Twenty violinists from 13 countries are competing for the prestigious prizes in the Karol Lipiński Competition this year, including five from South Korea, three from Poland, two from China, and one each from Colombia, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, France, Japan and the USA.
In the first round, contestants perform works by Bach, Ysaÿe, and either Paganini or Henryk Wieniawski. In the second round, 12 violinists selected by an international jury will give a 45-minute recital with piano accompaniment, with each performance featuring a mandatory piece by Karol Lipiński, the competition’s patron. The six finalists will perform a concerto of their choice from those by Lipiński, Karłowicz, Wieniawski, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Brahms and Beethoven.
They violinists will be accompanied by the Toruń Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dainius Pavilionis. The winner is to take home €15,000, while contestants in second and third place will receive €10,000 and €6,000 respectively. Non-statutory prizes include future performance engagements, a special award for the best performance of a work by Karol Lipiński, and a loan of an old Italian violin for one year, courtesy of Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
A gala concert, featuring performances from top three laureates, is to be held on October 6.
The competition jury is chaired by Polish virtuoso Daniel Stabrawa, former leader of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Karol Lipiński (1790-1861) was one of the finest violinists of the 19th century. Often described as the Polish Paganini, he gave two concerts with the legendary Italian virtuoso in Milan in 1818. In 1829, they performed together in Warsaw. With the passing of time, a rivalry developed between the two musicians, and, according to historical accounts, whenever asked who the greatest violinist was, Paganini’s response was: "I don't know who the greatest is, but Lipiński is certainly the second greatest".
Lipiński was also an acclaimed composer whose output comprises numerous pieces for solo violin, four violin concertos, three symphonies, chamber works and vocal-instrumental pieces.
Source: The Strad, Lipiński Competition website
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