Behind the scenes notes. 13th day

The second day of Stage 3, Wednesday, was marked by the absence of Eric Lu, of the United States, who fell ill. His recital was moved to the end of this round, Thursday evening. It is worth emphasizing that the first person I heard the news from was the Philharmonic’s cloakroom attendant. The ladies guarding the overcoats of the audience follow the auditions and the other developments closely and are very well informed, indeed.

Eventually, on Wednesday, we listened to pianists from Poland, China, Japan and Malaysia.

Xiaoxuan Li of China, who was the first to play in the morning, said afterwards that he was feeling tired, having had to get up really early, but that his audition ‘should be OK,’ nevertheless.

As for the mandatory at this stage mazurkas, Xiaoxuan expressed his belief that ‘compared to other genres, […] mazurka is much more personal,’ and he added: ‘of course it’s a Polish traditional dance, but compared with waltz or polonaise, I think mazurka can have much more private interpretation, much more feeling to it.’ Asked whether Chopin’s music resonated with his own personal feeling, he said that the 84 pianists who had qualified for the Competition ‘all have this kind of character that allows […] to feel very close to Chopin’s music, for sure.’

Also coming from China, Tianyao Lyu, whose 17th birthday comes on Tuesday, said that participating in the Competition was a very special experience for her. She told she feels very comfortable playing mazurkas – compositions based on expressive rhythmic Polish folk dances – because some time ago, at the music academy, she took lessons in the mazurka dance. ‘So, it’s very natural, I can feel that rhythm when I’m playing.’

The crowds are growing even larger at the Philharmonic, as the final round is nearing. Among the visitors are laureates of the 2015 edition: Charles Richard-Hamelin, of Canada, who won the 2nd prize ten years ago, and the winner of the 3rd prize, U.S. pianist Kate Liu. They discussed their careers and their plans with the host of the ‘Chopin Talk’ program that accompanies the Competition and is streamed live during the intermissions. They were both impressed with the very high level of the performances.  

Just after the morning session, a group of people stopped by the door to the concert hall to have an animated discussion about strategies for buying entry tickets for the next Competition, to be held in 2030. Marta, Monika and Piotr, who like to attend classical music concerts, have managed to buy some tickets for the current edition. That involved joining the ticket queue in the small hours last year. But even then, the tickets for the finals had been sold out. So, they are planning to be there at the box office a day before it opens, in 2029. ‘At home we listen to the live stream, but the sound is not the same, and you don’t get any of the atmosphere from the concert hall, none of that shared experience of beauty,’ Marta said. ‘We want to be here more the next time.’

Monika Ścisłowska-Sakowicz