ACTIVITIES OF TAO CHANG, THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER OF THE XII (1997) VIANNA DA MOTTA COMPETITION
1998 was indeed a busy year for Tao Chang, the First Prize Winner of The XII Vianna da Motta Competition which was also held in Macau in 1997. Mr. Chang played a series of concerts which were components of his First Prize including debuts in New York (Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall), London, and Paris. These concerts brought Mr. Chang to enthusiastic audiences in 5 different countries. The following is an excerpt about the Weill Hall recital:

“Chang Tao is a superb instrumentalist....There is a refreshing and expository structural clarity in Chang's performances, and one could pay him no higher compliment than to write that everything he played on this occasion succinctly balanced nuanced cantabile lyricism and architectonic grandeur." -Harris Goldsmith, NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEW

Here is a list of Tao Chang’s concert itenerary which took place since he won the First Prize in July 1997:

Tao Chang's repertoire for the solo recitals included works by Medtner, Schubert, Ravel, Chopin, and Liszt.

Additionally, Tao Chang has now released his first CD on The Vianna da Motta Foundation's label, VMF Records. Please look for additional information elsewhere in this newsletter.

NEWS AND ACTIVITES REGARDING FORMER PRIZEWINNERS OF PAST VIANNA DA MOTTA COMPETITIONS
Introduced in the last newsletter, here is continuing news regarding former prizewinners of past Vianna da Motta International Music Competitions:

VLADIMIR KRAINEV (tied for 1st prize, 1964)
No stranger to prizes of competitions, Vladimir Krainev also was the First Prize Winner at The Tchaikovsky Competiton in Moscow (1970) and the Second Prize Winner at International Leeds Competition in London (1963). Since his days of competition, Mr. Krainev has established himself as one of the most accomplished piano artists of the present day. Over the last 30 years, Vladimir Krainev has performed with some of the finest orchestras in the world such as The London Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, The Berlin Symphony Orchestra, The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked under such esteemed conductors as Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, and Kurt Masur.

In addition to his acclaimed performances, Mr. Krainev has also amassed an impressive recording discography including over 60 concertos for piano and orchestra. Noteworthy in this group are the five concertos by Prokofiev (recorded with The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt) and all of the twenty-seven concertos of Mozart (recorded with Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra).

While leading an important career as a soloist, Vladimir Krainev is also a professor at Musik Hochschule in Hannover, Germany and also has been a member of the juries for the piano competitions of Leeds, Tokyo and Moscow, to name but a few. This fondness for teaching and wanting to transmit his experience to young artists motivated him to create in 1992 The International Vladimir Krainev's Young Pianists Competition in Kharkov, Ukraine. Since that time, there have been 3 more editions of the competition, in 1994, 1996 & 1998.

Vladimir Krainev continues his busy schedule of performance, teaching and adjudication and these activities and his dedication to them continue to bring him recognition throughout the world.       

IDA KAVAFIAN (tied for 1st prize-Violin, 1973)
As described in the last newsletter, there have been 2 occasions in the past history of The Vianna da Motta Competition where Violin has been included, in 1973 and 1991. Since tying for the First Prize in 1973, Ida Kavafian has built a career which has brought her acclaim as one of today’s most world-renown artists of the violin.

In a career that has spanned over 25 years, Ms. Kavafian has performed as soloist with the finest symphony orchestras in the world including those of New York, Boston, Saint Louis, Tokyo Metropolitan, and London. She has concertized with other musicians including regular performances with her sister Ani Kavafian, (also a violinist), the Guarneri String Quartet, TASHI, jazz great Chick Corea, and she is also the violinist of the famous Beaux Arts Trio. She has also made many recordings either with orchestra or with one of the aforementioned collaborators on labels such as Nonesuch and Phillips Classics.

Along with her outstanding performing career, Ms. Kavafian has extended her talents in the fields of teaching, at the Hartt and Mannes Schools of Music, and as Music Director for the Bravo! (Colorado) and Angel Fire (New Mexico) Festivals.

Ida Kavafian's 1998 schedule was a typically busy year including perfomances at Alice Tully Hall in New York, and concerts with The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

LATEST NEWS ABOUT VMF RECORDS, (THE VIANNA DA MOTTA MUSIC FOUNDATION RECORD LABEL): 3 NEW CD RELEASES

SEQUEIRA COSTA: Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 1: op. 2, no. 1, 2 and 3
SEQUEIRA COSTA: Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 2: op. 53, op. 57 and op. 90
Sequeira Costa, the President and Founder of The Vianna da Motta Music Foundation has begun a project of recording the entire cycle of the 32 sonatas of Beethoven. The first recording sessions for this endeavor took place in September 1998 and the result is a recording of 2 CDs which are the first 2 volumes of what will be an eventual set. The first 2 CD releases of this Beethoven cycle reflect 2 different periods of Beethoven's career. The first CD is a collection of Beethoven’s first 3 sonatas, (op. 2, numbers 1, 2 and 3), while the second CD contains selections from the "middle years", Sonatas No. 21, 22 & 27 (op. 53, 57 and 90, respectively). These CDs are a must for the serious Beethoven CD collector. Please see the form for information on how to order these first 2 CDs of Sequeira Costa's interpretations of the 32 Beethoven Sonata cycle.

TAO CHANG: In Concert
“In Concert” is the debut CD release of Tao Chang. This CD is a recording of Tao Chang's recital which took place at The Lied Center at The University of Kansas on September 20, 1998. The repertoire of this fine CD consists of the works which Mr. Chang performed throughout his 1998 tour: Sonata No. 3 by Medtner, Drei Klavierstücke by Schubert and Ravel's Miroirs. Jan Biles of The Lawrence Journal World had the following to say about Chang's recital performance on this CD: "Pianist Tao Chang has a bright future ahead of him, and those attending his concert Sunday afternoon at the Lied Center were lucky enough to get a small glimpse into what this young player has to offer the arts world.”

COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

• A full report on prizewinner results and all activity about the upcoming XIII Vianna da Motta International Music Competition

• Information about recent recording sessions for an upcoming CD by Sequeira Costa of piano works by Vianna da Motta, to be released on the Naxos label.

• News about the forthcoming VMF Records combined CD release of Jill Lawson and Maria Rostotsky, the 2nd and 3rd prizewinners from The XII (1997) Vianna da Motta International Music Competition

Until next time, Best Wishes from The Vianna da Motta International Music Foundation