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The heavy-handed pianist extraordinaire
15 minutes with pianist Pauli Kari
1. Your latest project 2 pianos, 4 hands is advertised as a pianist comedy. What is that?
-That doesn’t really tell you anything about the show. I would describe it as a musical show which represents all aspects of life. It tells the story of two boys trying to make it to the top. You don’t have to be a pianist to enjoy the show.
2. Where did the idea for the pianist comedy come from?
-Eastway asked me to do this a year and a half ago. A year ago I got the script and met Jasse Varpama, the other pianist of the show. Neither of us are trained actors so it was an enjoyable challenge for both of us.
3. What were your musical influences?
-Percussion. It all started with Animal from the Muppet Show. I used to bang pots and pans until my parents got a headache. When they inherited a grand piano they thought ‘well let’s see what the kid can do with that one’.
4. You won the first prize in the International Bradshaw & Buono Piano Competition in The United States last April. What does it mean to your career?
-That remains to be seen. There is great motivation to work also when you are gaining international recognition.
5. How much does your charisma affect your reviews?
– I wouldn’t go as far as bragging about my own charisma but if others do then great. In one review I was said to have ‘musical charm’, so maybe that’s it. I just play from my heart and the audience recognizes that from the performer.
6. You travel a lot for your work, what does the Finnish audience mean to you?
-Finland is getting noticed more and more. It has also brought more of an international audience to the concert halls. Traditionally, an artist has primarily had to seek recognition from abroad simply because there just isn’t a big enough audience in Finland alone and the competition is hard. However, Finland is becoming more international.
7. What is the secret of your success?
-Devotion and persistence. To be humble, yet proud. You have to be passionate about what you do. Someone is always going to suffer along the way, that is a fact of life, but you shouldn’t knowingly hurt anyone.
8. Why did you become a pianist?
– As a kid, I was given a violin and I broke it immediately. I was too heavy-handed. Seriously speaking, I listened to records of Leslie Howard playing Liszt’s waltzes and I thought I might get a girlfriend if I played as well as him.
9. How is your performance different from other pianists’?
– That’s an awkward question. I really don’t know, but I gladly accept the praise from the critics. It is difficult to put emotions into words – let’s just say that it is amazing to move an audience.
10. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
-I believe I will be heavily involved in the arts, as a pianist, producer and composer. Everything I have done thus far has lead to something so why shouldn’t it in the future? And when you have found the right person to share your life with, you are capable of anything.
Pauli Kari and Jasse Varpama perform in the pianist comedy 2 pianos, 4 hands Musical at Hotel Presidentti’s Congress hall. Opening evening on 4th October.
Satu Irisvik
Vartti Newspaper 10/2007
Photo text: Pauli Kari describes his work as ‘dressing your dreams up in work clothes’.
Fact file:
– Piano virtuoso Pauli Kari
– Lives in Helsinki and Turku.
– Won the first prize in the International Bradshaw & Buono Competition in April 2007.
– Works at Creative Arts Finland as a producer, among other roles.
– He composes music for other artists as well as for himself.