Chopin 2025: Chopin prize battle is down to four - pianist Pawel Kowalski
The battle will be fought among four pianists who represent different approaches to piano playing, remarked pianist Pawel Kowalski to PAP, while awaiting the announcement of the 19th Chopin Competition winner.
"We will hear the verdict any minute now," the pianist said on Monday night. "I speculate that the battle will be fought among four pianists who represent completely different approaches to piano playing."
Kowalski described the first style as a combination of perfection - "as if a brilliant surgeon were operating on us with a scalpel," - with extraordinary technique and an internal, non-ostentatious style of playing.
"We also have the traditional Chopin, the one we have known for decades: very romantic and full of natural, long phrases and the melodies we are familiar with," the PAP expert contiunued. The third approach is a combination of these two styles. "... Calculation mixed with spontaneity, and all with brilliant technique," Kowalski said.
He added that all three styles were visible during the 11 presentations in the final, four of which he considered outstanding.
"Four, because the remaining seven performances had at least minor flaws that exclude them from aspiring to the first prize," he said. "However, in that quartet, which I won't reveal to you before the esteemed jury announces the results, are the three pianistic styles I mentioned. The standard is heavenly," he added.
The musician assessed that the jurors would have a difficult task, which is to decide which of these pianistic directions would constitute a model for the next five years.
When asked whether his favourites only included representatives from the widely understood region of Asia, Kowalski replied: "There is also a place for someone from Europe."
The final round, held from Saturday through Monday, featured eleven pianists from seven countries. Competitors included Piotr Alexewicz (Poland), Kevin Chen (Canada), David Khrikuli (Georgia), Shiori Kuwahara (Japan), Tianyou Li (China), Eric Lu (USA), Tianyao Lyu (China), Vincent Ong (Malaysia), Miyu Shindo (Japan), Zitong Wang (China), and William Yang (USA).
Each pianist performed Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy in A-flat major, Op. 61 and one of the two piano concertos, either in E minor, Op. 11, or in F minor, Op. 21, accompanied by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Andrzej Boreyko.
The 19th edition of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, organised by Poland's Fryderyk Chopin Institute, runs from October 2 to October 23.
The Polish Press Agency is a media partner of the competition. (PAP)
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