18 October 2005

"The culmination is simplicity. Having overcome all the difficulties, played thousands of notes, you arrive at a charming simplicity that is the culmination of art. (...) - Frederic ChopinWhen does one achieve that summit? Is it possible for young, very young people that we're hearing at the competition to attain it? They have great assets to aid them: the force of talent and the power of youth. Here is what they showed us in the last two days of the auditions of Stage 2.

Nineteen-year-old Gracjan SZYMCZAK from Wrocław began the Polonaise in A Flat Major op. 53 with a strong and sure pianist's gesture. He maintained its maestoso character and did quite well in the tough task of playing such a "strong" piece of the repertoire as the Polonaise op. 53 first thing in the morning. His rendition of the Mazurkas op. 59 was musical, especially the first one in A Minor. He ran slightly short of strength and concentration by the time he got to the Sonata op. 58.

Krzysztof TRZASKOWSKI from Białystok, one year his junior, began his recital with the Sonata in B Flat Minor op. 35. In the Grave Doppio movimento, he managed to create a cohesive whole, which given the unusual structure of this movement, deviating from the principles of classical form, is no easy task. I liked his interpretation of the Mazurkas op. 17, especially the two in minor keys (No. 2 in E Minor and No. 4 in A Minor) which were additionally played "in the tone"-also with a suggestive stressing of the elements of folk stylization.

If I had listened to the Polonaise in A Flat Major op. 53 and Three Mazurkas op. 59 performed by Sławomir Wilk at a normal concert, I would probably have decided the style of his interpretation was good, or even very good. The competition, however, where we listen to a whole series of pianists, is governed by slightly different rules. What you need here is a "flash", not to be confused, God forbid, with "flashiness." And this is something our virtuosos lack a little. Perhaps Piotr BANASIK, who was the fourth Pole to play this day, manages it not too badly. His playing, universal rather than addressing the nuances of the Chopin style in any sophisticated way, gives the impression of being manly, firm, though by its objectivism also cool at times. He was the only one to play the Mazurkas op. 50.

Two Japanese pianists: Nobuyuki TSUJII and Takashi YAMAMOTO were already counted among the stand-outs of the competition after Stage 1. The playing of the former, a blind 17-year-old artist, was deeply moving in its honesty. It was admirable for its perfection of execution as well. Tsujii's contact with the keyboard is a metaphysical phenomenon, but also...a physical one, as he plays Chopin's score practically without blemish. In his art, we have come to love the fact that he plays from himself and definitely of himself. He brings us emotion.

Yamamoto, who's studying in Poland, showed himself to be a spontaneous virtuoso in Stage 1. He began Stage 2 differently, as he was one of few contestants to choose Mazurkas op. 59 as the first item of his recital, treating them as lyrical miniatures. In the Sonata in B Flat Minor op. 35 on the other hand, he could once again demonstrate what sets him apart from the other individualities of this year's competition: spontaneous and dramatic playing. However, the same treatment of the Polonaise in A Flat Major slightly shook the heroic majesty of this piece.

The group of semi-finalists from South Korea included the Lim brothers and two female pianists. One, already quite well known in the world, was Yeol Eum SON (we reviewed her performance in the previous issue of the Gazette). The other was Soo-Jung ANN, whose recital featuring Opus 22, the Mazurkas op. 30 and the Sonata in B Minor developed gradually, only to have "something start happening" halfway through the sonata, enough to prove that apart from musical sensitivity, the 18-year-old Ann knows a great deal about piano technique.

Listening to the Lim brothers, we naturally compare what they share or in what they differ. The elder Dong Min LIM is less spontaneous, but knows more tricks that focus his listeners' attention, like his bravura in the octaves in the middle part of the Polonaise in A Flat Major, or fascinate his audience with an excellent reading of the polyphony in the first movement of the Sonata in B Minor. If only this had flowed in a more rapid, cohesive current. He played the Mazurkas op. 33 in a different order than the regulations specified, i.e. the one in D Major first and the C Major second, but then this could be interpreted as a symptom of spontaneity of sorts.

Chiao-Ying CHANG from Taiwan seemed similar-especially in terms of technical ability-to the Korean Soo-Jung Ann. Like her, the Taiwanese pianist only showed that her presence on the concert stage was no accident in the second part of her performance (Sonata in B Minor).

Let us note the performance of the very young (17) Alexey Gorlatch from Ukraine who, according to his biographical note, seeks support for his talent at many centers and from many teachers. We hope he finds the right one, but also that he believes more in himself.

Nicolas BRINUIER from France is a pianist with great possibilities-purely technical on one hand, but also his understanding of music and ability to construct large forms is greatly to his credit. He has mastered the sound technique extremely well, as proved by its rich diversity.

The choice of repertoire is one of the more important determinants of style. If Andrey YAROSHINSKIY chose for his program the Fantasia in F Minor, Scherzo in C Sharp Minor, Polonaise in F Sharp Minor and Sonata with Marche funebre, then this means a preference for epic and dramatic pieces. That is also how we view his interpretation, characterized by great contrasts and culminations built on large planes.

The Chopin style presented by Austrian pianist Ingolf WUNDER first of all is legible in its artistic definition, and secondly-can be compared to some excellent models. I would seek these somewhere in the "pianists' genealogical tree" close to Edwin Fisher and his continuators, to mention Alfred Brendel (e.g. the recording of Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise in E Flat Major op. 22). Of course this is just the general direction, but it does say something. Going into more detail, though, one needs to say that Wunder is able harmoniously to combine elements of virtuoso playing with those consistently song-like "musical thoughts." At this point let us quote the words of Karol Mikuli on how Chopin himself played: "Under his fingers, every musical thought sounded like singing..." If only, apart from all the things that enchant us, Wunder hadn't had those very few but still "uncompleted" details. Remember that for the jury this is one of the arguments easiest to check.

Then there's the Chopin who delights us with his naturalness. Natural in everything: quality of sound, musical time, the proper "near-classical" dose of emotion, an ideally chosen tempo, a discreet stylization of folk motifs, majesty, and natural in what is hardest to understand-though it is so-namely maturity. How can you play Chopin so maturely being just 20 years old?

That is how Chopin was played by Rafał BLECHACZ. He plays in such a way that perhaps Chopin himself would say: "Yes, this is my music."
Jan Popis

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