Janina Fialkowska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janina Fialkowska
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Janina Fialkowska in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 7, 1951 |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1963–present |
Janina Fialkowska is a famous Canadian classical pianist. She was born on May 7, 1951. For over 30 years, she has played with orchestras all over the world. She is especially known for playing music by Chopin. She also performs pieces by modern Polish composers like Lutosławski and Panufnik. In 1990, she performed the first-ever public playing of a newly found piano concerto by Franz Liszt with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Contents
Becoming a Piano Star
Janina's Early Life and Music Training
Janina Fialkowska was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her mother, Bridget, was Canadian and also studied piano. Her father, Jerzy, was a Polish engineer. Janina started learning piano at just four years old with her mother.
In 1960, she joined the École Vincent-d'Indy in Montreal. By the age of 12, in 1963, she played her first solo concert with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She continued her studies with talented teachers in Montreal and Paris. In 1969, she won first prize in a big national radio competition for young performers in Canada.
Meeting Her Mentor, Arthur Rubinstein
In 1974, Janina took part in the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Israel. An amazing thing happened there! One of the judges tried to stop her from moving forward in the competition. But the legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein himself, who was 87 years old, was very impressed by her playing.
When he found out what the judge did, Rubinstein said he would remove his name from the competition unless Janina was allowed to continue. Because of him, Janina's international career began. Rubinstein became her mentor and called her "a born Chopin interpreter."
Janina's Amazing Career
Performing Around the World
Janina Fialkowska has performed many important concerts. In 1986, she played all of Franz Liszt's difficult Transcendental Études in major cities like New York and London. This was to celebrate 100 years since Liszt's death. In 1990, she was chosen to play the world premiere of Liszt's recently discovered Third Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony.
She has also introduced new music to the world. She performed the first concerts of piano pieces by American composer Libby Larsen in 1991 and Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich in 2000. In 1992, she played the North American premiere of a piano concerto by Sir Andrzej Panufnik.
Overcoming Challenges: Playing with One Hand
In January 2002, Janina faced a big challenge. Doctors found a serious cancerous tumor in her left arm. After surgery, her arm was almost unusable. But Janina didn't give up!
During her recovery, she performed many concerts using music written for only the left hand. She even adapted pieces by Ravel and Prokofiev to play with her right hand. People praised her courage and amazing performances.
Returning to the Stage
By 2004, Janina Fialkowska was able to play with both hands again. She gave a recital in Germany and then performed Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto in Toronto. Since then, she has continued to tour and perform with many famous orchestras around the world.
In 2018, her album Chopin Recital 3 won a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year. She is highly praised for her beautiful interpretations of music by Chopin and Liszt.
Helping Young Musicians: Piano Six and Piano Plus
Janina Fialkowska started a special program called Piano Six. It was a non-profit program that helped bring classical music to smaller communities across Canada. In 1993, she convinced five other well-known Canadian pianists to join her. They toured places that usually don't get to host famous musicians. They played for less money to help more communities.
For ten years (1993–2003), Piano Six artists went on over 60 tours. They reached more than 100,000 Canadians of all ages. They gave live concerts, taught masterclasses, and held workshops for teachers. In 2004, the program grew and became Piano Plus. It now includes musicians who play string instruments and sing, as well as pianists. These artists continue to tour Canada every year.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Janina Fialkowska has received many awards for her incredible talent and contributions to music:
- First Prize at the CBC National Radio Competition for Young Performers, 1969.
- Third Prize at the First International Arthur Rubinstein Piano Masters Competition, 1974.
- Officer of the Order of Canada, 2001. This is a very high honor in Canada.
- Honorary Doctorate (Music) from Acadia University, 2006.
- Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry, 2007.
- Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, 2012.
Her Recorded Music
Janina Fialkowska has released many recordings of her piano performances. Two of her CDs were nominated for a Juno Award: Fialkowska plays Szymanowski (1997) and La Jongleuse (1998). Her 2001 recording of Liszt's Transcendental Études won the Critics’ Choice award from American Record Guide.
In 2007, it was discovered that some of her recordings were copied without permission by someone else. This was part of a big music fraud case.
Selected Recordings
Here are some of the albums Janina Fialkowska has recorded:
Orchestral / Concertos
- W.A.Mozart: Piano Concertos, nos. 11 and 12 (2007)
- Frédéric Chopin: Concertos (2005)
- Franz Liszt: Piano Concerti (2000)
- Paderewski: Piano Concerto; Fantaisie polonaise (1999)
- Memories of Poland: Chopin, Moszkowski, Koprowski (1995)
Solo Albums
- Chopin: Book II (sonatas, impromptus) (2001)
- Transcendental Liszt: Transcendental Études (complete) (2000)
- Fialkowska plays Chopin: The Études, opp. 10 & 25 (1998)
- La Jongleuse: Salon pieces and encores (1998)
- Fialkowska plays Szymanowski: 4 Études; Variations sur un thème folklorique polonais; Métopes; 2 Mazurkas (1995)
- Franz Liszt: Pieces for Piano Solo (1990)
- Presenting Janina Fialkowska: Liszt solo piano works (1977)
- Janina Fialkowska plays Chopin (1977)
Collaborations
- None But the Lonely Heart: Russian Romances. With soprano Joanne Kolomyjec (2001)
- Brahms/Schumann: Lieder. With bass-baritone Daniel Lichti (1997)
- Schubert: Schwanengesang. With bass-baritone Daniel Lichti (1994)
See also
In Spanish: Janina Fialkowska para niños
