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Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session Six (August 2)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-ButterflyFive pianists appeared on the Gartner Auditorium stage on Friday evening to complete the initial parade of twenty-eight competitors and bring the first round of the Cleveland International Piano Competition to a very interesting conclusion.

26-year-old Wenbin Jin from China brought the two sides of Robert Schumann’s personality — the passionate represented by Florestan, the poetic by Eusebius — to life with an evocative performance of the Fantasiestücke, op. 12. His admirable playing (both poetic and passionate) was mitigated by his tendency to play repeated material in exactly the same way — lingering on the first notes of phrases, pausing before the last, applying rubato in identical spots — so that his expressiveness sounded formulaic rather than spontaneous. His grand conception of Ende vom Lied was appropriately valedictory. [Read more…]

On today at the Cleveland International Piano Competition — August 3

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CIPC-ButterflyHere are the second round performers and repertory for Saturday, August 3. Listen live on WCLV, 104.9 FM or on WCLV.com or access a live video feed here.

10:30 am – Ruoyu Huang, 24, China. Haydn: Sonata in E, Hob. XVI:31; Britten: Night Piece (1963); Chopin: Preludes, Op. 28, Nos. 13-24.

11:05 am – Pavel Yeletskiy, 30, Belarus. Scarlatti: Sonata in f, K. 387; Sonata in f, K. 519; Brahms: Sechs Klavierstücke, Op.118; Chopin: Etude in C Minor, Op.10, No.12 “Revolutionary”.

11:55 am – Jin Uk Kim, 29, South Korea. Rameau: “L’Enharmonique,” “L’Egyptienne” from Nouvelles Suites de Pieces de Clavecin; Chopin: Etude in g-sharp, Op. 25, No. 6; Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in E-flat, Op. 7.

12:30 pm – Konstantin Shamray, 28, Russia. Ligeti: Etude No. 4 “Fanfares”; Chopin: Etude in A-flat, Op. 10, No. 10; Schumann: Sonata No. 1 inf-sharp, Op. 11.

2:30 pm – Nino Kotrikadze, 27, Georgia. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in b, WTC I: No. 24, BWV 869; Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16.

3:05 pm – Qi Xu, 18, China. Brahms: Sonata No. 3 in f Minor, Op. 5.

3:55 pm – Gehui Xu, 22, China. Chopin: Etude No.1 in C, Op. 10, No. 1; Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13; Babajanian: Poem (1966).

4:30 pm – Jiayan Sun, 23, China. J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus I and IX from The Art of Fugue: Chopin: Etude in e, Op. 25, No. 5; Beethoven: Sonata No. 32 in c, Op. 111.

5:05 pm – Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, 20, Russia. J.S. Bach: Partita in G, BWV 829; Kapustin: Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40 (1984): No. 1 in C “Prelude”; No. 2 in A-flat “Reverie”; No. 6 in B-flat “Pastorale”; No. 7 in D-flat “Intermezzo”.

5:40 pm – Annika Treutler, 23, Germany. Lachenmann: Five Variations on a Theme of Franz Schubert (1956); Schumann: Fantasie in C, Op. 17.

Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session Five (August 2)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-Butterfly

Friday afternoon’s opening set by 22-year-old Taiwanese pianist Meng-Sheng Shen was a bit puzzling. He gave undue emphasis to the bass line in J.S. Bach’s b-flat Prelude and punched out the subject in the fugue. Ebbs and flows in tempo and inconsistent articulation gave an unsettled quality to Chopin’s A-flat Etude (op. 10/10). In Beethoven’s opus 110 sonata, over-pedaling, exaggerated bass lines and an emphasis on secondary details visited the first two movements. In the finale, Shen held the sustaining pedal through chord changes and seemed not to know what to do with the spate of right hand repeated notes. Though the fugue was nicely voiced, an enormous bass line nearly overpowered everything else at the end.

29-year-old Russian pianist Stanislav Khristenko opened with a weighty account of Bach’s c minor prelude (WTC I). [Read more…]

Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session Four (August 1)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-Butterfly

On Thursday evening, 21-year-old Gerard Aimontche from Russia led off the session with music by J.S. Bach and Chopin. His intimate reading of the Prelude in a (WTC II) with its subtle crescendos and diminuendos starkly contrasted with a vigorous and highly articulated fugue. His performances of Chopin’s e minor Etude (op. 25/5), b minor Scherzo (op. 54/4) and the A-flat Polonaise (op. 53) revealed his prodigious technique as well as his high level of musical sensitivity. His even playing in the Scherzo linked its disparate elements together and he capped it off with a brilliant coda. His Polonaise was proud and spirited. His left hand octaves in the midsection were formidable. Aimontche is a player to keep track of as his interpretive powers mature.

