Pianist against pressure

Press, 6 March 1984, Page 1

Pianist against pressure

Often too much pressure is put on New Zealand musicians to study overseas, says one of New Zealand’s best-known pianists, Michael Houstoun.

Mr Houstoun, who lived overseas for some years, is in Christchurch this week for three lunchtime concerts for the Christchurch Festival. The first was held yesterday in the James Hay Theatre to an almost capacity audience. Asked about the need to travel overseas to study, Mr Houstoun conceded that overseas performances gave an artist experience but “I think the idea that you must go overseas to play is slightly false. “It is an old apple that people have been tossing around for years. Perhaps for a career it is necessary but I am not too hung up on

the career thing. I have all I need to play the piano Here,” Mr Houstoun said. The Timaru-bom pianist said he had no intention of living abroad again. His life is planned round his music. Most of his day is taken up with music — four to five hours practising, the rest reading scores, thinking about music or arranging performances. Although he has one permanent pupil, Mr Houstoun prefers to keep teaching and performing separate. “Teaching is very demanding. If you have pupils in the morning you cannot devote as much energy to your own music in the afternoon, and if you teach in the afternoon you have already used a great deal of energy in your own practice. “Teaching is certainly an important aspect of music

but I usually prefer to take master classes with large numbers for two days at a time.” He is adamant he will be

performing for many years yet — “until my fingers drop off and my brain atrophies.” He enjoys the atmosphere of playing at a festival with many other artists.

“A concert is a concert. The setting is still formal even if it is a lunchtime concerts. All that is different is the duration. You play 50 minutes of music rather than an hour and a half.”

His Christchurch Festival concerts are lunchtime ones featuring on Wednesday, the music of Beethoven, and on Friday, Chopin.

After the festival he will perform throughout New Zealand. He will return to Christchurch for performances with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and plans a tour of Singapore in May.