On Friday, virtuosi pianists Paul Cibis and Andreas Kern will tickle the ivories in a “Piano Battle” at Popejoy Hall.
According to Cibis, the Piano Battle is a duel between the two pianists that lasts six rounds. At the end, the audience gets to decide who won. Instead of exchanging blows, the pianists strive to outdo each other with their musical skills.
Cibis said that Piano Battle all started when the two were called to play together in a place many miles from where they will be on Friday.
“We both were invited to a Hong Kong city festival, and then they thought because we are both German and from Berlin, maybe we could play a concert together,” Cibis said.
Cibis said they did not know each other before that festival.
“We talked in Berlin, sat down at the piano and figured out after 10 minutes that we would not play together because we have different opinions on the music and the style as well,” he said. “We had this idea, spontaneously: Why don’t we fight onstage about this? That was very spontaneous, very improvised, no scripts, nothing.”
And it was a huge success, he said.
He said that the two pianists have battled all over the world, going to Asia, Europe and some cities in the U.S. since then. As their show got bigger, the duo realized they would need more help producing their shows and started working with a director and other personnel involved in big-venue productions.
Cibis, Kern and the crew behind the scenes are not the only participants in their shows. Both of them talked about bridging the gap between them and the audience.
“There will be interaction,” Cibis said. “There will be people onstage, unless everyone refuses to come. We will also go into the audience and we break most of the rules of a normal classical concert.”
Kern, the other half of Piano Battle, said that the concert is good for everyone — even those not in tune with classical music — because of its rareness and interactive quality.
“Our main goal with this show is of course not to win but to bring classical music to a new audience. To bring classical music to people who have thought before, ‘These are things where you’re not allowed to cough or where you have to applaud at the right time,’” Kern said. “This is different.”
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Kern said they like to introduce classical music to new audiences through storytelling.
“Our story is very easy because there’s Paul and Andreas, and you decide the winner of this battle,” Kern said. “But in the story, of course, we can give them information even just about the composer, or about the music, or about what we feel with this music.”
Cibis said they want to make it clear that audience members don’t need to be trained experts to have an opinion and vote on who played better.
“Just judge basically on what you like, on your emotional response or whatever response to how we perform,” Cibis said. “It’s not about academic knowledge, it’s about what touches you, what sticks in your mind.”
Kern said the interaction between the musicians and the audience is always different, and can be very powerful.
“If you have a fantastic piano, if you have a fantastic hall and a fantastic audience and then a very soft piece with a soft melody that makes the whole hall stop breathing — that’s something,” Kern said.
“Piano Battle” takes place at Popejoy Hall on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at popejoypresents.com.
Ariel Lutnesky is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Ariellutnesky.
