VIENNA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Although the curtain of Shanghai World Expo has dropped, the memory of this extraordinary gala unfolds.
A unique piano concert, designed to celebrate Austria's presence at the Shanghai Expo, was hosted in Vienna Tuesday, featuring the awarding ceremony of a piano composition competition held at the Austrian pavilion during Shanghai Expo.
Musicians at the concert played a specially designed grand piano with four pedals at the Vienna Piano Gallery, providing a whole new acoustic experience for the audience.
Several pianists played both classic and jazz pieces on the piano, including a piece called Today composed by Sebastian Bahr, top prize winner of the piano competition.
Shi Mingde, Chinese ambassador to Austria, praised the competition and the awarding ceremony, saying they served as a cultural link between the young people of the two countries.
As the concert drew to an end, Shi awarded honour certificates to Bahr, a student at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts, and several other Austrian students who had actively participated in the competition.
In the course of the Shanghai Expo, the Austrian pavilion organized the piano playing and composition competition in China, drawing nine most renowned music universities in China to participate.
The piano used in the competition was a "Pedale Harmonique" provided by the Austrian side. It was put on display at the pavilion after the contest.
During the contest held on Aug. 28 at the World Expo, the top prize for piano playing went to 15-year-old Zhang Ruixue from Beijing, a grade three junior middle school student. |
