Lang Lang is to Lady Gaga...

Lang Lang is to Lady Gaga as Alexander Gavrylyuk is to ... Christina Aguilera? It seems like these days, the freaks are getting freakier, trumping all and the rest are left trying to find that quirkiness to set them apart from the rest. Some succeed but most end up in a messy dribble.

Having an impressive and firey 16-year old Gavrylyuk performance as the benchmark and with 10 years down the track of not having heard his playing much, I was very curious as to what Gavrylyuk had grown into.

Gavrylyuk presented an aesthetically (on paper) pleasing program to a full house last Friday night at City Recital Hall - Angel Place. Looking around at the audience, it was mainly of the 40s and up with a few aspiring young pianists (the asian kids were probably dragged by their parents because they either recognized 'Moonlight Sonata' on the program or thought it was a good educational purpose for them to be there).

Opening up with Beethoven's first movement, it seemed slower than slow. Bonuses for sitting in the third row from the front was my ability to see every facial expression, body jerk and grunt or off-tune humming from the pianist. In this case, it was a hard blink everytime the top line melody was played. Did he have something stuck in his eye? Or was this a quirky addition to Gavrylyuk's playing, a response to Lang Lang's ridiculous stage antics? To add to the distraction, I had a lady sitting behind me with a terrible breathing problem - to the point where she was taking quick loud short breathes and not even in time to Gavrylyuk's crawling tempo. The second movement was nicely phrased and a rocket speed third movement made me think that the first movement was extra slow for greater effect of the third. The Beethoven-esque feel particularly shone through in the third movement but some rather harsh tones were produced.

The next set of works was Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu, Nocturnes Op. 48 and Scherzo No. 1. Midway through this, his playing really started to bug me. But why? The notes were all there, voicings were there, phrasing was there too. What was it that annoyed me so greatly? It was the beauty that was missing. Steinways are not muffled instruments but for some reason, Gavrylyuk was unable to project the beautiful emotive singing melody that requires brilliance even in the soft tones! The Nocturne Op.48 No.1 was particularly fast in the second half with too much anger and misjudgement of pedal. Having said that, Nocturne Op. 48 No.2 was beautiful and effortless, the beauty of the night really ringing true. This was probably the most beautiful out of the 4 Chopin pieces.

The second half was Rachmaninoff's Moment Musiceaux and Prokoffiev's Sonata No. 7. Out of the 6 Moment Musiceaux, number 5 was the most enjoyable with lovely colours and control. The most popular 4th one had a roaring applaud after it however I really felt like it was over-pedalled and messy. The 6th was powerful but lacked contrast in moods and was all loud loud loud.
Now, the Prokoffiev 7th Sonata is part of the war sonata series. The way Gavrylyuk played the first movement felt like he wanted the war to end asap. Once again at a tempo too fast to digest, it didn't allow the audience to visualize the 'war' and turmoil within this movement. The second movement was the best out of the three with lovely long lines and tension created through the voicings of the dissonance as well as great dynamic control. The moment he started the third movement, I thought to myself "god, he has balls to do this". At an impressively fast tempo, I really did feel like I was on the precipice and found myself holding my breath for quite some time. He made it to the end and I applaud him for having the stamina and technique in doing so but if I had to draw a comparison, nothing beats the Sokolov tempo of this third movement! A certain intensity is created when the tempo is slightly held back, building up the anticipation and emphasizing the irregular rhythms of this movement.

With a standing ovation, Gavrylyuk returned for 3 encores. Did he deliver to his audience? Yes I think he did, I mean he did have a full house with standing ovations. Was he profound? No, he was polished in certain aspects but nothing out of the ordinary. Is he freaky?No (unless the intense blinking is considered freaky). What did I feel when I left the concert? Average. Yes, that sums it up. It wasn't an experience that changed my life nor was it a concert that will staple in my head. Get your Gaga on Gavrylyuk!



Gavrylyuk at the end of his recital.

Signing out,
Van-Anh xo

Psssssttt...... Gossip Couture!

Pssst ... have you heard the latest rumour? Gossip Gossip Gossip is what women do best. But when it's Gossip and it's in reference to beautiful garments, NOW we're talking! Sick and tired of the brainless mass-produced clothes in malls and everyone looking like everyone else, I've gone rogue ... ha! My love for clothes has not and will never cease so i'm continually on the hunt for new pieces.... so coming across Gossip Couture on FashionTV one night, I set out to find this amazing gems and the brains behind it.

