SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

The 2^nd Manchester International Piano Competition for young pianists -Junior Finals: Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England 20/21.8.2009 (RJW) and (DP)

FIRST NIGHT  - UNDER 16s

The Under 16 Joint First Prize Winners

This bi-annual event is linked to the Chetham’s annual International Summer School, which is in its ninth season. Its competitors are not just recruited from Manchester’s well known Chetham’s School of Music, but from wider Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Australia, Canada and the USA. Open to all under 22, the competitors are extremely gifted young people, most of which are in their teens.

Thursday evening’s Concerto programme for the junior class was given by three talented children between the ages of 12 and 14; two from Britain and one from Canada. The pianists were supported in their performance by the Manchester Camerata, a 35 strong orchestra conducted by Stephen Threlfall. This was a very competent backing over which the soloists should to be forward focused. A need for confidence, dexterity, noticeable dynamics and nimble fingerwork were all necessesities for the pianists and all three rose to the occasion, admirably.

YUANFAN YANG (aged 13) chose Chopin’s Concerto No.1 in E minor [opus 11], a work requiring good keyboard skills to match the pianistic composer. This young teenager was maturely composed and relaxed as he awaited his entry in the 1st movement. He provided elegant legato and dynamics, and displayed good pace and clarity in the rapid scales. The 2^nd movement’s idyllic opening teased the emotions by a deliberate stretching of the bars. Barely looking at the keys, delicate filigre of pianistic icicles was a delight to hear from Yuanfan. He admirably managed what must have been a difficult finger spread for the chords. There was a nice touch of additional decoration at the end of the movement that I enjoyed. The choppy opening of the 3^rd movement seemed a touch insecure but this did not detract from the splendid performance that would have been more than acceptable to a post Grade 8 pianist twice his age. Tricky rhythms were grasped with ease and he never left his comfort zone.

JONATHAN MAK (aged 12) played Mozart’s Concerto No.27 in B flat [K595]. Despite his slight frame he was equal to the energy expected of him to give a strong performance. Mozart scored this work for reduced orchestration and consequently the work was a good choice where detail in the piano needs to be heard. A slightly heavy opening might be regarded as prominent for the recessed horn/wind accompaniment, but his confidence was very quickly gained. A flowing account of the 1^st movement with good dynamics was shown, which pleased the listener. Perhaps some pianissimo pasages could have been more marked but this is a matter of taste and did not detract at all from the excellent playing. The virtuistic passages were impressive, with nimble fingerwork and confident cues for the orchestra’s re-entry. A well paced main theme  of the 2^nd movement was good and purposeful: The right ambience was conveyed to the audience.  The 3^rd movement was taken at speed and displayed confident mastery of the keyboard. This was a sterling performance. What confidence for someone so young!

DOMINIC DEGAVINO (aged 14) chose the Concerto No.3 [opus 50] by Kabalevsky. Written in 1952, what fun this little known classically-written work is and what demands are made of the pianist lest the piano be drowNed by the orchestra’s forte playing. If the work is not known to the reader think of Gershwin. The orchestra clearly loved displaying its bit of weight to the proceedings. This must have made it difficult for the jury to focus on the fine detail, accuracy and dexterity of the performance they were expected to judge. As for the soloist, who clearly was at home with the work, much feeling of expression showed a developed sense of maturity in his industrious playing and tight sense of rhythm. A friendly wink from the conductor at the end of the 1^st movement was reassuring that all was going well. The simplistic opening to the 2^nd movement with pizzicato strings provided little scope for any virtuostic handling of the keyboard yet nice textures in tremulo strings and catchy wind followed that provided an ideal backdrop for the nicely balanced piano development. A good sense of timing was shown throughout. The forte coda again tended to drown the piano, and this may not have helped the judging.

Stephen Threlfall’s manner was ideal for putting the competitors at ease and his clear direction of the orchestra and good tempo allowed brilliant performances to be successfully delivered.

Raymond J Walker

SECOND NIGHT - 22 YEARS AND UNDER

The twenty-two and under category of the ‘Second Manchester International Concerto Competition for Young Pianists,’ held at the Royal Northern College of Music was a contrasting tale of two halves. Under the charismatic leadership of Steven Threlfall, the Manchester Camerata provided a vibrant and exciting accompaniment for the four soloists. SUNGPIL KIM’s performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was technically admirable, however, it lacked musicality. Following this, YOON SEOK-SHIN’s performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 provided much of the same, although there were some elements of real energy to his playing. The interval was a welcome break, and the two following concertos were nothing but a joy to listen to. SUN-JAE KIM provided a second rendition of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 which was brilliant on every level. The second movement was emotional: the music obviously coming from the heart. The third movement was rhythmic and exhilarating and use of internal rubato made the orchestra listen intently, creating what can only be described as a polished performance. The influence of polish music on the soloist’s playing made this a concerto performance that will be remembered. TUDOR r SCRIPCARIU was the last of the competitors, and wowed everybody with his performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.2. was mesmerising. The first movement was fiery, with the clarity of articulation second to none. The entire concerto provided stunning tone with real drama: the communication with the orchestra fascinatingly impressive. The decision must have been a difficult one, given the standard of the final two competitors. The evening was a great ending to two nights of excellent music-making.

The Result:

Joint-Third Place: Sungpil Kim (Chopin 1) and Yoon-Seok Shin (Beethoven 2)
Second Place: Sung-Jae Kim (Chopin 1)
First Place: Tudor Scripcariu (Beethoven 3)

Murray McLachlan, the Chair of the Jury and founder of the competition should take pride in the fact that this competition is becoming a real platform for young pianists to launch their careers.

Daniel Parkinson