Bartók World Competition semi-finalists announced
The jury decided on Tuesday evening that 14 competitors, that is, two more than had originally been planned, would go on to the Bartók World Competition semi-finals. The two-day preliminaries produced a list of semi-finalists, including five Hungarian, one Hungarian-American, one Ukrainian, one Bulgarian, one Spanish, one Czech, one South Korean, one Chinese-American and two Chinese contestants.
The four preliminary rounds of the Academy of Music’s Bartók World Competition were held on Monday, 9 September, and Tuesday, 10 September. The young pianists were given 20 minutes each to play three pieces of their choice from a piano composition by Bartók, a Dohnányi piece, or the first, second or third of Brahms’ ballads Opus 10, as well as one composition by Liszt from the Transcendental Etudes, Paganini Etudes, Three Concert Etudes or Two Concert Etudes cycles.
Photo: Liszt Academy/Andrea Felvégi
With the prestigious international jury recognizing the high standard achieved by the competitors, 14 competitors qualified for the semi-finals in the end, rather than the twelve that had originally been planned. For a list of semi-finalists, go to the opening page on the bartokworldcompetition.hu portal.
The two rounds of the Wednesday semi-finals in Solti Hall will still begin at 2 PM and 6.30 PM, as scheduled, with planned breaks also being held, but the competitors will be appearing on stage in rapid succession due to their expanded number.
One of the jury members, Tamás Vásáry, Kossuth Prize-winning pianist and conductor, remarked during one of the breaks on Tuesday that the competitors’ piano playing has gone from strength to strength over the decades, just as the Olympic results have steadily been improving. He found scoring rather difficult this time because of the stream of superior pianists. The Maestro noted that interest in the Bartók World Competition was understandable because the composer and the Academy of Music are both world-famous.
The results were announced at an evening ceremony in the first-floor foyer of the Academy of Music with the support of the Alink-Algerich Foundation, noted for promoting and sponsoring international competitions. The semi-finalists were greeted by András Csonka, programme director of the Academy of Music and project leader of the Bartók World Competition, followed by an address by Gustav Alink, Director of the Foundation, on the activities of this organization, whose regularly published catalogues feature a number of prestigious events year after year.
The semi-finals will be held in Solti Hall on Wednesday, where competitors will have a maximum of 30 minutes to play a minimum of three pieces again. From among the standard repertoire, they have to choose one of the following Bartók pieces: Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, Dance Suite, Sonata and Out Of Doors. Additionally, they are required to perform one or two movements from a piano sonata by one of the Viennese Classics, i.e. Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven, as well as well as one of two winning entries from the composers’ round in the 2018 competition: Drumul Dracului (The Way of the Devil) by Dániel Dobos or Toccata by János Mátyás Stark. The two young composers are expected to be on hand at the semi-finals.
Events can be followed live on the the Academy of Music online platforms. For a detailed programme and short descriptions of the competitors’ careers and their chosen repertoires, click on the bartokworldcompetition.hu portal.