Over the weekend, I had the lovely honour of meeting Mauricio, designer and founder of Gossip Couture. It's not often that you meet a designer who is not aloof, OTT with the hand-movements and flamboyant in character. Mauricio is so down to earth! Costa Rica born and with background in dance and choreography, I asked how Mauricio ventured into fashion. "I come from a family of tailors, a private business we had back at home. I was making 3 costume sets (formalwear, national costume and swimsuit) for each Miss Universe on paddle-pop sticks and we would pretend to put them down the runway and the family would gather to be the judges". I couldn't contain my giggles! "And how old were you?" I asked bemused. "Like 5 or 6" he said. How funny is that? Of course the Costa-Ricans are crazy about Miss Universe because they always win and are always the most beautiful in the contest :)

How would I describe the clothes of Gossip Couture? Well for me, the couture pieces are down-right couture but what wins me over is the flattering cut (not to mention size 8 being proper size 8s and not giNORmous Aussie size 8s!), their custom prints, versatility in each piece and their high-waisted pieces.

Clothes should be FUN to wear, and Mauricio has nailed that one on the head. I played dress-ups all afternoon and was in heaven with the beautiful evening couture pieces through to the denim collection over to the fun resortwear-style garments. One piece after the next, I played with the fabrics, the high-waisted cuts of the shorts and skirts. Each dress was flattering on the figure and that rumour about denim on denim being the trend for next season working (in my mind, i was about to vomit!), well it DOES work!! At least it works with the Gossip pieces :)

Just check this denim jacket of Gossip Couture!

Love love love! AND, the sleeves can roll in reverse so you see the cute strip lining or just complete denim!

And not only is Mauricio an amazing designer with the next collection launching this September inspired by the 1940s, he has a heart. The moment I mentioned a few charities I was involved with, he immediately donated a dress for auction. That's what I'm talking about!

My favourite pieces to date (and i've sneakily added quite a number to my wardrobe) are:

1. Uma Long Dress (i'll be strutting this to the next charity event!)

2. Leather Shorts (so versatile! Works for both winter and summer)

3. Uma Short Dress (this is the ULTIMATE LBD in my books! Swarovski encrusted and all! Chic, understated but SO statement! And i'm here with Mauricio too!!)

4. Polka Dot Rayon Tulipan Drape Shorts (with Gossip Audrey Top too!!)

5. Lola Skirt (it's like a paperbag high-waisted with leather drawstring and cutest lining!)

Check them out fashionistas! www.gossipcouture.com.au

So many other to-die for pieces!!! Thank you Mauricio! Can't wait to see your new collection :)

Love and grace,

Van-Anh xx

Fav food: Weiss mango ice-cream with macadamia chunks

Reading: Setting Yourself Free, Shirley Smith

Wishlist: anything Gossip Couture - Uma Long Dress please!! :)

Current city: Sydney

Listening to: Moby

Fav clothing item: Gossip Tulipan Shorts

Next destination: Melbourne!

Missing: pooh-bear!

Melbourne Piano Trio Sydney Launch Concert

Moving people together....Melbourne Public Transport ... Most Paid Trio ... whatever you want M.P.T to stand for, I'm talking about The Melbourne Piano Trio. It's refreshing to see a new crop of young energetic musicians gracing our classical music scene with serious determination, high-spirits and a true passion for chamber music.

The Trio of 26 year olds consist of cool-calm-collected Hoang Pham (piano), tiny-pocket-rocket Ji-Won Kim (violin) and friendly giant Chris Howlett (cello). Each have established themselves in their solo careers having individually won national and international prizes, bursaries, scholarships, performed around the world, studied under great masters, i won't even bother with the details. It's a given that at this calibre, musicians need to have been there, done that. But what happens when they come together? It's kind of like Captain Planet ... 'when our powers combine ...', they become a force to be reckoned with!

Asking how they came about to form as a trio, Chris said 'Hoang and I have been playing since Wesley College (high-school) days' ... Ji-Won chimes in 'They auditioned me for two days and Hoang was so serious... he said 'no' at first ... jokingly' and bursts out in giggles. My first encounter of Chris was the day before the Sydney Launch show and Chris was cooking for all of us a delicious pasta dish. Now how does a musician have time to cook like this, shouldn't they be locked up in a practice room from dawn to dusk and being anti-social? "This is from the days of working in the kitchen at Pumphouse to pay off my cello" said Chris (Chris plays a Thomas Kennedy Cello!).

