Those selected for the second round by an international jury include nine cellists from Poland, three from Spain, two from France, and one each from the United States, Iceland, Italy the South Korea.
The programme of the second stage, which opens on Monday, comprises Lutosławski’s Sacher Variations for solo cello as the compulsory piece, as well as a selection of works by composers of various periods, from Beethoven and Schumann to Britten, Poulenc, Ligeti and Poland's own Krzysztof Penderecki.
The finalists of the event will perform Lutosławski’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, one of the finest cello concertos in 20th-century music, which the Polish composer penned in 1969-1970, with Mstislav Rostropovich as its dedicatee.
Witold Lutosławski, who died in 1994 at the age of 81, had an incredible knowledge of string instruments, and works for cello constitute an important part of his compositional legacy.
Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994). Photo: PAP/Adam Hawałej
The winner of the Lutosławski International Cello Competition, which was launched in 1997, will be announced at the Prizewinners' Concert and Awards Ceremony on May 12.
The First Prize winner will receive EUR 20,000, in addition to a host of invitations to recitals and concerts in Poland and abroad.
(mk/gs)