Legendary Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, winner of the 1965 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, is the star of Thursday’s inaugural concert in the Polish capital.
She will perform Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, accompanied by Poland’s {oh!} Orchestra under Václav Luks.
Other soloists include Canadian pianist Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Competition, and Poland’s Tomasz Ritter, winner of the 1st International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, which was held in 2018.
First-round auditions begin on Friday with a recital by American pianist Derek Wang.
A total of 35 pianists from 14 countries will participate in the event. The largest national groups are from Japan, with 10 pianists; Poland, with six; and Italy, with four.
China, South Korea, the United States and Russia are each represented by two pianists. The remaining participants come from Australia, Austria, France, Spain, Canada, Germany and Hungary.
A statue of the great Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) in Warsaw's Łazienki Park. Photo: masterekpixabay.comCC0 Creative Commons.jpg via Wikimedia Commons
According to the Warsaw-based National Chopin Institute, which is the organizer of the competition, the Russian pianists submitted a written statement in which they unambiguously condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as well as all Russian actions in violation of international law.
The participants have at their disposal 21 pianos from the National Chopin Institute's collection, as well as replicas of historical pianos and period instruments from other European collections.
A prizewinners’ concert is scheduled for October 15.
(mk/gs)