US pianist Ben Kim, 30, began his set boldly with Frederick Rzewski’s evocative Dream (2013), playing its insistent trills, forearm clusters and catalogue of nocturnal events with a keen ear for suspense and surprise. [Read more…]

Report: Cleveland International Piano Competition Conversation — a HIP approach to piano Music (August 1)

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by Guytano Parks

Breitman&WigginsThe first of the “Festival Events,” new to the 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition — Competition Conversations: A HIP (Historically Informed Performance) Approach to Piano Music — took place on Thursday morning, August 1 in the Recital Hall at The Cleveland Museum of Art. Webb Wiggins, Associate Professor of Harpsichord at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music prepared the notes discussing Baroque Elements in Performance as compared to Romantic style interpretations — with the added byline “all notes are not created equal.”

David Breitman, Director of Historical Performance at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music joined Mr. Wiggins in this enlightening conversation as they compared approaches to music and performance practices on instruments of the Baroque and Romantic periods using instruments from the Museum’s collection. What may have at first seemed to be a rather intellectual subject aimed at serious performers, turned out to be just the opposite as both speakers clearly and congenially presented their views. [Read more…]

On today at the Cleveland International Piano Competition — August 2

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CIPC-ButterflyHere are the first round performers and repertory for Friday, August 2. Listen live on WCLV, 104.9 FM or on WCLV.com or access a live video feed here. Follow the links below for more information about the contestants

1:00 pm – Meng-Sheng Shen, 22, Taiwan. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in b-flat, BWV 891; Chopin: Etude in A-flat, Op. 10, No. 10; Beethoven: Sonata No. 31 in A-flat, Op. 110.

1:30 pm – Stanislav Khristenko, 29, Russia. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in c, WTC I: No. 2, BWV 847; Brahms: Sonata No. 1 in C, Op. 1.

2:00 pm. – Henry Kramer, 26, United States. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in g-sharp, WTC I: No. 18, BWV 863; Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op. 35.

2:45 pm – Maria Mazo, 30, Russia. Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in c, Op.13 “Pathetique”; Bolcom: “Butterflies,” “Hummingbirds” (12 New Etudes, Book II); J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in F, WTC II: No. 11, BWV 880; Chopin: Etude in c, Op. 10, No. 12 “Revolutionary”.

3:15 pm – Quang Hong Luu, 22, Vietnam. Scarlatti: Sonata in d, K. 9; Sonata in d, K. 1; Vine: Five Bagatelles [1994]; Chopin: Etude in G-flat, Op. 10, No. 5 “Black Keys”.

7:00 pm – Wenbin Jin, 26, China. Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 12.

7:30 pm – Cahill Smith, 27, United States. J.S. Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in a, BWV 904; Mozart: Sonata in D, K. 311.

8:15 pm – Kwan Yi, 28, United States. Dutilleux: Prelude No. 3: Le jeu des contraires [1988]; Brahms: Seven Fantasies, Op. 116.

8:45 pm – Francois Dumont, 28, France. J.S. Bach: English Suite No. 3 in g, BWV 808; Mozart: Sonata No. 8 in a, K. 310)

9:15 pm – Miao Huang, 29, Germany. Mozart: Sonata No. 9 in D, K. 311; Corigliano: Fantasia on an Ostinato [1985]; Chopin: Etude in g-sharp, Op. 25, No. 6.

Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session Three (August 1)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-Butterfly

Annika Treutler (23, Germany) opened the third session of the first round on Thursday afternoon with a well-conceived performance of J.S. Bach’s f minor prelude and fugue (WTC I), marking arrivals at important harmonic moments, pointing up each entrance of the fugue subject and giving the fugue an expressive profile through subtle crescendos and decrescendos. The balance between hands in Chopin’s F Major Etude (op. 10/8) was admirable, her right hand filigree strong-fingered and lucid. Treutler ended her set with Beethoven’s op. 109 sonata, creating a light, airy texture at the outset and shining little lights on details. Aside from a few boomy moments, her playing was well-balanced and quasi-playful in the right spots.

