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[EERecordist]

Final round of the International Chopin Piano Competition. Eric Lu selected

New York Times:

Eric Lu, a 27-year-old American classical pianist, won the top prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Monday.

The prestigious event, which happens every five years and is known to some as the Olympics of the piano world, began this month with 181 performers. Most participants came from China, Japan and South Korea, which together had more than 100 pianists competing in the event. Seven of the pianists were from the United States.

Lu, who is from Massachusetts, was selected by a 17-member jury. As the winner of the top prize, he will receive 60,000 euros, or about $69,000, and a gold medal, according to a news release. Kevin Chen of Canada won second place, and Zitong Wang of China took third. Another American, William Yang, who is from New York, finished in sixth place.

The competition is typically scheduled around the anniversary of Chopin’s death, Oct. 17, and features his music almost exclusively.

“I’m so grateful for this honor,” Lu told reporters at the competition, according to Reuters, adding that the win was a dream come true. “I’m grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world who watched online and all the audience here in Warsaw.”

Each finalist performed one of Chopin’s two piano concertos and the Polonaise-Fantasy (Op. 61).

While previous winners like Seong-Jin Cho of South Korea and Bruce Liu of Canada emerged from the competition with a global career, Lu is already well established in the world of classical music.

He rose to international stardom after placing fourth in the 2015 Chopin International Competition at age 17. He graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2020.

Lu has won many awards, including the top prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018, and he has released several albums, including one of Schubert Impromptus this year.

The Chopin Institute https://www.youtube.com/@chopininstitute

 

[dualazmak]

I also very much interested in, and am impressed by, his selection of FAZIOLI in the final round competitive sessions...

 

[Karmacoma]

I also very much interested in, and am impressed by, his selection of FAZIOLI in the final round competitive sessions...

I personally don't like how that piano sounds.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

I also very much interested in, and am impressed by, his selection of FAZIOLI in the final round competitive sessions...

Do they have a choice? I would assume that there‘s a piano on the stage and that‘s it.

 

[dualazmak]

I once heard, at least until the last time of the Competition, that in Chopin Piano Competition the pianists have freedom of selecting piano from Steinway & Sons, Fazioli, Bösendorfer, Yamaha, and Kawai. They can even change pianos in qualification/preliminary rounds and in the final round.

I have watched TV documentary describing the hard efforts of Yamaha and Kawai piano teams working in the backyards of Chopin Competition.

The hall has huge lift-stage system enabling the change of pianos in less than 15 minutes, I learned. All the piano company teams have been always standby in the basement floor under the stage.

The Chopin Competition is, has been being, therefore, a kind of supreme competition not only for the pianists but also for piano manufacturing companies.

We have only a few FAZIOLIs (expensive and hard to maintain/tune) in Japan, less than ten (10) I believe. I once listened to solo and concerto played by FAZIOLI in a concert hall in Yokohama; the piano sound was very much impressive and attractive, at least for myself.

 

[EERecordist]

I once heard, at least until the last time of the Competition, that in Chopin Piano Competition the pianists have freedom of choice of piano from Steinway & Sons, Fazioli, Bösendorfer, Yamaha, and Kawai. They can even change pianos in qualification/preliminary rounds and in the final round.

I have watched TV documentary describing the hard efforts of Yamaha and Kawai piano teams working in the background of Chopin Competition.

The hall has huge lift-stage system enabling the change of pianos in less than 15 minutes, I learned. All the piano company teams have been always standby in the basement floor under the stage.

The Chopin Competition is, has been being, therefore, a kind of supreme competition not only for the pianists but also for piano companies.

We have only a few FAZIOLIs (expensive and hard to maintain/tune) in Japan, less than ten (10) I believe. I once listened to solo and concerto played by FAZIOLI in a concert hall in Yokohama; the piano sound was very much impressive and attractive, at least for myself.

A friend of mine had a Bösendorfer. His father was a piano prodigy, a composer and had a music school. So the friend spent many years getting his father's music notated and published.

He had home concerts and could get known soloists to fill the house in Woodside with friends that enjoyed music. The son of the head of Bösendorfer was a piano technician in his early life. Later the son went into international banking. But the son would still travel to a few favorite clients to work on the pianos.

The late Cecil Taylor was particular to Bösendorfer. A friend is a Kawai artist.

 

[Sernyl]

Final round of the International Chopin Piano Competition. Eric Lu selected

New York Times:

Eric Lu, a 27-year-old American classical pianist, won the top prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Monday.

The prestigious event, which happens every five years and is known to some as the Olympics of the piano world, began this month with 181 performers. Most participants came from China, Japan and South Korea, which together had more than 100 pianists competing in the event. Seven of the pianists were from the United States.

Lu, who is from Massachusetts, was selected by a 17-member jury. As the winner of the top prize, he will receive 60,000 euros, or about $69,000, and a gold medal, according to a news release. Kevin Chen of Canada won second place, and Zitong Wang of China took third. Another American, William Yang, who is from New York, finished in sixth place.

