by Mike Telin
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.
Those four sessions will be held in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Thursday, July 29 at 7:00 pm — Ying Li (China) and Honggi Kim (South Korea).
Friday, July 30 at 7:00 pm — Jiarui Cheng (China) and Yedam Kim (South Korea).
Saturday, July 31 at 2:00 pm — Rafael Skorka (Israel) and Martín García García (Spain).
Sunday, August 1 at 2:00 pm — Byeol Kim (South Korea) and Lovre Marušić (Croatia).
For more information, visit the PianoCleveland website. Purchase tickets here, and download the competition program book here.
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.