Leeds Piano Competition 2018

[gradus]

I'd forgotten that I'd signed up or Medici foc, thanks for the reminder. Very good sound and some fine young players to enjoy.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Leeds opened up to chamber music ensemble work this year. Is that a first?

See #6 & 7, ardy

[ardcarp]

Thanks Ferney. Yes, I know it's a 'first' for Leeds. I just wondered if the idea had been pioneered by other piano competitions.

Zola. Help! I'm on Medici TV, having registered and logged in, but how do I get the ****** thing to start working????

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

there are just some concertos that, for no good reason, seldom if ever get played: Tchaikovsky 2 and Rachmaninov 4, for example.

Why is this when there are so many very good reasons why Rach #4 and Tchaik #2 seldom if ever get played?

Joshing aside, the only point I'd question about the "professional" you spoke to is the comment about "nowadays" - when has the choice of repertoire in the Concerto section ever been anything other than "narrow"? Who has ever attempted to perform the Scharwenka Fourth Concerto (for example, other obscure works are available) in the history of any Piano Competition ever? (Has any pianist offered a Piano Concerto that s/he has written, as Prokofiev did for his Conservatoire finals, for that matter?)

I would imagine that there's a couple of reasons at least for this - to ensure that the judges are familiar with the works being performed; and to ensure that the orchestra (who only encounter the finalists for a single rehearsal) can play the work fluently. The way around this (and the problem of comparison of repertoire that ardy mentions in #30) is to make the programmes even narrower, with each finalist all playing the same three Concertos - a Mozart, a 19th Century warhorse, and a 20th Century work - which the orchestra has rehearsed a couple of times before the Finalists are selected.

Which is, of course, absurd - but then the whole notion of this sort of competition in the Arts is absurd in the first place. The introduction of a Chamber Music section is at least attempting to remove the "spectator sport" aspect of the whole thing.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks Ferney. Yes, I know it's a 'first' for Leeds. I just wondered if the idea had been pioneered by other piano competitions.

Good question - I hope so. (I'd have a "Piano Duet" "round" included, too - don't just see other competitors as foes: they're fellow Musicians whom you can work with.)

[zola]

Thanks Ferney. Yes, I know it's a 'first' for Leeds. I just wondered if the idea had been pioneered by other piano competitions.

Zola. Help! I'm on Medici TV, having registered and logged in, but how do I get the ****** thing to start working????

if you're logged in it should just come up automatically if you go to

https://leedspiano2018.medici.tv/

Maybe reload that page if it is frozen in some way ? Good luck !

[Ein Heldenleben]

I know wrong notes aren't the be-all and end-all but weren't there a few too many for that Schumann performance to be a serious contender ? Something that Andrew McGregor and his interlocutor completely glossed over.

[Ein Heldenleben]

That Beethoven 4 was a wonderful performance. Dare I say more than a touch of Barenboim ? - literally a beautiful legato touch. I didn't hear much of last night but it would have had to have been something else to cap that.

[pastoralguy]

I know wrong notes aren't the be-all and end-all but weren't there a few too many for that Schumann performance to be a serious contender ? Something that Andrew McGregor and his interlocutor completely glossed over.

I would imagine that 98% of the audience would notice the mistakes for themselves which would make 'announcing' them redundant. Why point out the 'bleedin' obvious?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Because unusually for Radio three each of the performances ended with a mini- critique from Andrew and Lucy . Not to mention quite a lot mistakes seems to be a bit ridiculous - if only to say that in their view they didn't matter . Lots of great pianists play wrong notes but at what point does it become a distraction? If its a great performance otherwise maybe not at all - if its run of the mill they become difficult to ignore .

[edashtav]

That Beethoven 4 was a wonderful performance. Dare I say more than a touch of Barenboim ? - literally a beautiful legato touch. I didn't hear much of last night but it would have had to have been something else to cap that.

I heard only the last Concerto on Friday night and both concerti tonight.

