Tae-Yeon Kim of South Korea has won the 12th Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw. Her victory means a EUR 20,000 prize as well as a host of invitations to recitals and concerts in Poland and abroad. She also won the special prize for the best interpretation of Lutosławski’s Grave for solo cello.
Second and Third Prizes went to Polish cellists Maria Leszczyńska and Antoni Wrona. The remaining two finalists - Poland’s Gustaw Bafeltowski and Esteban Jimenez Suarez from Spain placed fourth and fifth respectively.
In the finals they all performed Lutosławski’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra as the compulsory work, in addition to a concerto by Joseph Haydn or Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach of their choice. They were accompanied by the Warsaw Philharmonic conducted by Mark Moś.
In the earlier stages of the competition, the compulsory programme included Lutosławski’s Grave and the Sacher Variations.
Works for solo cello and for cello and orchestra constitute an important part of the output of Lutosławski, one of the most outstanding composers of the 20th century, who died in 1994 at the age of 81.
Launched in 1997, the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition is among the most prestigious competitions for cellists under 30.
This year’s, 12th edition of the event, was entered by 44 cellists from 14 countries.
mk/pt