If you are a longtime classical music fan, then you know who she is.The late great Arthur Rubinstein described her as a “born Chopin interpreter”. In fact, Rubinstein was her mentor. She is described as “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing”. She is also a Juno Award winner.

She is an alumna of The Juilliard School.She won third prize at the 1974 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition.She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.She was the Chair of the jury for the 2023 Junior Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (aka the U.S. Open of piano). Later in 2025, she will be a jury member of the Honens International Piano Competition in Canada.In this episode, Amos Vang and Janina Fialkowska discuss the evolution of her pianistic performance, the Gorodnitzki technique, her experiences at the Arthur Rubinstein International Competition, the importance of Rubinstein’s mentorship, and the impact of musicality. Janina’s contributions to the performance of Chopin have inspired many pianists around the world.

You can follow Janina on her website: https://www.fialkowska.com/

Tomorrow by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Other music composed by: Amos Vang and Fryderyk Chopin

0:00 – Introduction

3:08 – Janina Fialkowska’s first musical inspirations

4:36 – Yvonne Hubert, Janina Fialkowska’s 2nd teacher

6:51 – Bach's influence is profound in classical andjazz piano performance. I.e. OscarPeterson.

8:06 – Yvonne Lefebure, Janina Fialkowska’s 3rdpiano teacher

8:34 – A pianist must be careful to prevent theatrics fromdistracting the audience from the actual musical performance.

9:58 – What was the Juilliard application process like, forJanina?

13:00 – How influential was Sascha Gorodnitzki to Janina's style?

16:03 – What is the Gorodnitzki piano technique?

18:01 – What were the greatest challenges that JaninaFialkowska faced at Juilliard? How didshe overcome these challenges?

20:41 – Many pianists are introverts.

23:02 – Introverts like Amos and Janina are very comfortablewith their own company and with being alone.

25:58 – Janina Fialkowska ALMOST WENT TO LAW SCHOOL!

28:56 – This is Janina Fialkowska’s journey to the 1974Arthur Rubinstein International Competition

35:29 – Liszt Piano Sonata and Chopin’s Concerto in E minorare LEGENDARY pieces of music.

39:22 – Arthur Rubinstein was Janina Fialkowska’s mentor. What was it like to study with Arthur Rubinstein?

42:35 – Arthur Rubinstein never practiced! He even stopped Janina Fialkowska from practicing!

45:29 – What is musicality to Janina Fialkowska?

49:58 – Yunchan Lim, Bruce Liu, the Cliburn Competition, andthe Chopin Competition

53:09 – Janina Fialkowska believes that Canada is #1 in theworld for piano!

57:21 – To ethnic Chinese people such as Amos Vang, piano istheir hockey

59:23 – Practicing at the Cliburn Competition and for anyother music competition is basically training for an athletic competition forsome (NOT all) pianists.

1:02:23 – Who is Fryderyk Chopin to Janina Fialkowska?

1:05:09 – The polonaise is an official item of the UNESCOIntangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

1:06:50 – Why are the Chopin Competition and the CliburnCompetition so revered among the general public?

1:10:30 – How does Janina Fialkowska express bel canto inher performance?

1:15:47 – In piano competitions, some pianists crash andburn at the finals because they don’t have experience performing with orchestras.

1:16:38 – Polish National Edition vs. PaderewskiEdition. Can there be a genuine Urtextfor Chopin?

1:19:52 – What are the common misconceptions that JaninaFialkowska has seen?

1:20:54 – Despite the achievements of Canadian pianists, theaverage Canadian is not musically literate. Here’s why.

1:23:18 – Sports and music have a lot in common. Can this commonality be a solution toimproving classical music appreciation?

1:26:34 – What are the most important lessons that JaninaFialkowska has learned in her career?