Who is the best pianist? This is the challenge for the audience to solve with their ears, eyes and hearts. PIANO BATTLE-Andreas vs Paul is a concert performance that puts the spotlight on two rival pianists, very different in many ways, but equally strong and competent, who compete for the audience’s affection, with different styles, techniques and artistic personalities. In this unique battle, the antagonistic styles of the two pianists are pitted against each other. Along the way, many classical concert norms and conventions are broken, as these two artists, armed with charm and daring, push boundaries and explore new territory, introducing you to things you don’t get in classical concerts, while fully preserving the beauty of classical music itself. The repertoire is wide-ranging, from Schubert and Chopin to Scriabin and Ligeti. True to their origins, the pianists approach the challenge with virtuosity and energy. Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov and Scriabin? No problem. Fingers will be flying on the keyboards, and the audience will see what these two artists are capable of. But power and speed aren’t everything – tone, phrasing and fine nuances are also important ingredients for a convincing performance. Will it work with Schubert, Brahms or Debussy, or are they too convenient choices? It’s the order of the day to experiment, to be bold, contemporary and sporty. Who can play the piano and ping-pong at the same time? And who can improvise better? The audience will know. This 90-minute show is not just about playing the piano, but about individual words, ideas and styles. Who has the best jokes? Who’s the innovative and humorous one? As the audience will discover, the key to success is the right attitude, effective communication and timely execution. The two performers even go so far as to spontaneously improvise pieces requested by the audience.
You will be the jury
In this show, you are the judges! All audience members are invited to vote on the pianists’ performances, ultimately choosing a winner. And your involvement in the concert might not stop there… In traditional classical music concerts, the audience is in a passive position – watching the performance and listening to the music without interacting with the performers. But in PIANO BATTLE, audience members take an active role in a way that enhances both the musical experience and the fun factor. From the start, one thing is clear: when two pianists have a showdown, it’s a treat for the audience. At the end of each round, all spectators are invited to vote on the performances of the two – and, ultimately, to choose a winner.
PIANO BATTLE is an original concept, originally created for the Hong Kong City Festival, which fills concert halls and festival halls across Asia, Europe and North America.
Andreas Kern
Born in South Africa, Andreas Kern studied piano in Cologne and Berlin with Günter Ludwig and Pascal Devoyon. As a soloist and performer in an orchestra, he has performed in Europe, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Japan, India and South Africa. A broadcaster and rebel musician, Andreas has always tried to present classical music in unconventional ways. From his associations with theatre and dance, Andreas has attracted many young people to his performances.
Paul Cibis
Having studied in Hanover, Berlin and London, Paul Cibis is an international presence, having already performed on five continents. Paul has been invited to perform at international festivals in the UK, Germany, USA, South Africa, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to his numerous concerts, he has also appeared on many radio and TV stations around the world, such as BBC, WDR, 3Sat, ORB, HR, RTHK and CCTV. Paul’s numerous albums include a collection of piano etudes by Berlioz, Faure and Debussy in collaboration with mezzo-soprano Barbara Senator. His latest album features a series of solo performances of works by Taiwanese composer Kai-nan Huang.
Paul has also been involved in film productions, composing music for a number of short films, as well as for the award-winning documentary Pianomania, which won many international film festivals.
More about Piano Battle– http://www.pianobattle.com or on the Facebook page with the same name.
Tickets for the Piano Battle concert at the National Theatre in Bucharest, on 8 October 2018, can be purchased from the Eventim network (Germanos, Vodafone, Orange, Domo, Humanitas bookshops, Cărturești bookshops) or online at http://www.eventim.ro/ro/bilete/piano-battle-bucuresti-teatrul-national-501915/event.html , at the following price categories, depending on the positioning of the seats in the hall: Category I- 300, Category II- 240, Category III- 180, Category IV- 120 lei.
