here is exceptional in that it adheres to a dreamy cantabile throughout. Peter follows with a scherzo. The title literally translates as “joke,” but this piece is anything but humorous or lighthearted. Chopin’s four scherzos are one-movement works filled with superb drama, a touch of tragedy and even a chill of terror. This form was unprecedented at the time. The C-sharp minor was composed in 1839.
Mr. Miyamoto explained how this beautiful recording came to pass:
“It has been a strange couple of months with little or no in-person performances. We’ve all gotten used to teaching virtually by Zoom, and live streaming concerts and are dying to get back to in-person musical interaction, once this pandemic is under control. I was incredibly lucky that in June, the University of Missouri gave me special clearance to make a few videos in the School of Music’s new facilities on the brand new piano I chose at the Steinway Factory on Beethoven’s birthday last December (its nickname is Ludwig “B” since it is a Steinway Model B). Our new building, the Sinquefield Music Center, had remained empty with no music in it since March, having opened only in February. It was great to have music finally resonating in this fantastic, state-of-the-art space!”
The Journey From Winner to Juror
It is always fascinating for the Chopin Foundation to follow the musical trajectory of the young pianists we have worked with over the years. We have been around long enough certainly that many of the artists have ultimately found careers as respected pedagogues and are sharing their love of Chopin’s music with the next generation. It is truly a testament to the lasting legacy of our programs when we meet the students of pianists we have supported in the past. We asked Peter to talk a bit about his experiences as a competitor and now a juror. But first, let’s listen to another of Peter’s recent recordings - this time Debussy:
“It’s hard to believe it has been 25 years since I was a prize winner in the US Chopin Competition. That was such an important time for me – I used the year I traveled to Warsaw to study every note that Chopin wrote. I’m still in touch with my host family from Miami, and last returned for a performance in 2007. I gained so much from all my performance experiences supported by the Chopin Foundation, by meeting such wonderful people in Miami and throughout the country, and by spending time focused on Chopin’s repertoire, which is so essential for pianists.
I was lucky to have had some success in competitions, like the Gilmore Young Artist, American Pianists Association, and the D’Angelo Competitions, but I always thought that more important than winning these events was to use them to get performance experience, and to use them as a tool to learn repertoire to the highest level by a set deadline. One of my first competition “wins” was in 1991, when I was named one of the first recipients of the Gilmore Young Artist Award. It is a unique award because participants are anonymously nominated and never know that they are in the running, so in a way, there are no losers. Perhaps this model is why I’ve valued adjudicating not only the preliminary round of the Chopin Competition this year, but also the Chopin Foundation’s Scholarship Auditions for the past few years. For the Scholarship Auditions, there is not just one winner, but instead the jury is able to choose numerous recipients for the various levels of scholarships. And of course, it is such a tremendous initiative to get young American pianists perfecting selections from the different Chopin genres. In this way, the program is really cultivating the next winners of the US Chopin Competition, and hopefully Warsaw’s International Chopin Competition.”
Tracing the Legacy
We asked Mr. Miyamoto to suggest a performance to share with our “Chopin Salons @ Home” audience that was particularly meaningful at this time. In keeping with the subject of the importance of imparting musical wisdom, we discovered a bit about Peter’s lineage:
”My former teacher at Curtis, Leon Fleisher, passed away on August 2nd at the age of 92. He was one of the great musicians of our time, with the most amazing sound and inexorable sense of rhythm. I feel so lucky to have worked with such inspirational pianists and teachers.” Interestingly, Peter studied with a total four students of Artur Schnabel: Leon Fleisher and Maria Curcio were part of that group, along with Aube Tzerko (Schnabel's assistant in Berlin) and Claude Frank with whom he studied at Yale.
”Next week would have been the 102nd birthday of the great piano pedagogue, Maria Curcio, who taught legions of today’s top pianists. After my undergraduate years at the Curtis Institute, I moved to London, England to study with her for three years, and even lived in her apartment my last year there, receiving almost daily lessons. While I was living with her, she was invited by her former student, Eric Le Sage, to perform four-hands repertoire (she hadn’t performed in public since the 1940s when her performing career was halted by illness during the Second World War).”
In this last video, we take a look at the teachings of Maria Curcio in a revealing 30 minute documentary that brings her teaching methods to light. It is obvious that the lives of all who studied with her were changed forever!
We end this week’s program with a final “fun fact” about Peter Miyamoto. Inspired by Ning An, who in a previous episode shared his prowess as a basketball player, Peter revealed that in high school, he was a champion tennis player! “My not so fun fact is that I haven’t played tennis for years now.” That’s OK, Peter. We’re just super glad you stayed with the piano!
Thank you for joining us for the Chopin Salons @ Home.
Please let us know what you think: info@chopin.org
Chopin Foundation programs are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; and the City of Coral Gables. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Funding Arts Broward; the Miami Salon Group; and scores of generous donors.