Chopin 2025: Eric Lu's victory is a surprise, says musicologist
Marcin Majchrowski, musicologist and music journalist, has described the victory of American pianist Eric Lu at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition as "definitely a surprise," adding that "one can't speak of delight" regarding the jury's decision.
"The jury's verdict is definitely a surprise," Majchrowski told PAP after the international jury, chaired by Garrick Ohlsson, announced the name of the winner in the early hours of Tuesday.
"One can't speak of delight, because Eric Lu's pianism, though very good, personal, and refined, has nonetheless, this year, unlike how he presented himself 10 years ago, turned in a different direction; his thinking about Chopin and his Chopin visions," he added. "We remember the level of that competition 10 years ago and the competition four years ago; things look different here. But it is the jury's decision, and they take responsibility for it," the expert noted.
Majchrowski said that the gold medal is a great success for Lu, who took fourth place 10 years ago, but a surprise for observers. He pointed out, however, that no competition and no jury verdict is ever fair. "We try to approach this without emotion," he said.
"It seems to me that the verdict of the 19th Chopin Competition jury attempted to reward the largest possible number of participating pianists, or those who ranked very highly in the individual stages," added Majchrowski.
In the music journalist's opinion, the fifth prize awarded to the only Pole in the finals, Piotr Alexewicz, is very well-deserved. "Who knows if he shouldn't have been classified higher in this field. But it's arithmetic and algorithms that ultimately determine the verdict, or perhaps the jury's discussions decided it this way," he said.
He noted that there are as many as eight laureates who have been distinguished with six prizes. "The jury's verdict is very 'Solomonic'," he said.
He judged that other Polish representatives also achieved great success: Yehuda Prokopowicz, who was awarded the Polish Radio Prize for the best performance of mazurkas, and Adam Kaldunski, who received the Bella Davidovich Prize for the best ballade performance.
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)
aj/ know/
