15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, May 25 - June 10, 2017

dinakt

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Seriously. Pacific Northwest Ballet is performing Alexei Ratmansky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," which is set to the piano score, and I got to see/hear it three times in 26 hours last weekend, with two more this weekend. What a fantastic piece of music!
How come so many times? :)
Finalists: I am happy for Tchaidze, Cheung and Broberg (his Liszt was wonderful, and I love how actively he listens... one can feel it almost physically, his ear/hand connection).
Favorin- loved him at the last Tchaikovsky competition, but now for some reason I am feeling his detachment more than before.
The other two finalists I have to listen to more to have an opinion.
 

kwanfan1818

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How come so many times?
It's part of a triple bill, and PNB performs over two weekends. The other ballets are Balanchine's "La Source" and Robin's "Ipus 19: The Dreamer," set to Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1. It's one of the best mixed programs they've ever done, and "Pictures at an Exhibition" is now one of my favorite one act ballets.

Favorin- loved him at the last Tchaikovsky competition, but now for some reason I am feeling his detachment more than before.
I couldn't put my finger on it, but that's exactly how I feel about his playing here.
 

Spun Silver

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Finalists:

Kenneth Broberg, United States
Rachel Cheung, Hong Kong
Yury Favorin, Russia
Daniel Hsu, United States
Yekwon Sunwoo, South Korea
Georgy Tchaidze, Russia
I am bummed that neither Kim made it! Honggi had me at his Rach sonata and his unfairly besmirched Mozart K488 (harumph), amd Da Sol at his jazzy number. Apart from those two I don't have a favorite unless Hsu because's he's so beautiful apart from the awful mouthing. (Sorry to be shallow.) I dont understand the ravings about the two Russians last night. Neither of them sounded Mozartean to me. But perhaps I was fading from overexposure. Why did they all play the same concerti? There are so many others!

ETA: I note that 19-year-old Daniel Hsu of the US drew the final spot in both the quintet and the concerto portions of the finale. Very very good draws.
 
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dinakt

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I think I am developing a bit of an obsession with Kenny Broberg's playing. I do not consider his pianism "classically perfect" (others have better sound and better legato), but he's so interesting. With every piece I have a feeling he is talking directly to me, his interpretation spontaneous and smart.
The result is that now I am listening at 3:30 am and would listen more. #notboring
 

kwanfan1818

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About Favorin, when the commentators mentioned that he's on the faculty if the Moscow Conservatory, I 1. Wondered why he was in a competition 2. Went straight to his bio to learn that he has worked with conductors that are known for new music and not being traditionalists, which made some sense in his playing, has a group that performs his free improvisations, which I wouldn't have guessed, has recorded, etc

It doesn't say that he's been at the competition before, and at 30, he'll age out of many, but I wondered if at least one reason he's competing is to be able to prepare his students who, one day, perhaps in Cliburn 16, will compete. I'm not sure how many other ones work like this one, living with host families and havung back stage Texan "moms" shepherding them through backstage and brushing them off with lint rollers, and I'm sure he's making an impression and connections along the way.
 

Spun Silver

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Such a sweet image of the Texas piano moms and their lint rollers!

@dinakt, I am glad to hear you find Bromberg worthy because I ws wondering if he made it because he's American. I have only heard one bit of his playing and found it dull. I am wondering if I am out of sync with contemporary musicians. I think I expect everyone to be Murray Perahia or Artur Schnabel. I should probably be grateful that classical music can still inspire so much finesse and devotion.
 

kwanfan1818

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The remaining schedule, all times CDT (Ft. Worth/Chicago time):

"Phase I: Each pianist will perform a piano quintet with the Brentano String Quartet."

Wednesday, June 7:
  • 7:30pm-Kenneth Broberg, Dvorak Quintet for Piano and Strings No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81
  • 8:20pm-Yuri Favorin, Franck, Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor
  • 9:25pm-Yekwon Sunwoo, Dvorak Quintet for Piano and Strings No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81
Thursday, June 8:
  • 7:30pm-Georgy Tchaidze, Dvorak Quintet for Piano and Strings No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81
  • 8:00pm-Rachel Cheung, Brahms Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
  • 8:50pm-Daniel Hsu, Franck, Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor
So no love for Schumann (Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44).


"Phase II: Each pianist will perform a concerto with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The pianists may choose any work scored for full symphony orchestra and piano."

