Chopin 2025: Finalists to face Polonaise-Fantaisie and piano concerto
In the finals of the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, the pianists will perform the Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61, a selected Piano Concerto, accompanied by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.
The final round of this year's contest will feature 11 participants: Piotr Alexewicz (Poland), Kevin Chen (Canada), David Khrikuli (Georgia), Shiori Kuwahara (Japan), Tianyou Li (China), Eric Lu (United States), Tianyao Lyu (China), Vincent Ong (Malaysia), Miyu Shindo (Japan), Zitong Wang (China) and William Yang (United States).
The Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61, a work completed in 1846, in the composer's late period, is a composition mandatory for all finalists. "It provoked astonishment with its form and style. For a long time, people couldn't get used to it," musicologist Mieczyslaw Tomaszewski said. Another expert, Zdzislaw Jachimecki, wrote: "The piano speaks here in a language that was unknown." The piece is often compared to "a magnificent poetic vision, expressed in the language of a pianistic poem."
In piano concertos, pianists will demonstrate their ability to collaborate with the orchestra conducted by Andrzej Boreyko. Both concertos, E minor and F minor, are Chopin's early works.
The concerto in E minor, Op. 11, is traditionally considered the "lucky" choice in the final of the Chopin Competition, having been performed by first-prize winners such as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, and Krystian Zimerman.
The first movement of the concerto, Allegro maestoso, begins with an orchestral "tutti", after which the piano enters with an energetic main theme, and subsequently with a contrasting theme which, as described by Tomaszewski, "introduces the aura of a nocturne."
The second movement of the concerto is the Romance (Larghetto), which smoothly transitions into the energetic Rondo: Vivace. "The rondo's refrain has the features of a Krakowiak: its rhythm, distinctive articulation, bounciness, and playfulness," noted Tomaszewski.
The Piano Concerto in F minor is the less frequently chosen option. Its first movement is the Maestoso, while the second part is the famous nocturne-like Larghetto. The orchestra's initial bars in this movement "usher us into a different time and a different dimension: half-real, half-dreamlike," wrote Tomaszewski. Furthermore, writer Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz said that the first piano notes in this section sound "like the opening of a gate to some sanctuary of love and peace."
The final, third movement of the piece is the Rondo: Allegro Vivace, which, as Tomaszewski described, "captivates with the element of a dance of Kujawiak origin."
The auditions in the final part of the competition will begin on Saturday at 6pm and continue until Monday. The name of the winner of the 19th Chopin Competition will be announced on the evening of that day.
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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