In a time where for anything in this musical world to succeed, you need your point of difference. I posed the very question to MPT. "I think what sets us apart is that when we rehearse, there is no ego" says Chris. Hoang believes it is "to have that interaction, to have the guts to speak to your audience and engage them... it's a scary thing for many musicians. It's about having that faith but also the willingness to have the confidence and an element of danger to voice your thoughts on the pieces that you are playing".

The dynamic of a trio is always very important and from listening to them speak, they definitely balance each other out. "Honestly though, do you all get along?", I asked. "We slept together, the three of us for the first time last week at ANAM (Australian National Academy of Music)" giggles Ji-Won. The boys looked at each other in horror. "No, i think what Ji-Won means is that we all were in Melbourne together for our debut performance at Elizabeth Murdoch Hall" clarifies Chris. "Ji-Won is seriously the icing on the cake in our trio" says Hoang. And he is absolutely correct when it came to watching their debut performance in Sydney at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney.

Melbourne Piano Trio perform at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney

Their program of Beethoven's 'Ghost' Trio, Paul Dean's 'Fragmented Moments' (world premiere performance) and Dvorak's Piano Trio in F minor, Op 65 was a very balanced choice of repertoire. The third movement of the 'Ghost' was most exciting, joyful and the balance between the instruments was sublime. What made the concert was Dean's 'Fragmented Moments'. A work which for Sydney-siders was a first, we were transfixed by the 5 movement work weaving through the mind of a person who suffers Alzeimer's as well as the effects it has on the people around them. The first movement set the eerie mood, transporting the audience into the brain of the person with Alzeimer's. The second was probably my favourite because it reminded me of Pringles - once you pop, you can't stop. It had this energy and drive which all three musicians captured from beginning to end. With markings on the score such as 'Hoang, go nuts', how could it not be gripping? The work is so wonderfully constructed, complete with the 5 movements that it ended with rumbles from people's feet, cheers and a roaring ovation. Hats off to Dean! An absolute gem of a contemporary work!

Each musician spoke to us before the work, giving the audience a sense of their personality and their perspective on the work they were about to perform (no, they aren't anti-socials and yes, they DO have personalities). The third movement of the Dvorak stole our hearts with the beautiful sounds from Ji-Won's Storioni melting us in our seats. Hoang brought out a wonderful tone on the Stuarts & Sons with temperament that worked perfectly for the accompaniment and balance with the violin and Chris' Thomas Kennedy cello.

I can't read tea-leaves, nor can I forecast the future but I know for a fact that The Melbourne Piano Trio is a Trio that will not only be fine representatives for Australia but bring their unique dynamic to create joy to many concert halls and performance spaces around the world. Not only are they fine musicians but they have wit, humour and character. Who knows, they may end up one day being the Most Paid Trio :)

Left to right: with the Melbourne Piano Trio boys! Chris Howlett (Cellist), me :) and Hoang Pham (pianist)

be happy!

I like to think that I'm an optimist and see the glass as half full; to see the upside to every situation; to laugh off any unfortunate events that occur to me and say everything happens for a reason. But sometimes, you feel SO frickin' down and feel like you've hit an all time low. You ask yourself WHY this has happened to me? Me out of all people? I know the feeling, we've all been there but watching the news this morning as well as a few other things recently, I am assured once again there are MUCH MUCH worse things that could happen to me.

Just look at the earthquakes in New Zealand, not once, not twice but last night shaken by a 3rd quake, the aftermath of February! Then Japan - over the weekend was the 3 month anniversary for their horrific tsunami and earthquake disaster - over 91,000 people declared homeless and anyone still missing was declared dead. To lose your home, to not know where you're going to go next, to live in a built up shelter, I should just be thankful that I have a warm home and comfortable life. You always seem to want more and more and more, when is it enough? When do you stop?

