Monday, August 23, 2010

Times2

Daniel de Borah is
playing in a special
tribute to Chopin.

ustralian pianist Daniel

de Borah says its true
that a lot of hard work
and nervous energy
goes into every
performance. He also says its not
easy to pick himself up to do it
again and again.
De Borah is riding the wave of
emotion and adrenaline that so
often goes hand in hand with
professional careers. But at times,
when his motivation is flagging,
its the love and passion for music
which puts him back on track.
De Borah will draw on the same
enthusiasm and passion for music
when he returns to the familiar
surroundings of Canberra, which
is where he was brought up by his
parents.
He will be joining one of the
leading Australian conductors of
his generation, Nicholas Milton,
on stage at Llewellyn Hall in a
special tribute to Polish composer
and pianist, Frederic Chopin, at
Llewellyn 10:3.
The Canberra Symphony
Orchestra has joined with the
Embassy of Poland to celebrate the
200th anniversary of the birth of
Chopin. Llewellyn 10:3 aims to
showcase De Borahs talents as he
performs Chopins Piano Concerto
in F Minor and concludes with the
Canberra Symphony Orchestras
performance of Johannes
Brahmss Symphony No 2.
Milton says, Daniel has
enjoyed remarkable successes,
particularly in England, and I am
so proud that the CSO will have
the pleasure of working with him
on this occasion.
De Borah divides his time
between Australia and Britain
where he is in demand as a
recitalist and concerto soloist.
Born in Melbourne in 1981, hes
become well acquainted with the
international airports scattered
throughout the globe and has lived
in Australia, Hungary, Britain and
Russia.
At 15 De Borah moved from
Canberra to study at the Liszt
Academy of Music in Budapest.
Hes given recitals throughout
Britain, which have included
appearances with the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Nottingham Philharmonic
Orchestra and London Soloists
Chamber Orchestra.
Hes also performed widely in
his home country with the Sydney,
Canberra and Adelaide Symphony
orchestras as well as the Australian
Chamber Orchestra.
Success for De Borah is a relative
term, one for which people have

Back on track
with a passion
Fresh from overseas successes, this young pianist is bringing his
enthusiasm back home, Jacqueline Williams writes
varying measures. For my part I
have studied and practised to
master my instrument and achieve
artistic enlightenment, which is
never-ending, and have been
fortunate enough to have the
chance to present the results of my
efforts on the world stage along
the way, he says.
Whether De Borah is deemed
successful or not is not his
concern.
His father, Vernon Hill, also said
to be an influential musician in his
field, is a co-principal flautist with
the Canberra Symphony
Orchestra.
Trying to make a career out of

being a concert pianist is

extremely difficult, Hill says.
First of all you need to play
fantastically, and then you have to
be in the right place and the right
time.
Hill says De Borahs mother,
who is also a pianist, is to be
credited for De Borahs early
influence in music.
His mother came out from
Poland and had learnt piano over
there; she recognised Daniels
talent and started to teach him and
encourage him at a young age.
De Borah says as an Australian
pianist with a Polish-born mother
who grew up in Canberra he was a

good fit for Llewellyn 10:3. He also

has a relationship with the
Canberra Symphony Orchestra
that goes beyond family history.
He played with the orchestra in
2006 and has collaborated with its
chief conductor, Milton, in
Germany.
Milton says, We look forward to
welcoming Daniel de Borah back
to perform with this community to
which he is so closely related.
I had the privilege of inviting
Daniel to my orchestra in Jena a
couple of years ago, where he
performed superbly.
Performing Chopins Piano
Concerto in F minor at Llewellyn

10:3 next week, De Borah brings a

reputation to his performance as,
according to Milton, Hes
attaining a reputation as one of the
most delicate and remarkable
interpreters of the works of
Chopin.
De Borah first learnt the
concerto as a student at the St
Petersburg Conservatorium,
where he studied for six years, and
it was his professor Nina Seryogina
who took the beauty of tone as
the starting point from which all
other technicalities would follow.
De Borah says Chopins
concertos present some
difficulties for the conductor and
his orchestra.
They must follow and cradle
the conception and whims of the
soloist, which can differ greatly in
the case of Chopin as the music
demands a certain freedom.
Chopin was known as a childprodigy pianist and, like Chopin,
De Borah developed a musical
understanding early on. Although
De Borah doesnt claim to be an
early starter, his connection with
music was always a natural one,
which presumably came from
both his parents, who were trained
as professional musicians.
I had an innate musicality, or
feeling for the musical line, he
says.
Regardless of his natural
abilities, it wasnt an excuse to
stray from practice and study. Like
his father Vernon, De Borah is full
of praise for his mother, who he
says was not only aware of his
talent, but took the time to nurture
it, making significant sacrifices
along the way.
I enjoyed exceptional teaching
and opportunities and mixed with
other young and aspiring
musicians, he says.
De Borah says Chopins music
plays an important role in the life
of any pianist.
He is arguably the greatest
composer for the instrument ever
to have lived, he says.
Llewellyn 10:3 will be performed
Wednesday, August 25, and
Thursday, August 26, at 7.30pm at
Llewellyn Hall at the ANU School of
Music.