Interview with Ewa Kupiec, pianist

I hope that you've had a chance to rest during the summer, despite the fact that you completed the recording of Witold Lutoslawski's solo piano works for Bavarian Radio in August. How much time did you dedicate to that project, and how do you intend to capitalize on it in the coming years?

I have been working on this CD project since the beginning of this year. I am very happy about the release, which is, I think, the only recording of Lutoslawski entire solo oeuvre for piano including his unknown piano sonata and lovely miniatures written for children. The different platforms, like iTunes and of course the distribution of the CD will serve to introduce his less known works to the wider circle of listeners. I see myself as an ambassador of Polish music and this CD is another step in this personal effort.

Last year you were made professor of piano in Hannover, which has no doubt brought increased travel and a marked expenditure of energy for the benefit of others. Why would a successful concert pianist, who has a fixed place in the international music scene, decide on something like that?

At this particular point in my life I feel the responsibility towards the generation of emerging pianists. I think sharing my experiences with these young people will help them on this difficult path of a concert pianist.

By the way, do female pianists have a harder position than their male counterparts when it comes to performing concerts?

I do not like so much the gender division, but altogether I think yes. The life style of a concert pianist brings a lot of obligations which sometimes are difficult to combine with family life.

Today you're playing Strauss's Burleske. Do you perform it often? What keeps drawing you back to that virtuoso composition?

Yes, I perform this often and I am always happy to come back to this piece. It is a lovely, highly virtuoso composition, demanding for the soloist, but also for the orchestra. It certainly deserves a solid place in a concert repertoire.

If I can ask a somewhat personal question, I'd be interested to know what your memories are of the city Katowice where you began your piano studies?

The memories are still very vivid of my time of being there. I was twelve when I left home for the boarding school and spent seven years there. It was crucial time in forming my artistic personality. These years 1976-83 were also turbulent years in polish history. Being away from home then was not easy, but prepared me for years to come.

Where do you live today?

My base nowadays is Munich, Germany. I also spend summertime in a lovely country house near Spoleto, which belongs to my life partner, the American composer Randall Meyers.

You certainly return to Poland not only physically but also intellectually - after all, you are one of the most sought after interpreters of Chopin and other Polish composers. What interesting encounters with the Polish repertoire can we expect from you in the future?

I want to look into the young generation of Polish composers and I am looking forward towards a creative and fruitful cooperation.