VietNamNet Bridge - Luu Duc Anh, 26, has won many prizes, including first prize at the 2017 Stockholm International Piano Competition and Special Prize in the Alain Marinaro Competition in Collioure, France.

Luu Duc Anh: Art is an invisible world existing with the real world

What do you think is the most precious thing for a pianist?

It is a sincere heart, and a willingness to share with other people.

Art is an invisible world existing with the real world. It only consists of the most beautiful things. The task of the artists is to go to that world, bring the knowledge to the audience in the real world to make it better.

What have you gained studying piano?

The most valuable thing that classical music brings to me is helping me become a good, unselfish man, someone who is willing to share with people and love people.

It helps me grow into a person of discipline, a virtue shaped after many years, months and hours of practicing piano.

Also, I can obtain large knowledge about culture and art.

Who is the piano teacher who has left the best impression on you? What are his/her lessons that you remember the most?

I had the chance to learn with uncle Dang Thai Son at a festival in Japan for two weeks in 2011. Many things he taught me still follow me up to now. One of these is the skill of listening. 

There is a limit in the playing speed which my hands can reach. But there is no limit with my ears. I hear more things every day and more details in the music.

I have realized that hearing is even more precious than the hands. The ears are not only used to listen to others playing musical instruments and singing songs, but also to understand what types of personality people have.

Have you experienced any sadness?

Ten years ago, I was undecided about whether to become a professional pianist. I tried to learn to be able to apply for a university. 

I planned to register to attend the entrance exam to the Thang Long High School, a prestigious school that I hoped would give me an impetus to pass the exams to go to a prestigious university.

My teachers, parents and friends believed Thang Long School was within my reach.

However, I made mistakes in the math exam and I could not enter the school I wanted. I had to apply to another school. 

I failed to enter Thang Long High School because I was fated to become a pianist. This is a reminder that I have a mission with music and I have to make every effort to devote myself to music.

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