They are not all annual. When counting them more precisely, 330 competitions are being held this year (2010), in sheer contrast with the 30 international piano competitions in 1965, and 110 in 1990. The amount has tripled over the past 20 years!
The very first international piano competition was the Anton Rubinstein Competition in St Petersburg in 1890. Dubasov won. "Oh yes!", Nikita Magaloff said, remembering that name.
Today, the Fryderyk Chopin Competition is the oldest still in existence major piano competition. (Only one other started earlier: the Naumburg Competition dates back to 1925. It used to be a highly regarded competition. This year, it was again held for pianists, but who noticed it?)
Pianists can travel from one competition to another, if they want. Some of them try to enter as many competitions as they can. The "record" (120!) is in the hands of a Korean pianist (who prefers not to be mentioned).
But here in Warsaw, at the Chopin Competition, most of the pianists are already very experienced. They make their decisions - where to go - very carefully, comparing the prizes, concert opportunities, repertoire and who's on the jury. Wherever they go, they will always need our support: reliable information, fine instruments and a music-loving audience. In many aspects, the Fryderyk Chopin Competition is absolutely at the top, and hearing so many great performances, one must also admire the genius of Chopin.
Author: Gustav Alink, Co-Founder & Director of The Alink-Argerich Foundation
This article comes from the Chopin Express gazette published for the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Gramophone magazine.