Eric Guo: the 16-year-old may be the youngest ever entrant in the competition (photo: John Cole)

An evening in with…Eric Guo online

This Friday evening Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition prizewinner Eric Guo will join us for a live performance of beautiful music, writes Chris Cormack.

The ninth in this series of short online concerts presented by Hastings International Piano is given by 2019 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition finalist  Eric Guo.

At 16, Eric Guo was an even younger entrant than last week’s Michelle Candotti when he became a finalist in 2019. He played very sensitively in his first three pieces in the semi-final before ‘absolutely smashing it’ with a dramatic piece of Liszt (Après une lecture de Dante, Fantasia quasi Sonata), according to HOT’s reporter. In the final, he came on first with Chopin‘s Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor, Op 11.

After watching the finals last year, Hastings musician Mick Bolton said it was great to see the 16 year-old from Canada coming third: “He played Chopin’s first concerto to roars of approval from the audience – obviously destined for great things.”

“Eric is an extraordinarily thoughtful musician with an infectious enthusiasm,” said Barry Shiffman, director of Toronto’s Taylor Academy.

A native of Toronto, Eric is a scholarship student of Toronto’s Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. Since joining the Taylor Academy in 2012, he has won top prizes at many competitions around the world, including the International Frederick Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in China, the Kaufman International Youth Piano Competition in New York and the Canadian Music Competition.

His programme:

Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 22 in B-flat minor, BWV 891, from Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier
Beethoven’s Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op 109, including, in the third movement, variations that interpret the theme in a wide variety of individual ways.

In these times when the livelihood of our musicians is at risk,  this series supports the careers of Hastings International Piano prizewinners and, of course, they receive a performance fee.

The concerts are free to view, but viewers will be able to make a voluntary donation to Hastings International Piano Engagement Fund here, or choose to join as a Friend here.

Watch live here (the video will appear just before 8pm on Friday 15 May) or by visiting HIP’s Facebook page.

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