As the curator of the Singapore International Piano Festival takes his final bow, Derek Lim reflects on years past with our own ‘piano man’

For the past four years, pianophiles flocking to the Singapore International Piano Festival have been indebted to the golden ears of Dr Chang Tou Liang (right). Since 2004, the 42-yearold general practitioner has helmed the annual series at Victoria Concert Hall. This year marks Chang’s swansong as curator of the event, which now stretches to five nights.

Oddly enough, Chang’s relationship with what’s known as ‘Asia’s premier piano festival’ began when he sneaked into the hall as the event debuted in 1994 (he couldn’t get a ticket). At the time, the series was in the hands of financier Goh Yew Lin, who hoped to introduce more opportunities for local piano enthusiasts to enjoy recitals at an affordable price. A few years later, Chang’s love of classical music and expertise helped him progress to a seat on the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s board of directors. There, he met Goh, who was astounded by Chang’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all things piano-related. Ten years into the festival, Goh asked if he would like to take over the next two events.

‘Of course, it was an offer I just could not refuse!’ Chang recalls.
Not bad for a self-professed amateur who’s far more proficient with his CD player than with the ivories. Though Chang’s parents introduced him to the piano at the tender age of four, he was never forced into hours of dreary lessons; he also never took a single piano exam, a test he says accounts for so many young pianists losing interest in music altogether. Chang brings this organic appreciation of the instrument to the festival, which demands a certain passion – especially considering his day job and the number of hours dedicated to curating. It’s not just about picking up the phone book and calling pianists to see if they’re free for a gig, Chang says; picking just who gets to tickle the ivories is a painstaking process.

Unlike some festivals where pianists are chosen and then allowed to play what they want, planning this piano festival begins with selecting its theme – a unique quality for such an event. For example, the theme this year is ‘Bach to the Future’, a cheeky nod to the Michael J Fox trilogy, though a better name would probably be ‘Bach and the Future’. Alongside works by Bach, it also features pieces by contemporary composers who have been influenced by the great German organist. ‘First I formulate the theme,’ Chang explains, ‘then I choose the works, and finally the pianists who I think will do justice to the programme.’

His gargantuan CD collection serves as his primary listening source, but to keep abreast of the burgeoning number of young, undiscovered pianists, Chang frequently travels to prestigious piano competitions – everywhere from Hong Kong to Sydney to Leeds – returning to report with relish on the dramatic keyboard battles that played out. Some of his keyboard adventures have reaped rewards, Chang says, and discovering a great new pianist is half the fun. One such find is 30-year-old Korean Kim Sung-Hoon, invited to play Bach, Scriabin and Brahms this year. ‘When I heard him at the Leeds International Piano[forte] Competition, I thought his performance of Bach’s Partita No. 6 was the best I had heard in the entire contest,’ Chang recalls, noting Kim’s maturity and cohesiveness. ‘On the spot I told him I would like to invite him to the festival, and to my delight he accepted!’

Bach and Brahms may seem a perfectly conventional repertoire, but don’t typecast this festival – the Chang years have seen a shift in its overall philosophy. Contemporary composers have been given an unusual prominence; Chang has also dedicated time on stage to a remarkable number of Singapore premieres of works by ‘lesser-known’ pianists – Alkan, Sorabji, Tansman and Godowsky, to name a few – which, unsurprisingly, has translated to several poorly attended recitals.

‘The audience still goes for the very popular stuff like Chopin and Beethoven,’ Chang says unapologetically. ‘I don’t blame them at all, but if I ran the festival a few more years, I would have exposed them to even more music. And there is a following!’

Pianophiles have been known to approach him about next year’s festival barely after the ivories have cooled. In this vein of discovery, Chang has decided this year to pit Bach’s massive ‘Goldberg Variations’ against US composer Frederic Rzewski’s little-known but stupendous set of variations, ‘The People United Will Never Be Defeated!’. Written in 1975, Rzewski’s piece promises plenty of piano-banging in the best styles of contemporary composition. The pianist (in this case, American Christopher Taylor) is required to whistle at the same time as he plays and even slam the lid down. Many pianists agree it is one of the most difficult works to have been written for the instrument.

One wonders what shape the festival will take after Chang hands the mantle back to its founder, Goh. How does Chang view the past few years? Have they been a success? ‘I suppose you can call box-office sellouts a success,’ he muses. ‘But I’m also interested in musical success, which is when a pianist brings something to the music that you otherwise wouldn’t experience in the concert hall. And when that special moment comes, that moment of inspiration, I find that incredibly satisfying.’

The SIPF runs from 2-6 July.