Behind the scenes notes. 8th day

On Friday, the second day of the second stage of the Competition, we listened to 10 pianists from China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Georgia, and Poland. The concert hall was packed, and the traditional line for tickets started at 6 a.m. and grew even longer.   

The winner of the 2023 Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, in addition to the obligatory preludes and polonaise, played an etude, a Barcarolle, and four mazurkas. The selection of the latter for the second-round recital program was somewhat surprising – the regulations require participants to perform the mazurka opus only in the third round.

‘Mazurkas are difficult to interpret,’ says Guo, because they are based on dance music, but they also contain a wealth of emotion and profound meaning. He believes that mazurkas – inspired by Polish folk dances, the mazurka, the oberek, and the kujawiak – ‘are a very important element in every pianist's program.’

Poland was represented that day by 29-year-old Adam Kałduński. He has already completed his piano studies and continues his studies independently, drawing inspiration from other artists. Kałduński performed the full cycle of Preludes Opus 28 and the Polonaise in A-flat major Opus 53. After the performance, he explained that the preludes represent a complete Chopin’s style – each very different from the others, yet all interconnected. ‘There are [among them] some that bring relief, some that you really have to concentrate on, and some that are dramatic and very intense,’ the pianist added.

Many people leaving Friday after the auditions were visibly moved and commented that the performances were incredibly impressive and of the highest standard.

Young volunteers working at the Competition, who checked tickets and guarded the doors to the concert hall, also admitted that such prolonged exposure to Chopin’s music had a strong impact on them and made them realize the beauty of classical music.

Backstage, just a few meters from the door leading to the stage, is the Competition broadcast room, filled with giant screens divided into views of the stage, the performing pianist, and the auditorium. ‘Here we produce broadcasts for the Competition website, its social media, and YouTube, as well as for external broadcasters like Japan’s NHK and China’s Weibo,’ production manager Mariusz Pardela explained to me. The biggest challenge, he says, is ‘correlating everything in real time.’ The image is provided by TVP (Polish Television), and the sound is provided by Polish Radio. The generated broadcast must be appropriately and timely captioned – which is the publisher’s responsibility – and delivered to clients. Live broadcasts from the studio during breaks and radio broadcasts must be woven into the material. The most enjoyable part of the job, Pardela adds, is the music itself. ‘The importance of the event itself is at the back of our minds. […] There’s a certain satisfaction in being part of something truly significant.’

Monika Ścisłowska-Sakowicz