Friday, June 9:
  • 7:30pm-Yuri Favorin, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2 in G Minor, Op. 16
  • 8:15pm-Kenneth Broberg, Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
  • 9:15pm-Yekwon Sunwoo, Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Saturday, June 10:
  • 3:00pm-Rachel Cheung, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
  • 3:45pm-Georgy Tchaidze, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 in C Major, Op. 26 (Wheeeeeeeee!)
  • 4:45pm-Daniel Hsu, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23

Link to replays:
http://cliburn2017.medici.tv/en/replays/

In theaters on June 10:
https://www.fathomevents.com/
 

Spun Silver

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OMG. The young American Daniel Hsu, who drew the best spots in the two last portions, is ending the Cliburn with the same concerto that Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky Competition with in 1958. This is eerie. I cannot but think he will win! If the signs and pressure don't get to him. He looked so amazingly serene in the Mozart concerto. I really think he can do it.

What a relief that they all picked different concerti for the finale. I didnt know Rach Paganini Rhap counted as a concerto.
 

kwanfan1818

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"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" is a "work scored for full symphony orchestra and piano," so it counts. It's also clearly a soloist's piece, with the piano out front.

There are a number of symphonic works with piano that would also fit that description, but I don't think anyone would choose them for a competition. Stravinsky like to throw a piano in the mix, for example in "Symphony in Three Movements" and "Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra," which Balanchine used for "Rubies." They'd likely distort the dynamics, because the piano is usually situated in the middle of the orchestra.
 

dinakt

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About Favorin, when the commentators mentioned that he's on the faculty if the Moscow Conservatory, I 1. Wondered why he was in a competition 2. Went straight to his bio to learn that he has worked with conductors that are known for new music and not being traditionalists, which made some sense in his playing, has a group that performs his free improvisations, which I wouldn't have guessed, has recorded, etc

It doesn't say that he's been at the competition before, and at 30, he'll age out of many, but I wondered if at least one reason he's competing is to be able to prepare his students who, one day, perhaps in Cliburn 16, will compete. I'm not sure how many other ones work like this one, living with host families and havung back stage Texan "moms" shepherding them through backstage and brushing them off with lint rollers, and I'm sure he's making an impression and connections along the way.
That is an interesting take, and you might be right. Also, I know that Professors at Moscow Conservatory are not paid well, alas. Even professors with years of experience and all kinds of awards. There is more honor in the position than money, especially, I imagine, for Junior faculty (as Favorin would be now). So prize money is important, and even the "finalist" prize money at Cliburn is nothing to ignore.
Good to hear he has such interesting/individually tailored musical life.

On a different note, staying in homes of even the most well- intentioned hosts during the times of high performance stress is hard. Harder for some than others, but pianists are often introverts. It is a necessary skill to acquire, and a great help financially for the competition, but can be a source of stress for competitors if not managed properly (depends on the host family, mostly!)

Such a sweet image of the Texas piano moms and their lint rollers!

@dinakt I should probably be grateful that classical music can still inspire so much finesse and devotion.
THIS a million times! I know I am grateful. I look at these young musicians who labor in their often Quixotic pursuit of aural perfection, and of emotion that is rarely understood, and I am grateful to every single one...
Re: who we root for- they are all wonderful, and matter of taste.
Very much looking forward to the Chamber music round, maybe even more than concerti, though the variety of repertoire is not overwhelming:)
 
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kwanfan1818

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On a different note, staying in homes of even the most well- intentioned hosts during the times of high performance stress is hard. Harder for some than others, but pianists are often introverts. It is a necessary skill to acquire, and a great help financially for the competition, but can be a source of stress for competitors if not managed properly (depends on the host family, mostly!)
They had an interview with one of the hosts, who's been hosting since his college-aged kids have been little. (He may have even said he hosted one competitor twice.) He studied piano through college (conservatory?) but wasn't at this level.

He seemed like a really nice guy, but also high energy, and he seemed to have a lot of engagement with his competitor and the pianist's fiancee, who was also staying there. I might have been overwhelmed by this host, but then I read that Paul Wylie had a friend visiting in Albertville, and that this helped him relax and be distracted from worrying about competing. I'd hope they'd try create temperamental matches, but, even so, few competitors are native English speakers, and having to be social in another language instead of holing up in a hotel room could also be a strain.

I remember reading that one of the stresses that Debargue had at the Tchaikovsky competition was waiting around to compete, when he was used to performing in clubs most days. It must be like skaters, who are used to hours of practice/day, and then they're at a competition with limited training time, and limited access to their off-ice training routines.

