Cultured Views

The Sydney International Piano Competition 2008 is over - now the work REALLY starts for the competitors!

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

This significant event in the life of aspiring concert pianists is over and now the real work really begins, not just for the six finalists, but those who have been been spotted during the entire series of performances.

This event is held every four years in Sydney and among the enthusiastic members of the public sit reps from the various recording companies - all looking to discover that Star of the future.

The winner for 2008 is 23 year old Russian Konstantin Shamray. And congratulations to him. To make it through the gruelling series of performances in this event is one of the ultimate tests of skill and endurance in a pianist’s life - so many are so worthy yet so few are chosen for the final. Konstantin though, as all the winners do, produced that something extra on the night which sealed the judges decision.

But what exactly is that something extra…? well, that is a question only each individual watching these performers can answer. Each person experiences music differently, each competitor communicates differently - beauty comes in so many forms and perspective is as varied as it is individual.

The interesting thing is ask any member of the audience, who viewed the performances of the six finalists that night, who their favourite was and not surprisingly you would not hear just one competitors name in answer - and this is why all those six competitors made it to the final stage. Each communicated something different and special to each audience member - and each judge of course - each using their own musical language.

Konstantin will now undertake an intensive schedule of public performances as part of the winner’s contract - and so will the other five finalists. All are assured of performance opportunities which will surely test them as much over the coming months as did the competition itself.

To all those who took part in SIPCA 2008 - congratulations. For your courage, your commitment and your love of music.

Popularity: 13% [?]

UFO clouds hover over Sydney!

Is this a scene out of War of the Worlds - is Sydney under threat of attack…? well, not from any UFO’s maybe but rather the makings of one very spectacular storm!

I have never seen cloud formations like this in my life, and particularly never in Sydney - but this is the eerie, yet stunning, sight of a storm which passed over the Sydney skyline yesterday as the storm made it’s way out to sea.

If this storm had managed to break you have to wonder at the scale of what would have happened. Sydney does have it’s share of electrical storms with spectacular lightning displays but this looks different altogether. Even snow fell just south of Sydney in Wollongong, on the same day, which is on the coast.

Just above shows the storm heading out to sea - on an understandably deserted Maroubra beach; not sure if I would have ventured out either with clouds like that hovering overhead. Did Steven Spielberg have something to do with any of this?….

It show just how nature can be fightening and beautiful at the same time.

Acknowledgements to Stephen Cooper: top and centre photo taken from Darling Harbour.

Bottom Photo: Marcus Greig, taken at Maroubra Beach.

Great shots guys!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Qantas: the ‘no-worries-mate’ airline

I would say there are very few people who are completely 100 percent laid back about air travel; no matter how many miles you have flown you possibly still have that little bit of apprehension when you board an aircraft…am I right?

Ever seen the film Rain Man? remember where Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond, stresses out when he realises he has to get on a plane…? he claims that only one airline has never crashed - Qantas - and the plane he was supposed to get on was not a Qantas plane…

He was correct - in a way. During WW2 Qantas flew flights as part of the RAF and there were eight minor incidents which resulted in loss of life. But since then, as a major commercial airline, Qantas have never had a fatal crash - never lost a jet. Only one incident back in 1999 when a jet overran the runway in Bangkok - but still, I think that’s a pretty good track record which is hard to beat.

I have flown plenty of times on various airlines but I have to admit - and this is not just partriotism speaking - there is something about a Qantas plane which gives me a feeling of security. On short haul flights, those lasting up to two/three hours I rarely relax enough to enjoy the flight - I listen for the slightest change or difference in engine sounds and I watch the cabin crew’s faces for any sign of anxiety…am I mad or what?

But when I get on a Qantas plane I instantly feel ’safe’; maybe it’s the familiar accents of the crew or that ‘no worries mate’ attitude in the Captains voice when he speaks to the passengers prior to the flight…or even that brilliant red flying kangaroo on the plane’s tail.

Just recently passengers on a Qantas flight from London to Melbourne suffered a few scary moments when a faulty door caused a problem and a sudden drop in altitude and had to make an emergency landing in Manila. The passengers said that what calmed them was the demeanor of the crew and the expertise of the pilots; I can imagine though the ripe language in the cockpit when the problem occurred…

Despite all this Qantas will always remain the only airline that I could ever feel ‘at home’ on - why? because it’s Australian and that means it wont ever let you down.

Popularity: 18% [?]