The competition is typically scheduled around the anniversary of Chopin’s death, Oct. 17, and features his music almost exclusively.

“I’m so grateful for this honor,” Lu told reporters at the competition, according to Reuters, adding that the win was a dream come true. “I’m grateful for all the Chopin lovers around the world who watched online and all the audience here in Warsaw.”

Each finalist performed one of Chopin’s two piano concertos and the Polonaise-Fantasy (Op. 61).

While previous winners like Seong-Jin Cho of South Korea and Bruce Liu of Canada emerged from the competition with a global career, Lu is already well established in the world of classical music.

He rose to international stardom after placing fourth in the 2015 Chopin International Competition at age 17. He graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2020.

Lu has won many awards, including the top prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018, and he has released several albums, including one of Schubert Impromptus this year.

The Chopin Institute https://www.youtube.com/@chopininstitute

Some pieces here :

Eric Lu wins the 19th Chopin International Piano Competition

On 20th October, Eric Lu was crowned winner of the 19th Chopin Competition, out of eighty-four performers from nineteen countries, and Deutsche Grammophon has announced a digital single for 24th October, when pre-orders for a celebratory album will also begin.

www.prestomusic.com

 

[Steven Holt]

Prokoviev, The Lt. Kije Suite. Wonderful and beautiful, highly recommend.

 

[Robin L]

Currently listening to Sviatoslav Richter's live recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier, Innsbruck 1973. This is different from the studio recording made around the same time, the sonic perspective is closer than the studio recording, a few of the passages are rushed. But still a great performance of the piece, as is to be expected:

 

[Karmacoma]

Martha Argerich

 

[Seta Seta Pop]

 

[Karmacoma]

Purcell, the cold genius song.
Best interpretation & recording I've heard from far.

 

[Eulipian]

I personally don't like how that piano sounds.

Made me listen and agree that it's lacking. To me, the sound is as if it was being recorded too far from the piano. I don't have any knowledge, but for a live recording it sounds very dead. Can any sound engineers comment....other than to say I need to clean my ears more often?

 

[Robin L]

Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the time of the year, maybe it's the state of the world, but have been obsessively listening to Mahler's 9th symphony a lot lately, in a lot of different versions. I've seen a number of reviews lately favoring the Alan Gilbert/Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra performance:

 

[Robin L]

I've listened to Bruno Walter's stereo recording of Mahler's 9th Symphony with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra a few days ago, very beautiful and lyrical, if a touch reserved emotionally. I've only heard the first movement of Pierre Boulez' recording of the work, leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and intend to hear the rest of his interpretation soon. His is a very detailed version of the score. The Tidal version of the Bernstein/Concertgebouw Orchestra that I heard suffered from many small interruptions on account of the playback not being gapless. I bought one of the Sony boxes of Bernstein's first Mahler cycle, mostly with the New York Philharmonic, and decided to play the CD of the 9th symphony from that set. It was the first version of the work I heard, back around 1970. I recall initially feeling that it was overwrought, now it seems perfect, reaching emotional depths unexplored in the other versions I heard lately.

 

[pablolie]

I've listened to Bruno Walter's stereo recording of Mahler's 9th Symphony with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra a few days ago, very beautiful and lyrical, if a touch reserved emotionally. I've only heard the first movement of Pierre Boulez' recording of the work, leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and intend to hear the rest of his interpretation soon. His is a very detailed version of the score. The Tidal version of the Bernstein/Concertgebouw Orchestra that I heard suffered from many small interruptions on account of the playback not being gapless. I bought one of the Sony boxes of Bernstein's first Mahler cycle, mostly with the New York Philharmonic and decided to play the CD of the 9th symphony from that set. It was the first version of the work I heard, back around 1970. I recall initially feeling that it was overwrought, now it seems perfect, reaching emotional depths unexplored in the other versions I heard lately.

I adore this recording.

I also get emotional listening to his last concert, Britten I recall (traveling so just from memory).

Mahler... I collect every version of the unfinished 10th... it gives me utter goosebumps to imagine what it would have been if he had finished it.

 

[Robin L]

I adore this recording.

I also get emotional listening to his last concert, Britten I recall (traveling so just from memory).

Mahler... I collect every version of the unfinished 10th... it gives me utter goosebumps to imagine what it would have been if he had finished it.

That final recording also had a performance of Beethoven's 7th that nearly breaks down when the Maestro has a coughing fit. I can't listen to it, it's just too heartbreaking.

 

[pablolie]

oh my. yes.

 

[Keith_W]

I've listened to Bruno Walter's stereo recording of Mahler's 9th Symphony with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra a few days ago, very beautiful and lyrical, if a touch reserved emotionally.

I wonder what you think of Klemperer's Mahler 9?

 

[Robin L]

I wonder what you think of Klemperer's Mahler 9?

View attachment 486780

Haven't heard it. I'll give it a shot soon.

I'm familiar with Horenstein's Vox recording, decidedly Lo-Fi, messy performance. Had a copy for many years back in my analog days.