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CHOPIN GAMES. THE NEVER ENDING SYMPHONY No.23/03.10
- victorshramko
- Oct 2
- 4 min read
The Unfinished Symphony was written by Schubert, but I want to write about Chopin and piano racing. I also know that Chopin did not compose any symphonies. All his works (ca. 240 pieces) are written for piano, with the exception of 19 songs and one piece for cello and one for flute, all of them with piano, of course.
However, Chopin's existence, both material and spiritual, looks like a never-ending symphony, for piano, of course :)
The Century of Piano
The piano became somewhat of a dominant instrument of the 19th century. It reigned supreme in concert halls and private salons. It could be very intimate and yet possess almost symphonic (orchestral) possibilities.
(In fact, Beethoven was the first to discover it a little earlier! The era of composers and virtuoso pianists ended a little later, in the 20th century with Sergei Rachmaninoff. And it makes almost two centuries).
Chopin is the first
In the 19th century, in Paris, the world capital of art at that time, three piano virtuosos competed for the palm: Franz Liszt, Sigismund Thalberg, and – Frederic Chopin.
Robert Schumann about Chopin: 'He plays the way he composes, that is, in his own unique way...'. And Felix Mendelssohn added: 'As a pianist, Chopin is now the first; he does such new things as Paganini on the violin, he performs such wonders that would never have been thought of.'
And that is how he is perceived to this day!
Ready to play. START!
On Thursday, October 2nd, in Warsaw, 80 young pianists from all over the world (out of 643 initially started!) begin competing in the 1st (of four) stage of the 19th Int'l Chopin Competition. The history of the event is almost 100 years old (since 1927). Only Chopin's works are played.
The Competition, despite hundreds of other piano competitions already, is considered the Olympics of Pianists. Why? During the nineteen editions, many winners confirmed the right choice with their lives and careers. The unique nature of the competition with works by a single composer. Just to mention a few of the winners: from Dmitri Shostakovich in 1927 to Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Rafał Blechacz, and most recently Bruce Liu in 2021. And last but not least – worldwide and constant popularity of unique Chopin's music. People like it and therefore need it.
The Audience
Online ticket pool was sold out in... 5 minutes. A three-day waiting queue formed at the Philharmonic ticket office for another pool. There were blankets, thermoses, sandwiches, and numbers written down on a piece of paper. Majority of the young people. Now you can buy a ticket or entry pass from the scalper only. Very expensive.
Music lovers from all over the world always attended the events in large numbers. Once even HM Queen Elisabeth of Belgium was there.
But years ago, one day during the auditions, a dog barked in the hall. The Jury interrupted the pianist's performance. The doormen chased after the music-loving dog. But when the performance resumed, the dog joined in again.
The Jury
The Jury consists of famous pianists and teachers. Often they themselves have participated in this competition. Some prefer only scoring, others insist on discussion (and sometimes even behind-the-scenes diplomacy). They have to listen to ten hours a day. Often, they listen to the same pieces. They are of different ages. Once, the audience sitting behind them noticed the elderly professor, with his prolonged head nodding, finally resting his head on his neighbor's shoulder. And then he woke up (luckily he didn't snore).
The Runners
They are young. The youngest is only 16 years old, the oldest are 31. 39 are Chinese, 13 Polish, 13 Japanese, 5 Canadian, 5 American. Three to four from other countries. Some, even those who have been awarded before, return once again to pass through the eye of the needle to a great world career. They worked hard for years. Now they face the great stress of competing in the championship of the best in the world.
What advice can you give them? The winner of the previous edition, Bruce Liu, advises: 'Stop practicing constantly, don't fight Chopin, just let him sing, enjoy the music, not the show, and keep part of yourself. And remember, even if you don't win, you'll definitely survive!'
Easy to say.
An outstanding Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok once wrote: 'Races are for horses, not for artists'. OK, true, but we, humans, love racing so much! People say that competing, rivalry are the source of progress, isn't it?
Now I will also follow the game I played decades ago. As well as my wife Anna and my friend Karol.
Enough words.
Let us play: from October 2nd up to 21st Chopin only.
or even on TikTok and on YouTube in China
Written by
Cezary Owerkowicz
Co-founder of Kuwait Music Academy and
Director of Treasure of Talents Festival in Kuwait
