In Conversation with pianist Chi Ho Han

VM: I heard that your current programme was inspired by The Little Prince. What is the connection?

CHH: The Little Prince is one of my favourite books. I have read it many times because every time I read it I feel differently. When I was young, I didn’t understand much about the story, but now, with more life experience, I am able to find the hidden meanings. I find that it’s very similar to music, like every time we listen to something we can find some kind of resonance.

Like Schumann’s Kinderszenen, it sounds simple but actually there’s more to the work, and I find the same with The Little Prince. I wanted to pick the kind of music that best reflects this particular chapter of the story that I have chosen.

VM: What is your earliest musical memory?

CHH: My parents loved music very much. When I was still very young, I remember that my mother turned on the classical music radio all day long. When I was old enough to go to concerts, my parents brought me along two to three times a month. Sometimes, I even slept during the concerts.

VM: Are you parents musical?

CHH: My mother played the piano but she stopped when she went to university. She has never played again since. When I was six or seven, my grandparents gave me a real piano as a birthday present. Before that, I had a small toy piano. At that time, I hadn’t started proper piano lessons yet. I learnt songs from kindergarten and could play them back on the piano. My parents got me a teacher after that as they thought that I had a natural talent for the piano. It was still only a hobby until age 11, when I became serious.

One time, I heard Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto and thought the overture was really cool and amazing. I thought playing the piano could be something really cool.

VM: What was music practice like during your childhood?

CHH: Before going to specialist school, a teacher came to my home weekly. She gave me assignments five times a week but I only did them twice. My parents never pushed me to practise; it was all self-motivated. I really appreciate them for that because if they did push me perhaps I wouldn’t be playing the piano now.

VM: Did you go to a music specialist school when you were young?

CHH: My parents thought that I might want to become a pianist as I was talented with the piano. My father found me a teacher through family connections. I didn’t go to arts middle school and I went to Seoul Arts High School at the age of 15. In Korea, there is middle school, then high school specialised in music. You get the general subjects like the other high schools except they also have music theory and piano lessons. I got to choose which piano teacher I wanted to study with and had weekly lessons.

VM: When and how was your first public performance?

CHH: After learning the piano seriously for about a year, my teacher, Jiae Kim, decided to let me play in a recital with the repertoire that I had at that time. I played Bach’s French Suite, Mozart’s variations, Beethoven’s Pathétique sonata and Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso, amongst others. I was 11 years old. My teacher moved to Vienna afterwards and introduced me to another teacher, Professor Kyeong Seun Pee, with whom I studied for four years. I was very shy when I first started playing in front of an audience. Now I enjoy the stage very much.

VM: What helped you realise that playing music was your passion in life?

CHH: During Covid, I didn’t play any concerts, just practising here and there. But still, without the concerts, I felt quite satisfied because just having music in my life is enough. Just being able to play the piano is enough for me.

Before the pandemic, I was so busy. The competitions and concerts never stopped. Covid time was probably the longest break I had from playing to the public since I first learnt to play the piano. Music for me was the only constant in a fast-changing world we have today where our career as a musician can fluctuate.

VM: How would you describe your relationship with your instrument?

CHH: I love the piano very much. If I could choose an instrument in my next life, it would definitely be the piano again. I love the feeling that I am able to recreate an entire world with the piano. With other instruments like string or wind instruments, they can only play one line at a time and need accompaniment or an orchestra to make the music complete. With the piano, I can do much more with the colours and there are more possibilities that I can explore with in terms of the sound. I never get bored with practising because the piano is an instrument with infinite possibilities.

VM: Who are the contemporary musicians that moved you most?

CHH: As a musician, I have much respect for Daniel Barenboim, because not only does he play the piano; he also conducts and writes about music. I admire his diverse range of abilities in music and in philosophy. I have been to his concerts many times whilst in Germany and I have seen him both performing as a conductor and as a soloist. I have also heard his recitals.

I found that I agree with his interpretation of many works and I can see his wide spectrum of musicality and perspective. I really respect him as a musician. I aspire to reach his level of musicianship.

VM: I suppose all musicians eventually reach a point of transition from intuitive to conscious playing. Did it affect you much? Was the transition smooth?

CHH: Well, I don’t try to analyse it myself but, even during practice, the way that I play frequently changes. The change feels very natural and I feel very free. I don’t try to become someone else; I stay true to who I am as a pianist. Sometimes, if I feel very fragile, I just embrace it. Other times I play very logically if that’s how I feel the music should be played. As I am not the same person each day, the music that I play also reflects that change. It is more a subconscious thing, I guess.

VM: In your opinion, what is the sense of the role of the interpreter?

CHH: Many would say we should always respect the composer and deliver the messages he intended for the audience to hear. But, when we play as musicians, there is also the input of our thoughts and emotions. I think the two are merged together in our playing and the work is only complete when it is played.

VM: You have studied with professors Arnulf von Arnim and Arie Vardi. How were the experiences like?

