On Sunday, April 26, the Mayenne International Piano Festival took place, a prestigious event bringing together the best talents from around the world. 
International Piano Competition Participants. People in the photo, from left to right: 1) China: Fan JIANG, 27, currently a student in Poland; performed Rachmaninoff’s Etude, Op. 39, No. 5, and Scriabin’s “Toward the Flame,” Op. 72, in the preliminary rounds; in the final: Liszt’s Sonata in B minor
2) Japan: Sayaka MORI, 26, a student at the Paris Conservatory, performed the following pieces in the preliminary round: Etude No. 8 and No. 12 in D-flat minor by Scriabin & Toccata No. 7 in G major by Bach. Finale: Sonata No. 18, K. 576, by Mozart; “Farewell” Sonata No. 26 by Beethoven; and “Tarantella” by Liszt * * 3) Russia: Galina ZHUKOVA, 32, piano teacher in St. Petersburg, performed in the preliminary round: Chopin’s Étude, Op. 10, No. 1 & Debussy’s “L’isle joyeuse”; in the final: Beethoven’s Variations, Op. 34, in F major – Liszt’s Rhapsody No. 9 from “Pester Carnival” – Andante maestoso from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” Suite - Pletnev 4) Japan: Misato NAKAHARA, 25, a student at the Paris Conservatory, performed in the preliminary round: Etude, Op. 42, No. 5 by Scriabin & Gavotte and 6 Doubles by Rameau; in the final: Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1, and Sonata, Op. 14, No. 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, by Prokofiev. Galina Zhukova from Russia and Fan Jiang from China reached the finals and tied for second place; we are very happy for them.
Bourgon Castle provided a warm welcome, paying special attention to French cuisine while also demonstrating and sharing recipes. Beyond the tour of the historic monument and gardens, our young pianists will take home an unforgettable memory of having been able to fulfill a dream by experiencing “life at the château” during their stay in France.
The sound of Bourgon’s piano will never be the same again; it can touch the soul through the performances of our young talents. All this harmony is thanks to another very unassuming talent, Daniel Mangenot, the piano tuner from Saint-Berthevin—the conductor of the strings… who’d better behave themselves, or they’re in for a little tightening of the screws!
