Cliburn Competition 2025

SkateFanBerlin

SkateFanBerlin

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Maybe more enjoyable than Chopin. First it`s manageable. After a few days we`re at the semis with 12 pianists. Also, not the same bloody music over and over. You hear a lot of things you probably don`t know or don`t listen through all the way. This morning I`m on the edge of my seat by Mr. Sham`s Beethoven Hammerklavier. Such clarity of the structure and pianism.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
Maybe more enjoyable than Chopin. First it`s manageable. After a few days we`re at the semis with 12 pianists. Also, not the same bloody music over and over. You hear a lot of things you probably don`t know or don`t listen through all the way. This morning I`m on the edge of my seat by Mr. Sham`s Beethoven Hammerklavier. Such clarity of the structure and pianism.
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I was worried he wouldn’t make semis because that piece is considered a risky choice. Glad he made it
 
For the Beethoven Bicentennial (1970), someone put out a subscription series where a set of LP’s would be delivered by mail monthly (or bi-monthly), like a Time-Life series. They were all Deutsche Grammophone recordings, which meant I was hearing almost nonstop Wilhelm Kempff on piano.

It’s been a lot of years since I listened to the sonatas religiously, but I almost didn’t recognize it from Sham’s performance. That was wonderful.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
When you play like that - maybe not so risky. The clarity of it - pointing in both directions to the deep romanticism to come but also the classicism that preceeded it.
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I was watching live and he had fewer standing os and applauses than the other pianists that evening. Just to show you how reliable that is :d
 
It’s funny, because it’s the only performance I’ve watched so far, and this reception seemed more enthusiastic than any competitor I’ve seen at the Chopin competition, lol. (I think I only have a handful of sessions left.)
 
So appreciate Carter Johnson progaming. At least 1/2 are early to middle 20th century. He really finds the music in it. Hope he advances - need more daring pianists - maybe not so many Rain Drop Preludes. :lol:
 
I am happy to see Carter in the finals, and I know all the finalists are exceptional. But there could not be one single woman finalist? Chaeyoung was not good enough?
 
eusebius said:
I am happy to see Carter in the finals, and I know all the finalists are exceptional. But there could not be one single woman finalist? Chaeyoung was not good enough?
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Matter of taste of course. But there were so many strong pianists. I would put others ahead of her in this competition. I see she`s had a lot of success elsewhere. I`m sure we`ll hear more from her.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
Matter of taste of course. But there were so many strong pianists. I would put others ahead of her in this competition. I see she`s had a lot of success elsewhere. I`m sure we`ll hear more from her.
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For sure ... I guess I always just wonder why, in 2025, we see the top six places in both the Cliburn and the Queen Elisabeth taken by men. Given the number of fantastic women pianists, the odds seem low that this should happen ... 🤷‍♀️
 
kwanfan1818 said:
I liked his choices, too. I also really loved Lynov's Ravel and Prokofiev semi-final. I'm interested in hearing what his Mozart concerto sounds like.

I'm cherry-picking my rep :).
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Lynov`s Ravel put him near the top. He`s a pianist`s pianist. All those colors, clarity. Not many people would program all of Miroirs - it was amazing. I like Carter - structures always clear. Not so much on coloring, pianism. He may place but won`t win. Aristo has been very consistent but a little passionless. But, if he knocks Brahms 2 out of park he`ll win. Pianists almost never program this in competition. It`s so difficult and needs special technique - every beat uses all the fingers - the page is black. Big fat chords throughout. Exhausting.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
Aristo has been very consistent but a little passionless. But, if he knocks Brahms 2 out of park he`ll win. Pianists almost never program this in competition.
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Brahms 2 is becoming more popular I think in the past couple of years. Jaeden Izik-Dzurko played it on his way to winning Leeds last year. I'm also wondering if it's a function of Yunchan Lim's Rach 3 being so iconic that people want to play something else now ...
 
Angel Stanislav Wang played Rach 3 just before the intermission. Evren Ozel played Beethoven's 4th first up, but I only came in for the very end. The woman commentator said that she had tears in her eyes during the first movement.
 
I listened to almost all of Johnson's and Lynov's final concerto live. I was going to go back and listen to Starikov's performance, but after switching the laundry, I let myself get sucked into the commentators and produced segments. They had the mayor of Fort Worth in followed by a segment on the museums in the city, which are spectacular, both as buildings and collections.

They also had questions they asked three pianists' parent(s) and asked the pianists to guess how their mother or parents answered. it was really :wuzrobbed - worthy.

I'm no-teknik, and I'm not saying that these three are better than the others, or that I didn't love some of the things the other three played, but they were the ones who spoke to me most: Lynov, Johnson, and Ozel.
 
I realized that every one of the finalists reminds me of someone, even if just a bit: Sham and Nathan Chen, Lynov and Kevin Aymoz, Johnson and one of the best human beings I knew from college, Ozel and James Ehnes, Wang and Sasha Radetsky (ABT dancer and Charlie in Center Stage) and Nikolaj Memola, and Starikov and my uncle and numerous great uncles and cousins on my paternal grandfather's side.
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
Aristo has been very consistent but a little passionless. But, if he knocks Brahms 2 out of park he`ll win. Pianists almost never program this in competition. It`s so difficult and needs special technique - every beat uses all the fingers - the page is black. Big fat chords throughout. Exhausting.
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jlai said:
I'm so happy Sham did well. Hong Kong has had a rough 8-10 years and needs every bit of cheer.
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You called it: not only the gold medal, but also the audience prize :cheer2:. Can't argue with that choice. Starikov won silver and Ozel bronze, plus the best performance of a Mozart concerto award. Part of first prize is a personal wardrobe from Neiman Marcus: Sham could give Neiman Marcus lessons on attire :)

So I didn't jinx all of my favorites, just two of three :shuffle: and the winner was more than worthy.

There were also some jury prizes won by Alice Furla, Jonas Aumiller, and Mikhael Kambarov Prize for the best performance of new music went to Yangrui Cai.
 
I love how accessible and concert-friendly that Starikov made the Bartok and Johnson made the Prokofiev #2. Neither of them simplified the pieces, but they un-scarified them.

Says the person who gave up her symphony subscription the fourth time in ten years they presented Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Not that I dislike the piece -- I wore out the LP with Kappell playing it -- but I was so annoyed by their refusal to diversify.
 
The top 6 were so matched talent wise. Any 3 would have worked. That, to justify why I only got one right - Sham. The Cliburn showed class picking this very serious artist.

Unlike the Chopin prelims where I was so sick of the repetoir, I want to go back and hear things I skipped over. So many pianists brought remarkable performances of particular works - i.e. Alexawiecz and the Liszt Dante Sonata.
 
kwanfan1818 said:
I'm no-teknik, and I'm not saying that these three are better than the others, or that I didn't love some of the things the other three played, but they were the ones who spoke to me most: Lynov, Johnson, and Ozel.
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Of the finalists it was Lynov, Aristo and Carter for me. Lynov seems absolutely ready for an international career. I remember Trifanov coming 3rd in the Chopin but get all the concert engagements. When you`re very near the top promoters and music directors see what you can do.
 
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