99 years of the Chopin Competition

The most talented pianists from around the world, the near-sporting excitement accompanying the auditions, witnessing the beginnings of international careers, and then counting down to the next edition – this is the Chopin Competition, with its first edition starting exactly 99 years ago! 

Its initiator was pianist and teacher Jerzy Żurawlew, who, influenced by Aleksander Michałowski – an outstanding interpreter of Chopin's works – began fundraising efforts in 1925 to organise a piano competition. Originally, the Competition was scheduled to begin on 15 October 1926 – the day of the unveiling of the Chopin monument by Wacław Szymanowski in the Royal Łazienki Park (this date was retained on the posters for the first edition of the Competition). However, the unveiling of the monument was postponed until 14 November, and logistical problems arose regarding the organisation of the Competition, so the start of the event was rescheduled for January of the following year. 

The 1st International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw began on 23 January 1927. The opening ceremony took place at 11:00 a.m. in the Concert Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic, during which the orchestra, conducted by Emil Młynarski, played Fryderyk Chopin's Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53. Immediately after the inauguration, auditions began in the Concert Hall, opened by a performance by Bolesław Woytowicz, representing Poland. 

The Competition, which from its very first edition was conceived as an international tournament, hosted 26 pianists from eight countries: 16 participants from Poland, 4 from the USSR and one from Belgium, the Netherlands, Latvia, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary.  Among the participants was 20-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich, who received an honourable mention.

The first edition of the Competition was won by Lev Oborin from the USSR. The remaining places on the podium were taken by Polish pianists: Stanisław Szpinalski (second prize) and Róża Etkin (third prize). The winners of the first two prizes went on to develop international careers as pianists and highly regarded piano teachers. They also returned to subsequent editions of the Competition as jurors. Unfortunately, the winner of the third prize, the youngest participant in the Competition, Róża Etkin, was not so fortunate, as she died on 16 January 1945 in German-occupied Warsaw.

The Competition proved to be a success – reviews emphasised the high standard of the participants and the exciting atmosphere of the competition. However, the organisers were criticised for one notable oversight: visiting pianists were not provided with practice rooms, forcing them to use instruments in private apartments, which became a subject of jokes.

The second edition took place as planned five years after the first Competition, thus beginning a five-year cycle of the event, which, after 99 years, still excites Fryderyk Chopin and classical music lovers from around the world even more than it did at the beginning.

In 2027, we will celebrate the centenary of the Chopin Competition. The celebrations were opened by last year's 19th edition and will continue until 2030, when the 20th edition of this global celebration of piano music will take place.