Forty pianists, including four Poles, have qualified for the second stage of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.The four Polish pianists are Marek Bracha, Jacek Kortus, Marcin Koziak and Paweł Wakarecy who join six Russians, four Chinese, four Japanese, three from the United States and France, two from Ukraine, Italy and Korea, as well as entrants from Lithuania, Canada, Australia, Spain, Austria and Bulgaria.
Seventy eight pianists performed in the first stage of the competition which started on Sunday.
Jury Chairman Andrzej Jasinski said that the verdict was unanimous. “These are a group of very good pianists but I have no strong favourite at the moment,” he told journalists after the jury announced its decision around 1 am this morning.
In the second stage of the competition, which starts tomorrow, participants will give a 50-minute recital consisting of a ballade, Fantasy in F minor or scherzo, a waltz, a cycle of mazurkas, one of the three Polonaises (op. 22, 44 or 53) and a piece of one’s own choice.
The resuktsof the competition will be announced on 20 October when the winner will receive a gold medal, a cash prize of 30, 000 euros and engagements with the New York Philharmonic and Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra.
(mk/pg)