In the Filipino Mirror
Events: The Music of Tristan Lauber
by Rose Raguindin.
As years went by, his interests have broadened: “I dabble a little bit with jazz, but not professionally, although I promised myself that hopefully in three or four years time when I’ve covered more classical repertoire and I have more time on my hands, I would definitely like to attempt to play jazz.”He finds jazz fascinating, but he also emphasized that it’s a very different language, so that very few pianists can play both classical and jazz at a professional level.
Asked what influences his music, he quickly replied, “Definitely a passion for the romantic repertoire, the one that I feel closest to , and among my favorite pianists are the great Russians Richter and Gilels. ” He also expressed great admiration for Anton Kuerti, whom he described as a phenomenal Beethoven specialist , as well as André Laplante and his first teacher Marc Durand.
Tristan observed that Filipinos aren’t entirely fond of classical music. He noted though that the Philharmonic Orchestra, which is entirely made up of Filipinos, is something out of the ordinary, since Asian nations usually include foreign musicians in their orchestras.
For a man who regularly practices five to six hours daily, he hardly has time to think of anything else.
Piano-playing could be mentally and physically exhausting, and that is where passion comes in for Tristan,who believes that passion and dedication is important if one wants to see a clear path to a career.
Tristan’s recent concert was sponsored by the Canadian Embassy, in celebration of the golden anniversary of Canada-Philippines bilateral relations.