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Confirmations: Round 2, Session 5

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Sangyoung Kim, Kristhyan Benitez, Martin Labazevitch, Anna Bulkina & Edward Neeman returned to the Bolton Theatre stage on Sunday afternoon for a second hearing. Although we can’t say that we learned anything radically new about these five highly competent pianists, many of our first impressions were confirmed by hearing them in fresh repertory.

Sangyoung Kim (Korea) impressed us on Thursday afternoon with her Dutilleaux Sonata. She presented only two works on Sunday: a Prelude & Fugue from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier (f-sharp, Book II) and Schumann’s Carnaval. Her Bach was nicely shaped, building to its harmonic climax with a long crescendo and announcing harmonic arrivals. As in the Dutilleaux, Kim brought fine colors out of the Hamburg Steinway, taming its bright treble register and producing a performance of stylish beauty, reactive to quick changes of mood and bright with humor. She caught the grandeur of Schumann’s piano writing in a way that has eluded previous contestants and brought the first set of the afternoon to a highly agreeable conclusion. Never mind a few klinkers.

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Program for August 2: Round 2, Sessions 5 & 6

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cipcSunday, August 2

1:00 pm – Sangyoung Kim (Korea): Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in F sharp Minor, WTC II: 14, Schumann’s Carnaval, Op. 9. 1:40 pm – Kristhyan Benitez (Venezuela): Schumann’s  Kreisleriana, Op. 16, Ruiz’s Merengue (1994). 2:20 pm – Martin Labazevitch (USA): Scarlatti’s Sonatas: K. 162 in E Major, K. 87 in B Minor, K. 125 in G Major, Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat Major, Op. 55, No. 2 Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52. 3:15 pm – Anna Bulkina (Russia): Gubaydulina’s Chaconne, Beethoven’s Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 81a (Les Adieux), Chopin’s Etude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 (“Winter Wind”). 3:55 pm – Edward Neeman (USA/Australia): Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in F sharp Minor, WTC II: 14, Brahms’s Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 1.

7:00 pm – Marina Radiushina (USA): Leighton’s Fantasia Contrappuntistica (Homage to Bach), Op. 24, Handel’s Chaconne in G Major, HWV 435, Schumann’s Variations on a Theme of Clara Wieck from Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14. 7:40 pm – Ju-Eun Lee (Korea): Scarlatti ‘s Sonatas: K. 119 in D Major, K. 96 in D Major, K. 394 in E Minor, Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor, Op. 35. 8:20 pm – Alexander Osminin (Russia): Scarlatti’s Sonatas: K. 247 in C sharp Minor, K.118 in D, Karamanov’s Rondo in E Minor, Schumann’s Carnaval, Op. 9. 9:15 pm – William Youn (Korea): Scarlatti’s Sonatas: K. 87 in B Minor, K. 436 in D Major, Brahms’s  Sonata No. 2 in F sharp Minor, Op. 2. 9:55 pm – Soo-Yeon Ham (Korea): Chopin’s 12 Etudes, Op. 25.

Full of Surprises: Round 1, Session 5

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One of the most interesting aspects of competitions is that you never know what to expect when you take your seat for a session.

Thursday afternoon, we heard contestants 23 through 27 out of 33, and there were surprises.

To our ears, Korean pianist Sangyoung Kim’s performance of the Choral et Variations from the Dutilleux Sonata may have been the afternoon’s surprising highlight. The most substantial work in the required ‘Written after 1950’ category, Kim expressively negotiated its opening theme, explored interesting color changes and was quite accurately all over the keyboard in the final toccata-like section. She began the set with Haydn’s Sonata in c (Hob. VXI:20), paying good attention to detail, noticing important harmonic events and producing clear and expressive runs. Too bad that the slow movement and parts of the finale got muddled over by over use of pedal. Not surprisingly, the audience forgot to applaud. That’s Haydn’s fault for writing an ambiguous ending! Kim’s second piece was Chopin’s g-sharp Etude, a well-rendered rivulet of thirds.

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Program for July 30: Round 1, Sessions 5 & 6

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cipcThursday, July 30

1:00 pm — Sangyoung Kim (Korea): Haydn’s Sonata in c, Hob. VXI:20, Chopin’s Etude in g sharp, op. 25, no. 6 & Dutilleux’s Choral & Variations (Sonata). 1:35 pm — Kristhyan Benitez (Venezuela): J.S. Bach’s Toccata in e, BWV 914, Chopin’s Etude in C, op. 10, no. 1 & Beethoven’s Sonata in E-flat, op. 81a (Les Adieux). 2:10 pm — Martin Labazevitch (USA): Haydn’s Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:50, Radzynski’s Mazurka (2008) & Chopin’s Etude in b, op. 25, no. 10. 3:00 pm — Anna Bulkina (Russia): Scarlatti’s Sonatas K. 11 in d and K. 239 in F & Brahms’s Paganini Variations, op. 35. 3:35 pm — Edward Neeman (USA/Australia): Beethoven’s Sonata in C, op. 2, no. 3, Babbitt’s It Takes Twelve to Tango & Chopin’s Etude in b, op. 25, no. 10.

7:00 pm — Marina Radiushina (USA) Beethoven’s Sonata in a-flat, op. 110 & Chopin’s Etude in a, op. 25, no. 11 (‘Winter Wind’). 7:35 pm — Jun-Eun Lee (Korea): Yun’s 5 Klavierstücke, Chopin’s Etude in A-flat, op. 10, no. 10 & Beethoven’s Sonata in E, op. 109. 8:10 pm — Alexander Osminin (Russia): Beethoven’s Sonata in C, op. 2, no. 3 & Chopin’s Etude in a, op. 25, no. 11 (‘Winter Wind’). 8:55 pm — William Youn (Korea): Haydn’s Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:50, Chopin’s Etude in b, op. 25, no. 10 & Yun’s 5 Klavierstücke. 9:30 pm — Soo-Yeon Ham (Korea): Scarlatti’s Sonatas K. 208 in A & K. 209 in A, Haydn’s Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:50 & Ligeti’s Etude No. 6, Book I (Automne a Varsovie).

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