When Nadine Crasto sits down to play a piece, her fingers gracefully moving up and down the piano as she sways in time to the tune. You can feel, and see, just how much she enjoys it. More importantly she manages to convey the true meaning of the song to anyone listening. This was evident at the recent music concert Dua Corda organised by the Opus Gala at Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji which saw her take the stage along with her musician friends, violinists Sanya Myla Cotta and Joris Decolvenaer.
Indeed, Crasto has been enchanting people with her music ever since she first began to play the piano at the age of nine. “I actually began learning to play the violin when I was six. However my elder sister used to play the piano and I wanted to learn it too!” admits Crasto, who then began to play the piano under the tutelage of Myrna Fernandes in Bandra in Mumbai.She completed the LTCL Examination in 2009 at the age of 17 and received two awards for the ATCL Examination the previous year, having achieved the highest marks in Mumbai.
She also won the first place in the Jazz and Popular Music section at the All-India MusicQuest Competition and was the semi finalist at the All-India Con Brio Festival in 2010. She also gave a piano recital at the NCPA Stopgaps Young Talent, which received much acclaim. Recently she graduated with a Master of Arts Degree in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London, studying under Colin Stone where she received the Nancy Dickinson Award and the Greta Parkinson Award. And she confesses that the experience did change her ideas of music quite a bit. “ Previously I used to just learn the piece and play it the way I felt it needed to be played. But this approach has changed now. Now I pay more to the structure and analysis of the piece as well as the background like who the composer was etc. I've realised that the more you understand all the details about the piece, the more convincing your performance will be. In fact a good performance really depends on how much you understand the music,” she says.
Over the years, Crasto has also performed at solo and chamber music concerts all over India like Mumbai, Kolkata, Mysore, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Pune apart from Goa. In fact apart from her recent Opus Gala show, Crasto also accompanied Oscar Dome Victor Castellino, an opera singer of Goan origin during his Operawala Tour of India in March this year, which included a performance in Goa as well. Previously she has also accompanied Viola Da Cunha, a mezzo soprano and Deidre Lobo D'Cunha at their concerts in Goa, including the Monte Music Festival.
And she notes that a lot has changed in Goa as far as classical music appreciation is concerned over the last few years. “When I performed here about six years ago, not many people knew much about this music especially not the younger crowd. But this has changed and young people in particular want to learn more about it More people are learning music and understanding the value of it,” she observes, adding that the attitude of parents towards classical music has also changed.
And this heartening change is also due to the culture getting more Westernised , believes Crasto. “I don't think we are too far behind from the West in the classic music scene really. In fact a lot musicians who have gone abroad are coming back to share their experience and are teaching here. Also a lot more great musicians from the West are coming down and giving masterclasses. People now know that there is more more to a performance than just playing a piece,” says Crasto, who will next be seen live in action at the Bangalore leg of the Duo Corda concert. Apart from this, Crasto will also be giving two concerts with Cotta in Mumbai and Pune in August this year.
