PETA STEWART
Pianist Jan Hugo is now based in Paris, so it is good to have him back in Cape Town, where he will perform the 1st Liszt Piano Concerto with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Bernhard Gueller. The concert on 27 October includes the Polovtsian Dances by Borodin and the most popular of all the symphonies by Shostakovich, No. 5.
For Hugo, Liszt is a passion.
“One of the recordings that my father introduced me to as a child was Jorge Bolet’s recording of Liszt’s second Année de Pèlerinage. The deep emotion and mysticism in this music have always fascinated me and my link to Liszt’s music goes back to that. I’ve performed a lot of his music and what really interests me is his visionary side, as well as his deep religiosity. I’ve researched a lot on his students and the recordings that they made, as well as their accounts of his playing. Liszt was such a magnetic figure and yet so full of paradoxes. His first concerto is not a mystical work, but it is a fine crafted expression of his pianism, and is a real pleasure to play!”
Italian vocal chamber music
France is home, at least for the meantime, he says, and with his wife, the soprano Clara Hugo, they have established a rich professional life. “Clara and I have a busy duo, and we also doing a Master’s degree at the Conservatoire in Milan on Italian vocal chamber music. Our relationship and the research we do together have definitely enriched both of our performance styles and the link between singing and piano playing is an extremely important aspect of piano performance that is so often forgotten today.”
It’s a good thing he is passionate also about the voice – a miracle, he calls it! “I accompany a lot and Clara and I have been researching historical singing for a long time.”
You can hear Jan and Clara in a recital of Ravel, Debussy and Chausson at The Casa Labia on 21 October.
“I teach mainly privately and am studying Musicology at the Sorbonne University, specialising in 19th century pianos and historical performance practice. I also play the organ, organise concerts, give recitals and accompany a lot … some of those skills that I had to develop during Covid!”
It’s thanks to Covid that Jan is only now able to fulfil this engagement with the CPO which was originally planned for 2020.
“I have many fond memories of performances with the CPO, including my first performance of Chopin’s first piano concerto when I was 17. The last time I performed with CPO was in 2016.
“The time of Covid was very difficult; all my concerts were cancelled and it was exactly at the time when we decided to move back to France. One learns resilience and creativity in creating forms of income during times like these and I definitely learnt many new skills that we pianists don’t necessarily learn at the conservatoire!”
Jan began piano lessons in Pretoria at the age of seven, and was encouraged by his grandparents Elsbeth and Japie Hugo – no surprise there because Japie was music inspector for the Cape! Although I was more interested in horse riding, he persevered and “when I was 10 or 11 I heard a pianist perform with the orchestra and that left a lasting impression. The bug that bit me has never left. My father introduced me to recordings and music magazines. I still remember the first time I heard Pollini’s recording of the Chopin e minor piano concerto…”
Francesco Cipolletta
The great Italian pianist Francesco Cipolletta heard Jan play when he was 13, “when I was already mad about the piano and listened to recordings day and night. I had already declared that I wanted to just play the piano and not go to school anymore! Cipolletta was surprised by my direct answer when he asked me what I wanted to do in life – become a concert pianist. He suggested I study with him in Italy.
The timing was right – my father was a locum in the UK and my parents were considering emigrating. Still, it was a culture shock , but I’m very thankful to him for having had the rather outlandish idea of inviting me to study with him because it gave me a great opportunity. Having come into contact with European culture and history in such a personal and direct way has been extremely enriching.”
Hugo loves coming back to South Africa.
“It still feels like home and always will, even though I’ve spent more than half of my life in Europe! My parents are in the UK but I have a lot of family and friends in South Africa, so it is a homecoming of sorts. My ancestors were French and in a way it feels fitting to be back in France, but still to keep this link with South Africa.
When he is not involved in music, he is into history and art, “something that piqued my interest during my youth in Italy. I love French cuisine, wine and just discovering small towns in the French countryside that take you back to the Middle Ages… “
And then there’s the organ.
“I want to pursue my organ playing. There is so much repertoire and the sounds that one can draw from the instrument are so varied and rich. Conducting an opera is definitely another goal.” I accompany a lot and give recitals as well as chamber music concerts.
While he is in South Africa he will also accompany master classes at Cape Town Opera on October 19 and give a recital in Hermanus on October 23. But apart from that he is just looking forward to “some South African wine and just seeing Table Mountain again!”
Subscriptions which attract a 10% discount on five concerts are available at Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695 and single seats from Dial-a-Seat or Computicket. Tickets for the dress rehearsal at 12:00 (not the normal 11am) can be bought at Quicket. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7.15pm, open to concertgoers.
What: Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s Summer Symphonies
Where: Cape Town City Hall
When: 27 October 2022, 8pm
Tickets: Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695, Computicket
WS