I agree, heldenleben, Eric Lu’s performance Beethoven’s G major concerto was wonderful: confident, carefully graded dynamics, marvellous sense of line and rhythm, and a feeling of a polished, considered performance. Out of my three, he was clearly top, and he showed an excellence that should indicate a glittering career in the future.

I place Mario Häring 2nd for a cleanly executed Beethoven’s 1st Concerto that was eminently musical, last evening. I admired Mario’s Ability to respond to the orchestral accompaniment.

Xinyuan Wang came 3rd in this trio because of the slips that Heldenleben noted, a general feeling of a ‘studied’ performance that lacked the electricity of the moment, and some careless chording in the third movement when he and the orchestra parted company.

[ahinton]

Why is this when there are so many very good reasons why Rach #4 and Tchaik #2 seldom if ever get played?

Joshing aside, the only point I'd question about the "professional" you spoke to is the comment about "nowadays" - when has the choice of repertoire in the Concerto section ever been anything other than "narrow"? Who has ever attempted to perform the Scharwenka Fourth Concerto (for example, other obscure works are available) in the history of any Piano Competition ever? (Has any pianist offered a Piano Concerto that s/he has written, as Prokofiev did for his Conservatoire finals, for that matter?)

I would imagine that there's a couple of reasons at least for this - to ensure that the judges are familiar with the works being performed; and to ensure that the orchestra (who only encounter the finalists for a single rehearsal) can play the work fluently. The way around this (and the problem of comparison of repertoire that ardy mentions in #30) is to make the programmes even narrower, with each finalist all playing the same three Concertos - a Mozart, a 19th Century warhorse, and a 20th Century work - which the orchestra has rehearsed a couple of times before the Finalists are selected.

Which is, of course, absurd - but then the whole notion of this sort of competition in the Arts is absurd in the first place. The introduction of a Chamber Music section is at least attempting to remove the "spectator sport" aspect of the whole thing.

All agreed - but then let's not forget the remark attributed to Bartók, no less, about competitions being for horses - largely warhoses in this instance, all too sadly...

[Ein Heldenleben]

I heard only the last Concerto on Friday night and both concerti tonight.

I agree, heldenleben, Eric Lu’s performance Beethoven’s G major concerto was wonderful: confident, carefully graded dynamics, marvellous sense of line and rhythm, and a feeling of a polished, considered performance. Out of my three, he was clearly top, and he showed an excellence that should indicate a glittering career in the future.

I place Mario Häring 2nd for a cleanly executed Beethoven’s 1st Concerto that was eminently musical, last evening. I admired Mario’s Ability to respond to the orchestral accompaniment.

Xinyuan Wang came 3rd in this trio because of the slips that Heldenleben noted, a general feeling of a ‘studied’ performance that lacked the electricity of the moment, and some careless chording in the third movement when he and the orchestra parted company.

Am I right in thinking that you have correctly placed 1,2 and 3 ? If so any thoughts on the Derby would be greatly appreciated . Seriously though that Beethoven was something special.

[ardcarp]

Maybe reload that page if it is frozen in some way ? Good luck !

Got it going just in time, and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Totally agree with Mr Lu being the winner, Glad Wang got a prize. The concerto wasn't his finest hour, but his Bach in an earlier round was extraordinary. His boyish and slightly bumbling manner away from the piano clearly endeared him to the audience. As always, the feelings of those who didn't get a prize are part of the collateral damage of competitions, BUT I'm surprised Paul Lewis didn't pay tribute to them.

Well, the BBC was thanked in the final announcements, but hey, Medici TV rather stole the show on the presentational front, n'est-ce pas?

[zola]

As always, the feelings of those who didn't get a prize are part of the collateral damage of competitions, BUT I'm surprised Paul Lewis didn't pay tribute to them.

The jury members did seem to make an effort to seek the other two out at the end of the presentation. One does not know how much is on the surface but taken at face value, it does seem that have a genuine sense of pastoral care. Paul Lewis did say in an earlier interview that he had given his number to those eliminated in the second round and the semi final if they wanted to call at any time.