Auditions took place in May and June 2010 in eight cities around the world: Moscow, Hannover, London, New York, Warsaw, Tokyo and Szhenzen. As a result, 46 pianist from 13 countries qualified for the competition, held between November 7 – 21 in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. This year's edition of the Paderewski Competition kicks off with an inaugural concert of the works of Ravel, Chopin, Arenski, Gershwin and Paderewski performed by Genova & Dimitrov.
The Paderewski Piano Competition picks off where the Chopin competition left off, but this time the audition programme is left open for each contestant to present their individual talents through the oeuvre of a wide selection of composers and texts. Works composed by the competition patron are limited to one or two pieces in the second stage, a piano quartet (performed with the Silesian Quartet) in the second stage and one piano concerto at the finals (accompanied by the Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra
This year's competition jury is made up of renowned musicians, chaired by Piotr Paleczny and including: Alexander Braginsky (USA), Andrea Bonatta (Italy), Peter Frankl (Great Britain), Bernd Goetzke (Germany), Choong-Mo Kang (Korea), Heinz Medjimorec (Austria), Noriko Ogawa (Japan), Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (Poland), Wojciech Świtała (Poland) i Michaił Voskresenskiy (Russia).
The competition winner, second- and third-prize winners will be announced on November 20, followed by a performance by all of the finalists at the Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz. On November 27, the three winners travel to Warsaw to perform at the National Philharmonic.
The Competition auditions are open to the public and take place in the concert halls of the Music Academy and the Pomeranian Philharmonic Hall in Bydgoszcz. The Competition is open to pianists of all nationalities, born between 1978 and 1994. The grand prize for the first place winner includes a 30,000 Euro cash award.
In his lifetime, Jan Ignacy Paderewski (1860-1941) earned the reputation of one of the best pianists, and his virtuoso career spanned more than fifty years. He was also respected as a politician, a prominent statesman and a generous philanthropist as well as a gifted composer and musician. He performed concerts all over Europe, North and South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.
This year's edition of the competition is concurrent with the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Paderewski, commemorated with a concert series between November 5 - 28 in the cities of Bydgosz and Warsaw, several days before the competition's official inauguration. On November 5 at 19:00 Hungarian pianist Alex Szilasi performs with the Pomeranian Philharmonic's Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Tzigane. Works on the programme include Paderewski's Polish Fantaisie for the Piano and Orchestra Opus 19, Bedřich Smetana's Symphony Poem "Weltawa" and Antonín Dvořáka's VIII Symphony G-dur Opus 88.
Paderewski's only opera fills the halls of the National Philharmonic on November 6, with a performance of "Manru" performed by Magdalena Barylak - soprapn (Ulana), Monika Ledzion - mezzosoprano (Aza), Rafał Bartmiński - tenor (Manru), Adam Kruszewski - baritone (Urok), Dariusz Machej - bass (Oroz) and the Symphonic Orchestra and Choir of the National Philharmonic conducted by Andrzej Straszyński.
A number of additional works by Paderewski and his contemporaries are on the extensive programme, which spans several venues in both Bydgoszcz and Warsaw. Simultaneously, the Californian city of Paso Robles is commemorating its connection with Paderewski, who visited on many occasions for 25 years between 1914 and 1939, with its own festival. The Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles was founded in 1991, with this year's edition taking place between November 10 - 17, 2010. For more information, see: Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles.
For more information on the Paderewski Competition in Bydgoszcz, see: **link:konkurspaderewskiego.pl*http://konkurspaderewskiego.pl/en,AKT:2,index.html**Source: polmic.pl