The display features photographs and posters from every edition of the International Chopin Piano Competition, from its modest 1927 debut to the 19th edition, which concluded in the Polish capital last month.
The event was conceived by Polish pianist and educator Jerzy Żurawlew.
The first competition, held in January 1927, drew just 26 pianists from eight countries.
Over the decades, it has grown into one of the world’s most influential music contests, with past winners such as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, Krystian Zimerman, Rafał Blechacz, Seong-Jin Cho, Bruce Liu and Eric Lu going on to enjoy major international careers.
The exhibition illustrates the competition's growing stature, culminating this year with more than 640 applicants from over 50 countries and global audiences following the competition on YouTube and TikTok.
The exhibition is on display at a site closely linked to Chopin. The Saxon Palace, destroyed in 1944, once stood there and served as the composer’s home from 1812 to 1817, when his father taught French at the Warsaw Lyceum housed in the palace’s right wing.
Work to reconstruct the Saxon Palace is scheduled to begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2030, coinciding with the 20th Chopin Competition in Warsaw.
(mk/gs)
Source: nifc.pl