<<  -- 6 --  Tess Crebbin    FIFTH GEAR

'Piazzolla was a work I specially enjoyed,' Gililov said later at dinner, between bites of Portugese-style squid. 'I have travelled the world for so long that I now consider myself a citizen of the world and so I feel an affinity with the people of many different cultures. One of the cultures especially close to my heart is the Latin American culture, with its warmth and its genuine joy of life. So, although this was a new piece for me, I could immediately get into the rhythm because I just love tango, in whatever shape or form. It is such a wonderful musical expression of the soul of the people there.'

Also very pleased with the success of the evening was Axel Langhorst, the director of the Kronberg Academy in the United States, who sums up the legendary Kronberg success story. 'In only eleven short years, the Academy has grown so quickly and attracted so much attention internationally that it has become necessary for us to open other branches. Japan and Korea, and now also the United States. We wish to make the offerings of the Academy available to musicians everywhere and the recently established United States branch is beginning to grow at a similar rate to what we have experienced here in Europe. It is a thrilling and wonderful time for us, especially for me who is a Kronberg native and has seen everything happen from scratch.'

For dinner, we were joined not only by several other jury members, like the charming French composer Graciane Finzi, and several Kronberg officials, but also by two cute Pekingese dogs and the two stars of the evening: the cellos of Helmerson and Young-Chang Cho that, one could swear, stood in the corner, grinning ... after all, they got to come along to dinner while Gililov's grand piano had to stay behind in the church! Who was it that said the cello was a special instrument specifically noted for its warm, human-like tone?