Caroline Fischer is a prodigious piano player. She has performed in more than 15 countries and in front of many notable dignitaries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Fischer recently moved to Thailand to teach piano at Chulalongkorn University and tonight she will be performing at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit. Chopin’s and Liszt’s pieces are in the programme, promising a passionate and romantic performance. We catch up with Fischer prior to her debut concert in her new town.
You began playing piano at the age of three, has there ever been pressure put on you?
No, there was really no pressure. It is very important that parents don’t pressure their kids to learn an instrument because when they become teenagers they normally quit. My parents really liked classical music. My mother used to play the piano and I really wanted to learn it. When she was practising I would come and play with her, I think I was disturbing her but I wanted to start early. She started teaching me easy pieces.
Did you learn from hearing the music?
At first yes. She would play little songs for me, mostly German folk songs. And then, because I was learning very quickly I went to a music school. And the teacher told my mum that it would be better if I learnt from
a music professor. So I went then to a music school. I was very young. The professor said that she didn’t want little children, but we only spoke on the phone. When I arrived I played for her and she was very impressed. She put music in front of me and I didn’t know it, but I played and it was alright, she wanted to test me. She then started teaching me. I started at the age of nine studying music at the University of Berlin and then at the age of 16 at the Academy of Music in Berlin.
Why did you choose to become a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University?
I was a piano teacher and I really like teaching. They asked me to help them get their pianists to a higher level. They have a concert hall and they have 10 grand pianos, including a Bechstein and a Steinway.
It is really amazing collection. I teach the masters students. And they all get the opportunity to have lessons with me. I’m friendly with them but I also have to tell them when something is not correct. But I am not strict or screaming!
How’s your impression of Thailand so far?
I love it. The weather is really good, I like the food and I enjoy travelling to the beautiful islands. They are nearby and are lovely places to relax.
Are you excited about the concert tonight?
It is a great opportunity. The Korean and German ambassadors will be there and I will be meeting both of them. They are very great and warm people. They have put a lot of effort into this event. The two countries have a shared cultural history, they were both partitioned during the cold war. As a people Germans know what it is like to be partitioned.
Caroline Fischer is performing at the Sofitel Bangkok tonight at 6pm. Tickets are priced at 3,500 baht, including food and beverages.
