Accompanied by First Lady Marta Nawrocka, the president thanked the participants “for giving the audience a lot of joy, emotion and satisfaction,” as well as the organizers and jury members.
Nawrocki said that for Poland, Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin was not only a musical genius but also “a historical figure and a cultural diplomat who carried Poland in his heart even when in exile.”
"But Chopin is not only ours,” he added, citing poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid, who described the composer as “a Pole by heart, but a citizen of the world by talent.”
“Each new Chopin Competition proves precisely this—that thanks to music, Fryderyk Chopin was and is a citizen of the world, breaking down not only boundaries, but also centuries in which he continues to be interpreted,” Nawrocki said as he congratulated the winners.
The president noted that 2027 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Chopin Competition, which has been held every five years except during World War II, "when the German occupiers banned the playing of Chopin."
Nawrocki handed a gold medal to the 27-year-old Lu, whose victory in the Warsaw competition also earned him EUR 60,000 in prize money and international concert engagements.
Canada's Kevin Chen won second place in the competition, worth EUR 40,000.
China's Zitong Wang came in third, winning EUR 35,000 as well as Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman's EUR 10,000 prize for best sonata performance.
Japan's Shiori Kuwahara and China's Tianyao Lyu each walked away with EUR 30,000 for shared fourth prize. Lyu also won EUR 7,000 from the Warsaw Philharmonic for best concerto performance.
The highest-ranked Polish finalist, Piotr Alexewicz, shared fifth prize with Vincent Ong of Malaysia. Each received EUR 25,000 in prize money.
American pianist William Yang won sixth prize, worth EUR 20,000.
Poland's Yehuda Prokopowicz received EUR 7,000 in cash from public broadcaster Polish Radio for the best mazurka performance.
Polish Radio CEO Paweł Majcher presented the award at the National Opera on Tuesday night.
Polish Radio CEO Paweł Majcher congratulates Yehuda Prokopowicz at the awards ceremony in Warsaw on Tuesday night. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Meanwhile, Poland's Adam Kałduński won the Bella Davidovich Award for the best performance of a ballade, while Tianyou Li of China won EUR 7,000 from the Fryderyk Chopin Society for the best polonaise.
Poland’s Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska praised the competition as “probably the most pianistically accomplished ever” and “the most avidly followed in history,” drawing millions of viewers worldwide.
“We didn’t just watch technical displays,” she said. “We witnessed titanic work, extraordinary sensitivity and iron discipline. We saw young pianists from dozens of countries bring their stories and dreams to Warsaw and tell them through Chopin’s music.”
Following the prize-giving gala, the winners performed at the first of three celebratory concerts at the National Opera.
Two more are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday at the National Philharmonic.
A tribute to Poland’s best-known composer, the prestigious Chopin Competition—established in 1927—is held every five years, and its winners are sought after by major concert halls and record labels worldwide.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, TVP