Stuff Rio–the Sydney International Piano Competition is upon us!
OK, it’s been and gone and so some of us are in the depths of withdrawal and may remain such for another long four years! The first time I involved myself in this event was either in 1988 or 1992. The event was of a much smaller scale and the competitors of lesser quality (considering it only began in 1976). It was still an exhibition of the brilliance and the exuberance of youth. I popped into the Conservatorium on several days through-out the competition and as I recall, the awards night and final performances were at the town hall. For various reasons, I have not really followed the event since. But this year, my brother emailed me a month or so before and so I decided to spend sometime there and aren’t I glad I did! I happened to be in the city on one of the Semi-finals sessions. Whilst I had some problems with booking tickets online, I was able to purchase them at the Conservatorium. The Conservatorium itself had changed significantly since I was there, last. While in the queu...