Listen to the piano man Neville Bharucha

Neville Bharucha

When 24-year-old piano prodigy Neville Bharucha answers our phone call, his confidence and professional attitude make him sound almost a decade older. Having started piano lessons with his father, Zarir Bharucha, when he was four, he began performing across India by the age of 10.

Neville Bharucha at a concert at Southampton

"I started taking lessons from my father as most schools wanted me to come back when I was a little older, at eight or nine. Learning at home was almost like formal training," recalls Bharucha.

"In India, the structure was not advanced enough, so I had to wait for teachers who came from abroad for a masterclass. Then, I began learning from Natallia Kapylova in Bengaluru," adds Bharucha, the winner of the 24th Ennio Porrino International Piano Competition. In February 2016, he was awarded the Kerr Memorial Prize for Outstanding Musicianship at the Royal Overseas League Competition in London.

"The avenues for Classical concert pianists are a lot more now than when I started out. In the last few years, there's been a sudden spike in the interest. Compared to the West though, there's still a lot left to be achieved," he asserts.

Bharucha has a Masters degree in Music Performance from the University of Southampton, and pursued his studies in London with renowned Australian pianist Leslie Howard, who holds a Guinness Record for being the only pianist to have recorded the complete solo piano works of Franz Liszt, a project which included more than 300 premiere recordings.

"Being in India, I wasn't aware where my abilities lay and how I fared in comparison with the rest of the world before I left for UK. I had done my Bachelors here, and didn't want to get another Bachelor's degree in music. Most people choose to attend the The Royal Academy of Music in London. It's very expensive, so I decided to go to a university instead of a conservatoire. I auditioned and applied for a Masters degree and got through. While there, I performed at competitions and lived the Classical music life," he shares, in between rehearsals for tonight's concert.

While Bharucha has played at the Experimental Theatre earlier, as part of a festival, this will be the first solo act organised by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

Neville Bharucha

"After I returned from the UK in March, I wanted to play in India as much as I could. I auditioned and they offered me a concert. I'm not sure of too many other venues that promote Classical music," he says, adding, "I have performed extensively in Pune and in my hometown, Bengaluru. Mumbai, I feel, has the largest crowds that are interested in Classical music. Pune is good too. Bengaluru is touch-and-go. Sometimes, it is great, sometimes it isn't."

The prodigy's picks
When we ask about the musicians who inspire him, he promptly replies, "I change my preferences of composers every month. I love Krystian Zimerman, Stephen Hough and I discover new ones very often," he says in jest. "I'm particularly interested in Bach. Many people avoid it as it is difficult to understand, but I love it.

At this concert, I'm opening with a Bach piece. I will also be playing Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, Beethoven and introducing a piece by Olivier Messiaen in the 90-minute performance," he adds.

When he's not listening to Classical music, his taste is varied. "I stay away from commercial music. So, anything that's on shows like the Top 40, I'm most probably not listening to it. I like Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Genesis and Animal Collective. I also like Psychedelic Rock. I didn't listen to Electronic music at all until recently but of late, I've discovered some interesting pieces in the genre," he reveals.