The 51st anniversary of Krystian Zimerman’s victory in the Chopin Competition

‘He was an eighteen-year-old Pole – Krystian Zimerman, a recent graduate of the Music High School in Katowice and a pupil of Professor Andrzej Jasiński. Possessing an innate ability to overcome technical barriers, he stood out for his spontaneous playing, which, in a youthful manner, was full of joyful verve. He was so captivating that, whilst listening to him, one did not even want to try to find fault with this fascinating performance. Moreover, much like the young Chopin, when he played the Concerto in E minor, it seemed as though it was Fryderyk himself who, along a sunlit path of sounds and in the radiant glow of hope, was setting off briskly to conquer the world’ – five years after Zimerman’s fantastic victory in the 9th Chopin Competition, the essence of the young virtuoso’s talent was captured in words (as always, aptly) Jerzy Waldorff. That historic, undisputed triumph took place on 29 October 1975 (although the winners’ certificates formally bear the date 28 October, the results were not announced until 2.30 am) – exactly 51 years ago.

During that Competition, the audience reacted with sheer euphoria to Zimerman’s performances, and with each round, an ever-growing number of critics – even the most reserved among them – joined in the chorus of praise. ‘[…] he delighted me with the devilishly difficult Prelude in B flat minor (the best performance of the Competition!)’ – commented Tadeusz Kaczyński after the third round; ‘a phenomenally talented young musician’ – declared Józef Kański at the same time; ‘[…] he presented a magnificent interpretation of the Sonata in B minor. The presentation of the formal structure of this piece was absolutely perfect’ – added Krzysztof Lisicki.

The justified ecstasy of the audience following the announcement of the Competition results – we are all familiar with the famous photograph of a beaming Krystian Zimerman being carried aloft on the shoulders of enthusiastic admirers of his talent – was borne out by the subsequent years of this extraordinary artist’s career: today he is an icon of contemporary piano playing, one of the most outstanding (and, according to many, simply the most outstanding) Chopin interpreters of the 20th and 21st centuries.