Then there was the beautiful clip of Sung-Bong singing in his audition for Korea's Got Talent. An orphan as a child and running away from his orphanage.... just watch the clip and it will tell all. The purity in his voice and the fact that he is seemingly content is just absolutely inspiring for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BewknNW2b8Y&feature=youtu.be

It makes me so thankful for everything that I already have and if I ever feel crappy at all, just think of all these people! I know each circumstance is different but pick yourself up, have faith, believe and all will be right in the end. Love as though you've never been hurt before and give, just GIVE and things will come back to you in ways you would never believe possible <3

Love and grace,

Van-Anh

Fav food: tomyum soup

Reading: Setting Yourself Free, Shirley Smith

Wishlist: Eva Mendes' dress that she wore to the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball

Current city: Sydney

Listening to: Frank Ocean

Fav clothing item: Witchery Shrug . oh so frickin warm!

Next destination: HCMC, Vietnam.

Missing: my best friend.

my May favouritesss

Zoe Saldana in Armani Prive @ Cannes Festival 2011.

ummm...like the cutest kid ever??

Kiera Knightley looking amazing as usual.

<3

Cassius Eyewear - Lautner Havana

arriving in the mail soon :) worn by Lady Gaga, the BEPs, MGMT, Rihanna, NAS & Kanye West.

Fav food: peanut butter & jelly

Reading: Water For Elephants ... still...

Wishlist: Zoe Saldana's Armani Prive dress

Current city: Sydney

Listening to: Lior - This Old Love

Fav clothing item: Jigsaw thigh-high boots!

Next destination: HCMC, Vietnam

Missing: warmth & sunshine!

Saigon to Dalat to Hanoi

This trip has been the trip where i've honestly travelled the most across Vietnam in a while. The last time i went to Dalat was probably about 6 years ago. Nothing has changed much - the market is still there, the roundabout is still there. People are much more shy. And it was much colder than HCMC, dramatically less humid. But beautiful. Really peaceful and somewhere where drinking a hot coffee in the frosty air reminds me of Melbourne.
This afternoon, I head to Hanoi and everyone is telling me it's freezing. 8 degrees? That can't be right in Vietnam - but it is! I'm slightly scared of freezing to death (not literally of course) but I didn't pack the right clothes.
HCMC has been beautiful this time around - the weather is not too humid, it's not too smoggy and today is the 2nd day of clear blue skies, not the haze that you usually get.

A lovely cafe to visit in HCMC is Kita - restaurant and cafe but it's got that kitschy feel - 41 Nguyen Hue St, Q.1 - cross between french and vietnamese style. Good lattes, good loungey music.

The other place I found yesterday was Lam Boutique - again, it reminded me of a Melbourne boutique because it's up 2 flights of stairs, real dark and grimey but you open up the front door on level 1 and it's a world of vintage designs, mismatchs and cute french-inspired indie clothes designed by Ms. Lam. It's at 71 Mac Thi Buoi, Q.1.

Another place to eat is 13 Ngo Duc Ke, Q.1. Real small restaurant but real traditional vietnamese food. Ther's an old man in slacks and those elastic belts and a real funky moustache who is there everyday taking your orders so you'll know you're in the right place if you see him. Great food, service is alright. A lot of foreigners seem to have found out about the place.

Also, told by a friend, you know those balloon men - those guys who walk around or ride bikes around with the massive bunch of balloons to buy, DON'T BUY THEM!!! DO NOT BUY THEM! they are filled with hydrogen. A friend bought 3 one time and for some reason, it got caught something, caught on fire and singed his hair and burnt his arm! Way to crush a little girls love for balloons eh? hehehe.

Anyways, that's all for now. over and out with love and grace,
V-A

goodbye 2010, bring on 2011

The new year creeps up on you doesn't it! Before you know it, it's another set of New Year resolutions you want to write. I usually want to write about 10, but this year, I think 5-7 would be more reasonable.
It's been a real year of setting up new things, getting rid of the garbage that was part of my life and really preparing for 2011. There were definitely a lot of firsts this year - going on and performing on a cruise, performing in stadiums as part of The Artisans, the formation of the Artisans, performing my crossover songs ...
All i can say is it's been a good year but 2011, BRING IT ON!!! I haven't been as happy as I have been this year ever, but i know 2011 will bring me even more joy! I can just feel it!
Spending NYE this year in Saigon and this will be beautiful!
Good luck to you all for 2011! May it be filled with happiness, joy, success, amazing friends and above all, good health! without health, you will be able to do nothing.
LOVE and GRACE,
Van-Anh xx