MARINA KOCHETOVA
How did you, dear readers, spend Sunday evening on April 27? I chose to be in the company of young and very talented pianists and did not regret it. It was the final gala concert of the Ottawa Piano Festival.
Truly, life without music would be a mistake. Listening to musical works of different genres in the guise of a piano is an interesting and useful activity. Swimming in the piano ocean is no less exciting than in the real thing. 18 numbers, demonstration performances of young participants of the festival, were performed in one breath. I really wanted more. The listeners had just gotten into the swing of things when the concert part turned into an award ceremony. I was filled with pride during the performance of a young man with a Russian surname, Igor Protasov, who masterfully performed a difficult piece by Schubert. Igor received a medal for the 10th grade. I would like to believe that this will not be the end of his musical career.
Among the festival participants this year there were many students of Russian-speaking teachers. It would seem, what does it matter! For example, I was pleased that 11 teachers who speak Russian prepared their students so well for such an important event. This confirms the quality of their work and high level of qualification.
The organizers of this wonderful piano event fulfill a high mission, allowing young performers to make breakthroughs into all sorts of worlds. And these worlds are musical. And the teachers who prepared young musicians for the festival, and the organizers, and the parents of the participants also ''work'' as wizards. ''I am not a wizard, I am just learning'', any of the child participants would say about themselves. And I would like to paraphrase a line from the famous Soviet song "Thank You", replacing the word "songfulness" with the word "music". And it will turn out: "Thank you for the music of the city, both frank and secret..."
It is precisely such celebrations of young people that will save the world in our difficult times. Musical Ottawa makes a real contribution to solving this lofty goal. The road to the theaters, to concerts is important, like the road to the Temple. All other roads are optional.