XV International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition, Warsaw

[Zbyszek]

http://www.konkurs.chopin.pl/index.php

I discovered one Ukrainian player Alexey Gorlach among eighty participants who passed preliminary competition.
Slavs love Monsieur Chopin... so it was quite surprising to see so many Asian players, mostly Japanese.

I visited Warsaw National Philharmonic last evening. Nice to be in this stylish building and sit on the balcony watching all these people being in love with Frederic Chopin's music.
For us Poles, this music sounds so familiar, so Slavic but I concluded yesterday that its appeal must be pretty universal if it moves Japanese hearts so easily. Moreover, I saw really a lot of Asian (probably most Japanese) faces among the spectators.
I listened to performance of two Asian players: South Korean Dong Min Lim and Taiwanaise Chien-Ying
Yang whose play I really admired.
Moreover, I noticed three Russian players on the list (not so many this time) and one Belarussian.

Chopin's competitions in Warsaw take place every five years.
When I am mentioning all this, tt is difficuly not to make a digression on "The Pianist" film by Roman Polanski who filmed a fascinating story made on famous memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew miraculously saved in Warsaw's ruins.
Last scene of the film shows Szpilman playing Chopin's polonaise in Warsaw's Philharmonic along with large orchestra. It is such a moving moment...

[lenire]

Z,

Yep, only a fool would not enjoy Chopin. I wish I had known about the festival, I may have been able to fit it into my travels.
As for "The Pianist". I purchased the film on disc as a present for a friend of ours. John Struthers.
I gave it to him when I fist visited him in Nikolaev. I hope that whoever has it now enjoys it as much, and watches it as often as John did.

Len

[Zbyszek]

Originally posted by lenire
Z,

Yep, only a fool would not enjoy Chopin. I wish I had known about the festival, I may have been able to fit it into my travels.
As for "The Pianist". I purchased the film on disc as a present for a friend of ours. John Struthers.
I gave it to him when I fist visited him in Nikolaev. I hope that whoever has it now enjoys it as much, and watches it as often as John did.

Len

... and after almost a month, there is a gala concert in the Warsaw Philharmonic again, on September 22. Who is the winner? Monsiuer Chopin of course! But seriously, the Jury had no trouble giving first prize and many other extra prizes to one young gentleman who is unbelievably young and extremely talented. Rafal Blechacz [read Blekhach] is a twenty years old genius. Poland has been waiting for thirty long years for such a pianist! Rafal conquered an array of brilliant Japanese competitors. Some of us remember Kristian Zimmerman playing in the same place and remember how inspiring was his play [and how unbelievably overcrowded was the Philharmonic hall].
Now Zimmerman, living in Switzerland, is one of the most famous pianists in the world.
Len, I am sure gave and excellent gift to John/Vanya! I remember how he liked much my review of this film in the ukraine.com.
What a pity that you could not be in Warsaw this evening, Len (the weather is still unbelievably good, dry and warm), next opportunity will come in five years.