by Daniel Hathaway
In altering the repertory requirements for the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, the organizers made the rounds much more interesting for the attendees, but probably more complicated for the jury, who now had to compare wildly different apples to oranges.
Another change moved the chamber music round from the final to the semi-final round and reduced the players from a piano quintet to a piano trio (the instrumentalists here were violinist Maria Yudenich and cellist Gabriel Martins).
Here are our impressions of works we heard performed by the eight semi-finalists from August 1 through 4 (chamber music comments at the end).
Following the conclusion of the Semifinal rounds on Sunday afternoon, August 1, Piano Cleveland announced that Byeol Kim (South Korea), Yedam Kim (South Korea), Lovre Marušić (Croatia), and Martín García García (Spain) would advance to the Finals of the 2021 Cleveland International Piano Competition.
Following the Sixth Session of the Second Round on Sunday afternoon, July 25, PianoCleveland announced the names of the eight pianists who will advance to the Semifinals of the 2021 Cleveland International Piano Competition. Having reached this point through videos recorded at locations around the globe, they will now be performing live in Cleveland.
Roman Lopatynskyi (27, Ukraine) opened session four of the second round with three etudes by Chopin. The slow and gentle Etude in c-sharp, Op. 25, No.7, is full of shifts in character and mood. Some transitions were smoother than others, but his musical interpretation was thoughtful and made an emotional ending. He performed the following Etude in D-flat, Op. 25, No. 8 with a graceful lightness before segueing smoothly into Etude in G-flat, Op. 25, No. 9, which featured fluttering right-hand melodies appropriate for this etude’s nickname of “Butterfly.”
Lin Ye (28, China) introduced the second round with one of Beethoven’s most famous works: Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53, “Waldstein.” The pianist combined a beautiful light touch with sensitive phrasing to keep the piece in constant motion, preventing the repetitive chordal figures from sounding stagnant. Ye took his time in the slow and expressive opening of the second movement, fully focused on listening and responding to the music. 
Bowen Li 
Lucas Thomazinho (25, Brazil) began the second session of the first round with Czerny’s Variations on a Theme by Rode, Op. 33 (“La Ricordanza”), where he impressed with beautiful dynamic contrasts. He played with a fluidity that served him well over the five variations, shifting gracefully between the gentler moments to quick and light passages.
The prize-winning young pianist Drew Petersen gave an excellent guest recital for an appreciative crowd in Mixon Hall on Monday night, June 4, as part of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. His chronologically organized program stretched from repertory mainstays by Beethoven and Chopin to two wonderful American works by Griffes and Barber.