Last night I went with Jie to the NUS Conservatory for a concert. The performer was Jacques Rouvier, a professor from the Paris National Music Conservatory who was here on exchange. I got to know about it when I dropped in (purely by accident) on some lunchtime performances at the ACM. And since I liked piano and the concert was free, I figured why not? Besides, he was playing Debussy (one of my faves) and Ravel (which had been introduced to me by a friend) among others, and I liked the line-up of the pieces. (You can take a look at the list of pieces played here: http://scmapp.nus.edu.sg/events/details.asp?e_id=781)

I didn't know what a big deal Jacques Rouvier was until he appeared on the morning talkshow. Although I studied piano (all the way until Grade 8!) I don't think I really got a proper music education. Most of my lessons were spend gearing up for exams, as opposed to playing pieces for exposure. Still, when I heard of the number and type of performances that Prof Rouvier had performed, I was very surprised, and even more eager to watch his performance.

Prof Rouvier's playing is, for a lack of a better word, crisp. I could hear every note clearly and each note resonated with its fellows. Also, Prof Rouvier is dramatic, and perhaps a little too in love with the pedal, but it works with the pieces imho. Even so, I could hear my old piano teacher shrieking in a corner of my head when he took his hands off the keyboard and still happily stepping on the pedal. I guess my old habits die hard?

It was a very enjoyable evening, and as expected the pieces he selected went very nicely together. I was surprised but pleased to discover I had played a few of them before (though I suspect at very rudimentary levels). It was made even more enjoyable by the fact that I was watching it with Jie, who is one of the more musically inclined out of my friends. We had fun giggling over certain phrases of the music that I'm sure would scandalise a bunch of our other friends. (The giggling, I assure you, was entirely the fault of the composer, not the performer. =D )

The music hall was not too bad, for a small scale venue. The sounds carried very well. I was very surprised to see that the attendance wasn't as good as I thought it would be, with many people leaving halfway. Still, I felt the performance was well-worth sitting through. I wouldn't mind going again for another performance, though I suspect that I won't be as lucky to get Jacques Rouvier again.