I suggest you ignore the poor image and sound quality and skip the introduction, and go directly to the music. I have added below a link to a Youtube video from Polish television of the recital of the winner. In 2005, after Krystian Zimerman, another Pole won this competition (you probably know that Chopin, in spite of his French name, was Polish by origin), Rafal Blechacz. What is the common ground between Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, and Yundi Li, beyond the fact that they are all recognized world-class artists today? Well you’ve guessed it. Several times, the jury was critical enough not go give a first price.Īnd then, most importantly, are the winners. Furthermore, it’s been around for nearly a century. First of all it is only held every five years. Well, there is one competition that clearly has proven its relevance over time, the Chopin Piano competition in Warsaw. One one hand, that is a good thing, increasing their exposure, on the other hand it is hard for the outside to judge the quality of the different competitions. The chords in the left hand are arpeggiated however according to Siloti's daughter Kyriena (to whom the work was dedicated), he would omit the arpeggiation on the first pass and restore it on the repeat in order to heighten the effect of the left-hand melody.It feels like these days there are so many competitions out there for young musicians. Siloti also adds a repeat of the entire work, in order to allow for a change of voicing where the melody in the left hand is emphasized. It transposes Bach's original down from the original E minor into B minor, with the steady sixteenth note figuration that was originally given by Bach to the left hand being instead assigned to the right hand.
Siloti’s arrangement of JS Bach’s Prelude in E minor in the first book of The Well Tempered Clavier, originally composed in 1722, has been described as possibly Siloti's most tender and perfect of transcriptions. Moreover, there’s high finesse in his control of nuance and ability to create subtle, intense atmospheres (the ‘Raindrop’ Prelude is truly special).” ( Now Available on )Įric lives up to this high praise in these lovely recordings of the two Chopin Preludes referenced earlier:Įric chose to perform this next piece as an encore at the 12th International Music Festival “Chopin and His Europe” from Italy to Poland – from Mozart to Bellini, Warsaw, 15–30 August 2016. This type of sensitivity and emotional intuition does not grow on trees, especially not when served by such a technique, with richly singing tone and delicate fleetness of finger. His excitement was contagious as he shared all of the wonderful performance opportunities that had been afforded to him since winning the US Competition.” Since then, Eric has been selected to step in for Martha Argerich in Singapore, and Nelson Freire in Sao Paulo.īBC’s Music Magazine recently published a review of Eric’s recording by Jessica Duchan who wrote, “Lu’s playing is in a rare class – one that has a vacancy since Radu Lupu’s retirement. Our conversation took place just before Eric was scheduled to debut at the 2019 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. “It had been 4 years since we first met at the Competition in Miami and the transformation from a somewhat shy 17-year-old to a mature, well-spoken, and experienced 21-year-old artist was remarkable. “It was a real treat to sit with Eric outside at a café in the heart of Warsaw,” said Muze. Keeping up with EricĮxecutive Director, Barbara Muze caught up with Eric last summer when he was a featured artist at the “Chopin and his Europe” Festival presented by The Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Eric shares his thoughts on this repertoire in the beautifully filmed interview above. The three works Eric chose for this project, which is part of his Gold Medal award package from the 2018 Leeds Competition, each present unique beauty and challenges, yet when put together they flow from one to the other in pleasant synchronicity: Chopin's 24 Préludes, Brahms's Intermezzo No.1, and Schumann’s Ghost Variations. Last month saw the anticipated release of Eric’s first studio recording on Warner Classics. We sincerely hope all of our members and subscribers are keeping safe and healthy and since our live concerts are currently not possible, we invite you to enjoy these specially curated programs online!įor this week’s Chopin Salon at home we have the pleasure of highlighting the continuing success of the First Prize Winner of the 9th National Chopin Piano Competition held in 2015 – Eric Lu! While the Chopin Foundation’s physical office are closed to comply with stay at home orders, we are working online and are excited to present the second edition of Chopin Salons Home.
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