Seattle Opera has a long-standing host program, especially for the Ring, for which the singers park in Seattle for a few months of rehearsal. I've heard singers interviewed where they've been happy to have a stand-alone guest house with a car for their use. They can always meander over to the big house if they need company. They can eat their cake and have it, too :)
 

Spun Silver

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On a different note, staying in homes of even the most well- intentioned hosts during the times of high performance stress is hard. Harder for some than others, but pianists are often introverts. It is a necessary skill to acquire, and a great help financially for the competition, but can be a source of stress for competitors if not managed properly (depends on the host family, mostly!)
)
I have a friend who took part in piano competitions in his salad days. Introvert is not the word! I think he would have slept in the street rather than stay with host families. Or maybe he did it way back when and said Never Again. He won some smaller competitions but by the time I met him he was very clear that socializing and networking were out of the question, and if that meant he would have no performing career, he was ok with that. He ended up teaching, as little as possible, as his school didn't attract top-drawer or even second-tier students and he rarely enjoyed working with the others. A mutual friend who had tried to give his performing career a boost told me that he simply couldnt do the kind of socializing needed to get the support of the cultural leaders that are in every town. I had never realized how important that kind of thing was, but later in life I saw it in every field. An outgoing, networking personality is worth money in the bank (of course assuming one has the appropriate skills as well). Those whose talent is so immense that they don't have to make small talk with strangers are very blessed!
 

kwanfan1818

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I'm trying to imagine Andras Schiff suffering fools and/or small talk :EVILLE:.

In the "Paris Opera" documentary, Mikhail Timoshenko seemed tailor-made for a life as a performer: he came across as a lovely, softly engaging young man, and, at the same time, a huge talent, eager to learn. But opera singers have much more rehearsal time with other people. And I don't think it's physically possible to practice as much as instrumentalists. Plus, they mature later and have other lives.
 
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kwanfan1818

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Schiff has played in Seattle for the University of Washington President's Piano Series. I went to one and some guy in the front was coughing and coughing at the beginning of one piece. Schiff stopped playing and said something like, "When you are finished," and walked off the stage. He didn't come back until the guy stopped :shuffle:
 

Spun Silver

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In the "Paris Opera" documentary, Mikhail Timoshenko seemed tailor-made for a life as a performer: he came across as a lovely, softly engaging young man, and, at the same time, a huge talent, eager to learn. But opera singers have much more rehearsal time with other people. And I don't think it's physically possible to practice as much as instrumentalists. Plus, they mature later and have other lives.
Was it ever thus? I once read a turn of the last century novel by George Meredith, Sandra Belloni, about the making of a young diva. Her gift became apparent very young and she led the quasi-monastic life of an elite figure skater. In a second volume, Vittoria, I believe she became a revolutionary leader, or something like that. (The first volume was much better.) I know, fiction and all, but didnt people like Claudia Muzio and Tito Schipa mature early? Why did it change (if 'm correct)?
 

kwanfan1818

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Some opera singers do mature early, especially sopranos who sing high roles -- Roberta Peters, famously, and, lately, Nadine Sierra -- and Schipa's voice barely darkened, but not so much for the lower voices or as a norm.

But even when they are ready at 19 or 21 instead of 30 or 35, that's ancient compared to the solo pianists and violinists at this level, who've been appearing with orchestras since they were 9 or 11 or 13. The 28- or 30- year-olds in this competition have at least half a lifetime of performing professionally, many pretty regularly, even if not full time. Many current opera singers singing at the Met have said in interviews that they either weren't even training in their current voice type, hadn't chosen between an instrument or voice, or hadn't even found opera yet at 19 or 21.

30-year-old Favorin has an impressive and diverse musical resume, including a group he founded. If I had only read his bio, I might have thought he was jury, if not for the Cliburn, for a smaller competition.
 
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Vash01

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Seriously. Pacific Northwest Ballet is performing Alexei Ratmansky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," which is set to the piano score, and I got to see/hear it three times in 26 hours last weekend, with two more this weekend. What a fantastic piece of music!

I like Pictures at an exhibition a lot as a piece of music but I never thought of it as great for skating.
 