CHH: I studied with Arnim between the ages of 16 and 20 in Essen, Germany. It was a crucial stage of my musical and personal development. He was a very dedicated teacher. He really tried to deliver the tradition of playing German music. Arnim studied under Claudio Arrau and Wilhelm Kempff. I learnt a lot of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms repertoire under Arnim. He helped to widen my repertoire with German romantic and classic works.

Every time Arnim listened to me play during lessons, he read the music very carefully and was very attentive to the harmonic colour. This became something that I have adopted in my own playing now.

I met Vardi at a concerto competition in Shenzhen. I was 19. Both Arnim and Vardi were jury members at that competition. After the final round, Vardi approached me and gave me his name card and told me to get in touch. Then Arnim told me that Vardi really liked me and was very happy that I was to study under Vardi.

Vardi’s lessons were very mind opening. He always approached the music in a way that I never expected. He was always asking very thought-provoking questions. For example, he would ask why a certain composer wrote this particular piece in C minor, to try to look at it with a different perspective. His way of teaching helped me a lot in becoming an independent musician. I gradually developed the skill of learning a piece of music without any guidance from my teacher.

VM: You have collaborated with a lot of orchestras. Any interesting incidents to share with us while working with conductors?

CHH: I toured Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto with Korean conductor Myung-whun Chung. Sometimes, Chung didn’t conduct much and just let the orchestra play. He didn’t give much detail about what he wanted to hear during rehearsals. He just said a few words and the orchestra was able to follow and the sound changes. It was like magic seeing the process.

VM: What is the most embarrassing moment you ever had on stage?

CHH: I have never felt embarrassed on stage but I’ve had some problems here and there, of course!

When I was playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1, where there is a long orchestral introduction, I almost fell asleep for the first five minutes because I had a big meal. The managers in Korea fed us really well. Now I never eat a full meal before a performance. I have a very strict rule of eating very little, like a banana, before I go on stage. Just something to keep my energy up and keep me awake.

VM: Looking say 10 or 20 years ahead of you, what are some other projects or some goals in mind that you would like to achieve?

CHH: I would like to play the complete Beethoven sonatas someday and make a recording of it. I also have some personal goals on my repertoire. Apart from that, I haven’t really set myself any specific goals. I’d like to see where things take me.

I feel very lucky as a musician because I am able to play whatever I like. Of course, musical development is important but I have always wanted to be more spiritual and let the music guide me, rather than have a very strict plan in terms of professional development.

VM: Do you work with living composers?

CHH: I met Hungarian composer György Kurtág, who is almost 100 years old, in Budapest last year when I played the Goldberg Variations. He came backstage after the concert and invited me to his house. We had a good chat. I met up with him whenever I went to perform in Budapest. Despite his age, his eyes sparkled with energy. Kurtág had a very fulfilling life with music and he is still composing. He said that he would write a piece for me.

VM: You are prize winners of a lot of renowned international competitions. What is your opinion of competitions? Do you think they are healthy?

CHH: I think it’s a good opportunity for musicians to enhance their technique and performance skills. But if you’re too eager to win, in that way, it’s not healthy. However, if you use it as a chance for more exposure, as some performance experience, then competitions are useful. We should remember that competitions are a tool, not a goal. They help you to build your repertoire and you gain a lot of good friends through them too.

VM: You won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2014.

CHH: Yes, it’s one of the most important ones in Europe. I also did the Gina Bachauer international piano competition in the US. I won the fourth prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2016. I had one week to learn a commissioned concerto by Belgian composer Claude Ledoux for that competition.

VM: May I know how many hours you practise these days? When you were young, were you disciplined in your approach about practice?

CHH: When I was younger, I practised at least four or five hours a day, maybe six when I had a concert or competition. I practised 10 hours once when I was 12 or 13. That was my highest record. It’s a lot of brain work. I practise less now because I can do it more efficiently. I know what I want to achieve before I start practising.

VM: You are Honorary Professor at Shanghai International Piano Festival & Institute (2023/2024). What is the commitment like? You are appointed Associate Professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, from August 2024. Do you find teaching rewarding?

CHH: I have a lot of opportunities to give masterclasses wherever I go to perform. I really like it. I like communicating with young people and to talk about music. I don’t have all the answers but I like exchanging ideas. I see my students as colleagues. I love the process of finding the meaning of music together. In a way, I do think teaching helps us grow as musicians. You need to be conscious of what you’re doing, how you play, and be able to explain it. I feel like since I have started teaching I play better, with better interpretation. I see the score differently.

VM: Any upcoming projects you would like to share with us?

CHH: Apart from the recording with contemporary composers next year, as well as some works by French composer Olivier Messiaen, it will be the hundredth birth anniversary of French composer Pierre Boulez and I will be giving a recital with fellow Korean pianist Chae Um Kim in Paris. In March, I will be coming back to Hong Kong to play the Goldberg Variations.

We wish Chi Ho all the best with his upcoming endeavours and success with his concerts.

Interview written by Puntid Tantivangphaisal.