‘It’s as if I now have a certificate of my worth as a musician’, says Guido Sant’Anna, winner of the Vienna competition
SPECIAL FOR THE STATE – In Vienna it was already dawn when Guido Sant’Anna he answered the phone. It’s late, she jokes. But sleeping hasn’t been easy since last Sunday, 25. It was then that the Brazilian violinist won the Fritz Kreisler Competition, one of the largest in the world, after an intense week of racing. It’s an unprecedented feat: Guido, just 17, preceded over 230 candidates from 42 countries.
“I still don’t know how to define the personal impact of what happened, but from a professional point of view it’s a big change. Winning the competition means more media attention, new opportunities to play, a career leap. I had one now. attestation of my worth as a musician“, he says.
As part of the awards, he will play concerts in Lithuania, Russia, Italy and a tour of Asia. He will record an album for the German label Naxos. And there is still the possibility of a presentation with the Vienna Philharmonic. “I have been sought after by many people since Sunday, as well as receiving messages from people in the music industry and people I don’t know, but who cheered and cheered for my victory” – the races were broadcast live on the internet and it is still visible online.
Guido was born in Parelheiros, Sao Paulo. His parents and uncles had a band, they played all the time. But he went in another direction. I went to the classic. He was 5 years old when he started playing the violin for the first time. At 7 he made his first public performance with a chamber orchestra. And, at the age of 8, he was a finalist in Prelúdio, a freshman program hosted by TV Cultura in São Paulo. On that occasion he met the master Giulio Medagliawho introduced him to the conductor and pianist João Carlos Martins. They have become important supporters. But not the only ones: Guido is currently a Cultural Artistic Scholar.
At the age of 12, in 2018, the violinist won his first international feat, being among the finalists of the Menuhin Competition, in Switzerland, receiving the Audience Award and the Chamber Music Award. In the same year he received the Concert Award offered by specialized Brazilian critics. In 2021 he was one of the winners of the Competition for Young Soloists at the Osesp, in the Sala São Paulo.
All this time he was led by the teacher Elisa Fukuda. “For me, as a person and as a professional, Elisa is fundamental. She is a source of knowledge that has offered me the way to grow, in technique and in music. She has shaped me in a way that I could show my musical ideas.”
Samando in Switzerland
Although the violin has been at his side since childhood, the relationship with the instrument has been built over time. Guido says that, in the days of Prelúdio, when his name began to attract attention, music was not yet a definite path. “I went there, I hadn’t participated in anything yet. And suddenly success came, because I was only 9, I was cute,” he recalls.
The feeling hasn’t changed much in the years since then. “I honestly didn’t want much with the violin. I actually went to Switzerland to participate in the Menuhin Competition not out of personal desire, but because people prepared me and considered me ready. Great interest.”
After the race, however, something changed. “I played because I played, I had no other particular interests. Of course, there was a passion for music, but not in the sense of thinking about a future as a professional musician, a career. But after Menuhi I realized that it could be more than I would have a lot to lose if I didn’t do this. “
Preparing for the Fritz Kreisler Competition it was quite different then. In the final she performed the Brahms Violin Concerto, one of the most demanding in the repertoire. It was a choice of him together with Professor Fukuda. They also considered another possibility, the Sibelius Concerto. “But Brahms’s would give me a chance to show who I am as a musician. There’s a lot of variety in the work and it’s a vibrant concert. I could show both the technique and the musicality it requires, as well as the stage presence and feelings that music evokes. “
Guido says that there have been months of preparation, of much study, “I alone in my room, improving, I thought, I was looking for a more mature aspect”. For this reason, it was a more stressful process, he says. Before the trip, he played the concert with the Orquestra Sinfônica de Barra Mansa and the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre. “The 17 year old Guido is very different from the 12 year old Guido. I was nervous. This time, there was the concern to present everything I can show as a musician.”
With the director João Carlos Martins, 12 years old. Photo: Nilton Fukuda / Estadão
Future
One of Guido’s first commitments in the coming months will be the recording of the album Naxos. Do you already know what you want to record? “Vixe! Honestly, I don’t know.” But gradually, some ideas are forming. “Sonatas by Brahms, Beethoven, Franck, Fauré.” These are essential works of the violin repertoire, which can help you show your personality as an artist. “There are also the Ysaÿe sonatas, which every prominent violinist must be able to play well”.
In December, back in Brazil, he performed in Belo Horizonte with the Minas Gerais Philharmonic. And, with the victory at Kreisler, he hopes to find more easily space in a university to continue his studies outside Brazil from 2023. New competitions in sight? “Not right now, I have to take advantage of the opportunities that are emerging right now. I’ll see that later.”
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Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