dinakt

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Was it ever thus? I once read a turn of the last century novel by George Meredith, Sandra Belloni, about the making of a young diva. Her gift became apparent very young and she led the quasi-monastic life of an elite figure skater. In a second volume, Vittoria, I believe she became a revolutionary leader, or something like that. (The first volume was much better.) I know, fiction and all, but didnt people like Claudia Muzio and Tito Schipa mature early? Why did it change (if 'm correct)?
Part of it is that vocal development is very individual, but a big part, I think, is the modern educational system vs the way they taught singing in the past. When a young person in the past showed promise, they often took private lessons every day, being something of an apprentice; and within 2, 3 years many were ready to go on stage. Also, going on stage often would not start with a starring role (though sometimes it did). Singers often started in smaller houses, or in secondary roles, and got more experience that way.
Nowadays very few people can afford lessons every day (lessons with known teachers are very expensive, especially in big cities), and very few teachers would devote so much time to a pupil. Most people go through University system, when voice majors get two hours a week at most (and it is actually not proper for a teacher to show favoritism by teaching one person more than another). Thus the progress is slowed down somewhat. However, it gives a student a chance to learn lots of other subjects and have choices, if a solo career does not work out. Then singers go to apprentice programs, the equivalent of "early stages of career" in the past, but we learn about them later as they hit bigger stages.
Something similar happens with piano. I am actually pleasantly surprised to see so many pianists in their late 20ies. Unless one is a wunderkind (aka Kissin), pianists' art can grow substantially in their 20ies, and often somebody who is an early bloomer in college is not the one who is the best musician into the adulthood.
 

UMBS Go Blue

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After the semifinals, I would have had the six finalists in this order:

Sunwoo, Tchaidze
Favorin
Cheung, Hsu
Broberg

For the chamber music phase of the finals alone, I'd have them:

Sunwoo, Hsu
Favorin
Tchaidze
Cheung
Broberg

Will try to catch up on the concerti later tonight / early tomorrow.
 

dinakt

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My chamber music top three would be
Favorin
Sunwoo
Tchaidze

Concertos tonight-I preferred Broberg.

Generally, I think there is no runaway winner, but a very strong final. Different people are stronger in different segments.
I have been looking at several forums, and so many people regret elimination of Dasol Kim.
 
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kwanfan1818

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I have been looking at several forums, and so many people regret elimination of Dasol Kim.
He's my Reed Tetzloff of this competition.

Neither of my favorites made it into the semis, so what do I know, except what I like and whom I hope Leila Getz snags for the Vancouver Recital Society emerging artists concerts?
 

millyskate

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That is an interesting take, and you might be right. Also, I know that Professors at Moscow Conservatory are not paid well, alas. Even professors with years of experience and all kinds of awards. There is more honor in the position than money, especially, I imagine, for Junior faculty (as Favorin would be now). So prize money is important, and even the "finalist" prize money at Cliburn is nothing to ignore.
Good to hear he has such interesting/individually tailored musical life.
This. It's really admirable and gutsy of him to enter when he's faculty. There's a lot on the line, good for him for reaching the final. It's definitely not easy against young, fearless talents.
 

Spun Silver

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Concertos tonight-I preferred Broberg.

Generally, I think there is no runaway winner, but a very strong final. Different people are stronger in different segments.
I have been looking at several forums, and so many people regret elimination of Dasol Kim.
I am catching up on the concerti, about to tune out Sunwoo for the live broadcast of the last three. I feel they picked the wrong Korean for the finals (although Sunwoo is doing a nice second movt). But I finally understand why you like Broberg so much! He killed the Paganini variations - what a romantic! And I loved Favorin finally in the Prokofiev, though not as much as Broberg.

Can anyone confirm that the last three havent started yet? I thought I was late but it seems there is an hour before they start. ?
 
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dinakt

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I am catching up on the concerti, about to tune out Sunwoo for the live broadcast of the last three. I feel they picked the wrong Korean for the finals (although Sunwoo is doing a nice second movt). But I finally understand why you like Broberg so much! He killed the Paganini variations - what a romantic! And I loved Favorin finally in the Prokofiev, though not as much as Broberg.

Can anyone confirm that the last three havent started yet? I thought I was late but it seems there is an hour before they start. ?
4pm Eastern time if I am not mistaken. Just came home, unpacked groceries, ready to tune in:) Fun! I'll be sad when it's over.
 

Spun Silver

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4pm Eastern time if I am not mistaken. Just came home, unpacked groceries, ready to tune in:) Fun! I'll be sad when it's over.
Thank you, @dinakt. Now I wish I had listened to all of Sunwoo. Happy listening. Can't wait to see who takes home the gold and who gets audience fave.
 

dinakt

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Thank you, @dinakt. Now I wish I had listened to all of Sunwoo. Happy listening. Can't wait to see who takes home the gold and who gets audience fave.
You know that the whole competition is archived? ("Watch on Demand"- "See all videos in replay"- and then it is sorted out by date). So when it is over, we still can catch up. I plan to give Dasol Kim a listen after the competition, and Pierdomenico. I didn't love P-o's Mozart's first part (as I said, I like my Mozart on the Romantic side), but the buzz was that he was stellar in Chopin... So if anybody has further "do not miss this musician" suggestions, they will be much appreciated:)
 

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