{"id":61549,"date":"2021-01-12T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/?p=61549"},"modified":"2022-11-28T22:11:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T21:11:53","slug":"alexandre-kantorow-the-unpretentious-virtuoso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monaco-tribune.com\/en\/2021\/01\/alexandre-kantorow-the-unpretentious-virtuoso\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexandre Kantorow, the unpretentious virtuoso"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The press calls him the “Tsar of piano”, but the nickname fails to capture the gentleness of Alexandre Kantorow\u2019s playing. Appointed the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic\u2019s artist in residence for 2020, the 23-year-old pianist is not indulging in his overnight, head-turning success.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually have very few memories of consciously listening to music growing up.\u201d Even if Alexandre Kantorow is the son of two violinists, a career as a performer was not always in the books.  For a while, the pianist considered going into science and keeping music as a hobby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came studies at Paris\u2019 Schola Cantorum. \u201cIt was the first time I shared music with others,\u201d says Kantorow. There, he met a teacher, Russian pianist Igor Lazko, who made him realise that piano would not be just for fun. \u201cI was late to the game and had a lot to catch up.\u201d Kantorow says that technique was the hardest part. \u201cMy fingers, they weren\u2019t very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandre waltzes in just to see what piano competitions are like and ends up winning it<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A debut for the history books<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

About a year and a half ago, Kantorow was relatively unknown outside the Parisian music scene. Then in 2019, he won first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. Held in Moscow every four years, the Tchaikovsky competition is one of the most prestigious titles up for grabs in classical music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He had a meteoric start to his career,” says Didier de Cottignies, Artistic Manager of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, who appointed Kantorow as the orchestra\u2019s new artist in residence. “Along with the Chopin competition, the Tchaikovsky is the hardest piano competition to win.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Kantorow\u2019s very first competition and winning it seemingly an impossible feat. “Some pianists work for years in order to be ready for the Tchaikovsky competition. Alexandre waltzes in just to see what piano competitions are like and ends up winning it,” adds Didier de Cottignies amused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandre Kantorow was the first French winner in the history of the Tchaikovsky competition, enough to make him the new darling of French classical music. In 2020, he won the French Victoires de la Musique Classique – the French equivalent of the classical music Grammys – in two categories: Recording of the Year and Instrumental Soloist of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>> READ MORE: <\/strong>Oscar-winner Nick Vallelonga: “Who knows why I was always drawn to stories”<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never really believed that I would make it, and even today I don\u2019t feel like I have<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The question of self-doubt <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kantorow himself only mentions the Tchaikovsky piano competition in passing: “Thankfully, there was\u00a0the competition<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>so I\u2019ve been able to book concerts despite coronavirus.” Unlike music critics<\/a>, Kantorow is hesitant when talking about his own playing. “I never really believed that I would make it, and even today I don\u2019t feel like I have. I suppose when you don\u2019t see yourself play, you can\u2019t look at your performance objectively.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not stage fright, but rather real doubt about how he goes about his craft. “I think my greatest fear is not evolving any longer, reaching a stalemate. I constantly have doubts about my playing,” explains the young pianist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandre Kantorow says that performing regularly is the only cure: \u201cIt\u2019s only once I am on stage that I\u2019m able to put self-doubt behind me. At that moment, something else takes hold of me.\u201d Does the audience have a therapeutic effect? \u201cThe audience certainly plays a role. And then there\u2019s the event in itself. There\u2019s a specific mental preparation that comes with knowing that you\u2019re going to play in the evening.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

>> READ MORE:<\/strong> Meet the young Monegasque pianist charming French audiences<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contemporary classical music struggles to get an audience<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Where does he find his inspiration?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Voice has got around that Brahms is Kantorow\u2019s favourite composer, but when asked who inspires him, the pianist answers Liszt. “He had an incredible life, the kind of life that will never be lived again. To think that someone could be so curious, and until the end of his life…! He started out as a pianist, delved into composition, then locked himself up and became religious.” Kantorow also mentions Alexandre Austier, a French writer, filmmaker, scriptwriter, and composer. \u201cI am attracted by curiosity, the desire to do it all.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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