Ukrainian pianist Oleksandr Polivkov, 25, is a big guy but can play with a soft touch, as he demonstrated from the outset in his elegant voicing of J.S. Bach’s c# minor prelude and fugue and later in graceful passagework in Haydn’s A-flat sonata (Hob. XVI:46). [Read more…]

Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session Two (July 31)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-ButterflyFour contestants played in the second session of the first round of the Cleveland International Piano Competition in Gartner Auditorium of the Cleveland Museum of Art on Wednesday evening, continuing the impressive level of playing we heard from the first five earlier in the day — and raising the proverbial bar even higher.

Qi Xu (18, China) gave a fluent and winning mini-recital of four works to begin the evening. His shapely playing of J.S Bach’s b-minor Prelude and Fugue (WTC II) had a sense of purpose and destination; the fugue subject was beautifully and consistently articulated every time it came around. Chopin’s Etude in C, op. 10/1 was bright and even-handed, but the highlight was a lucid and finely-paced version of Beethoven’s tricky op. 110 sonata, in which Xu created masterful transitions and skillfully sculpted climaxes. His sotto voce sections were lovely. Elliott Carter’s perpetual motion Caténaires (2006) was a deftly-managed toccata with steady rhythm and well-layered secondary themes. [Read more…]

On today at the Cleveland International Piano Competition — August 1

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CIPC-ButterflyHere are the first round performers and repertory for Thursday, August 1. Listen live on WCLV, 104.9 FM or on WCLV.com or access a live video feed here. Follow the links below for more information about the contestants

1:00 pm – Annika Treutler, 23, Germany. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in F Minor, WTC I: No. 12, BWV 857; Chopin: Etude in F Major, Op. 10, No. 8; Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109.

1:30 pm – Oleksandr Poliykov, 25, Ukraine. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major, WTC I, BWV 848; Haydn: Sonata in A-flat Major, Hob. XVI:46; Chopin: Etude in A-flat Major, Op. 10, No. 10; Skoryk: Burlesque.

2:00 pm. – Beatrice Berrut, 28, Switzerland. J.S. Bach: English Suite No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 811; Holliger: I. “Elis, wenn die Amsel im Schwarzen Walde ruft, Dieses ist dein Untergang.” [from An den Knaben Elis] II. “Blaue Tauben Trinken nachts den eisigen Schweiß Der von Elis’ kristalliner Stirne Rinnt.” [from Elis II] [1961, revised 1966]; Chopin: Etude in B Minor, Op. 25, No. 10.

2:45 pm. – Oskar Jezior, 28, Poland. Scarlatti: Sonata in D Minor, K. 213; Sonata in E Major, K. 162; Chopin: Etude in A Minor, Op. 25, No. 4; Brahms: Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 119.

3:15 pm – Ben Schoeman, 30, South Africa. J.S. Bach: Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911; Haydn: Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI:50; Reddy: Toccata for John Roos [2007].

7:00 pm – Gerard Aimontche, 21, Russia. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, WTC II: No. 20, BWV 889; Chopin: Etude in E Minor, Op. 25, No. 5; Scherzo in E Major, Op. 54, No. 4; Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53.

7:30 pm – Ben Kim, 30, United States. Rzewski: Dream [2013]; Chopin: Etude in F Major, Op. 10, No. 8; Mozart: Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332.

8:15 pm – Julia Kociuban, 21, Poland. J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, WTC II: No. 20, BWV 889; Chopin: Etude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 10, No. 4 [“Torrent”]; Bacewicz: Sonata No. 2 [1953]

8:45 pm – Andrejs Osokins, 28, Latvia. Schumann: Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17.

Review: Cleveland International Piano Competition — Round One, Session One (July 31)

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by Daniel Hathaway

CIPC-ButterflyThe Cleveland International Piano Competition got off to a strong start on Wednesday afternoon in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art. If the other twenty-three contestants can match the quality of the first five who played, this should prove to be a very interesting eleven days.

24-year old Ruoyu Huang from China was the lucky recipient of spot number one in the draw. He led off with nuanced performances of two Scarlatti sonatas (K. 45 and K. 17) that showed off his fleet passage work and clarity of touch. A Chopin set (the first 12 Preludes, Etude in e, op. 25/5 and Ballade in G, op. 23/1) had both fine and uneven moments. Some of the preludes fluctuated in tempo beyond an expressive rubato, and Chopin’s interesting harmonic progressions sometimes went unheralded. The Ballade, though exciting, became episodic and nearly Lisztian in scale. [Read more…]

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