Two and the rest - Summary of the 3rd stage of Auditions
Krzysztof Komarnicki summarises the third stage of the Competition. Chopin Express No. 17
Evgeni Bozhanov, October 14, 2010
The third stage of the 16th Chopin Competition is behind us, though echoes of the discussion concerning the results of the second stage still abound (particularly regarding why Airi Katada did not make it through; Katada, by the way, was the only one who had the Sonata in C minor in her third-stage repertoire).
Two phenomenal pianists moved to the forefront during the third stage: Evgeni Bozhanov and Ingolf Wunder, each with a completely different approach to Chopin's music. I don't think anyone doubts that one of these two will be the winner; perhaps they will even share first place?
A solid and interesting group of pianists followed the two leaders, with the excellent Italian Leonora Armellini at the head (with her Grande Polonaise in E flat major and the melodically charming themes of the Sonata in B minor), Marcin Koziak (Scherzo in E major), Daniil Trifonov (the Finale from the Sonata in B minor) and Fei-Fei Dong all making an excellent impression. Of this group, only the Russian received the Jury's esteem. Bad luck likely hobbled Dong's efforts (she got lost in the finale of Sonata in B minor), but it is hard to imagine why the Italian and the Pole were rejected.
Of the finalists, Miroslav Kultyshev, the acclaimed laureate of the Tchaikovsky Competition, deserves attention. From stage to stage, he appeared increasingly drowsy (he always played in the morning) and gradually more disappointing. Nonetheless, he is rightly in the final, because he has tremendous capacity. He is, at last, playing in the evening! Let's hope he will show his win in Moscow was no fluke.
We were in danger of hearing the Concerto in E minor 10 times in the final. Luckily, the jury let in Hélène Tysman for her excellent interpretation of the finale of the Sonata in B minor, and Paweł Wakarecy, who played the trio from the Funeral March beautifully.
For the first time since 1975, no one from the Far East made it to the competition finale (and no pianist from Japan or Korea made it to the third round, either). Interestingly, the Fazioli piano has been tremendously successful. Fifty per cent of the musicians who chose it made it to the finals, meaning 20 per cent of the finalists will play a Fazioli. That's two pianists. Not bad for a debut.
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.
View the audition recitals online at chopin2010.pl/en/competitions/xvith-chopins-competition.html
Other articles of interest in Chopin Express No. 17:
"The winner will play with us" - with Zarin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic
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