Following the inaugural gala on Saturday, the event has entered its stage audition round with participants whose surnames start with the letter M to open this phase as a result of a draw that decided on the order of performance. Thus, Chinese pianist Xuanyi Mao was first to perform on Sunday.
After her audition she told public broadcaster Polish Radio that she was very happy to perform at this prestigious event. She added that she had heard of it before she even started playing the piano.
“The Chopin Competition is one of the greatest [such events] all over the world and the audience is high level,” she went on to say.
Mao is one of 22 Chinese entrants, who constitute the largest national contingent, followed the Poland (16 pianists), Japan (14), South Korea (7), and Italy (6). Armenia, Chinese Taipei, Canada, Cuba, Latvia, Russia, Spain, Thailand, the United States, Britain and Vietnam are also represented.
Poland’s first entrant to have played in this round was Tomasz Marut. He told Polish Radio that he was satisfied with his performance.
“I feel great after my performance. The playing was great, the instrument was great much as were the venue and the audience,” Marut elaborated.
A 17-strong international jury brings together such outstanding pianists as Dmitri Alexeev, Dang Thai Son, Nelson Goerner, Adam Harasiewicz, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Kevin Kenner, Arthur Moreira-Lima, Piotr Paleczny, and Dina Joffe, as well as British musicologist and Chopin scholar John Rink.
The 18th International Chopin Competition, postponed from last year because of the pandemic, began on Saturday with a gala concert at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw.
A total of 87 pianists are competing for prestigious awards. Nine pianists – prizewinners of other piano competitions of world stature – did not have to take part in the preliminary round. They include five Poles, two from the United States, and one each from Japan and China.
Founded in 1927, the International Chopin Competition is among the world’s most prestigious events of its kind. Its past winners include Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, Krystian Zimerman, Dang Thai Son and Rafał Blechacz.
Public broadcaster Polish Radio is a media partner of the event, which runs until October 23.
(mo, mk)
source: IAR