Competition history
publication date: 2009-04-01, last modified: 2009-04-01 08:59:33Since 1993 the International Competition for Young Pianists Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam has been organised in Bydgoszcz. The idea of the Competition came from Arthur Rubinstein’s words, which he said while he was giving concert performances in new-built Pomeranian Philharmonic Hall in 1960: You have a magnificent concert hall so you should hold international concerts here.
To put this thought into practice Ewa Stąporek-Pospiech, the headmaster of the Arthur Rubinstein State Music Schools, initiated a competition for young pianists. Aniela Młynarska-Rubinstein, Arthur Rubinstein’s wife, became the patron of the Competition; at present Ewa Rubinstein, their daughter, succeeded her mother as a patron and founded the Aniela Rubinstein Prize.
The participants of the Competition should be between 14 and 21 years old. So far a few dozens of young pianistshave had a chance to demonstrate their talents. They camefrom 15 countries all over the world:Belarus, Chile, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Japan, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and Ukraine
Theprogrammeof the Competition is extremely difficult and embraces pieces from Arthur Rubinstein’s repertoire. Among them there are works written by Karol Szymanowski and dedicated to his friend, Arthur Rubinstein, for example Mazurkas from Op. 50, Variations in B flat minor Op. 3, Serenade of Don Juan No. 3 from “Masques” Op. 34.
Jan Popis, the art director of the Competition, is an author of theprogramme and the artistic formula of the Competition. The programme of three-staged preliminaries is as follows:
1st stage
- sonata by Haydn or by Mozart
- two etudes: one by Chopin and one to choose from: Liszt’s, Rachmaninov’s or
Scriabin’s
- Chopin’s ballade, Fantasia in F minor, Barkarole or Scherzo
2nd stage
- one of the Szymanowski’s works to choose from: 4 Mazurkas from Op. 50, Variations in B flat minor Op. 3, Serenade of Don Juan No. 3 from “Masques” Op. 34
- sonata by Beethoven (Op. 53, 57, 81 a, 101,109,110,111) , Chopin (Op.35, 58), Schumann (Op.11, 22), Liszt (Sonata in H minor) or Schubert (in A major Op.120, in A minor Op. 143, Fantasia Wanderer).
- one piece of the participant’s choice.
Final: One piano concerto with orchestra to choose from the following:
- Beethoven (in C minor, in G major, in Es minor)
- Chopin (in E minor, in F minor)
- Saint-Saëns ( in G minor)
- Tchaikovsky (in B minor)
- Rachmaninov (in C minor)
The jury of the Competition consists of eminent Polish and foreign pianists, who are the prizewinners of international competitions, and music critics as well. These are: Larissa Dedova, Paweł Gililov, Jerzy Godziszewski, Adam Harasiewicz, Ian Hobson, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Józef Kański, Nina Kuźma-Sapiejewska, Ewa Osińska, Jan Popis, Koji Shimoda, Marta Sosińska, Matti Reakallio, Adam Wibrowski.
The Competition is accompanied by workshops, lectures and talks given by eminent piano professors such as prof. Natalia Gridniewa from the M. Lysenko Music School of Talents in Kiev, and a master course - Salons at the Master – towards Arthur Rubinstein run by distinguished instrumentalists, professors of different music disciplines.
In 2000 the Competition became a common member of theEuropean Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) in Munch which is anumbrella organization for competitions from 27 European countries. Dr Ekhard Rohlfs, the director of EMCY, after one of the Bydgoszcz Competitions wrote: My stay in Bydgoszcz during the Competitionleft me with a very good impression. I want to congratulate Mrs Stąporek-Pospiech, the headmaster, not only on the music enterprise but also on pedagogic concept of the Competition as well as on this year success which I had a chance to participate in. […]I got familiar with the structure of your school and found it especially interesting and instructive. I have understood that such an organized school, which provides interested and, in particular, gifted children with general education as well as music education at a high level resulting in Matura Exam can be barely found in Poland. I cherish hopes of effective cooperation and new initiatives of our European community.
The International Competition for Young Pianists Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam is the most important artistic event in the Arthur Rubinstein State Music Schools in Bydgoszcz. The name of the great virtuoso requires teachers and students not only to host the Competition but first to participate in it.
Three music secondary school’s students: Joanna Balewska and Justyna Jażdżyk from prof. Irena Skabar-Galon’s class took part in the 1st edition of the Competition as well as Ewelina Korzeniowska from prof. Barbara Sierko’s class who entered the 2nd stage of the Competition.
Maja Waszkiewicz from prof. Ludmiła Kasjanenko’s class performed in the 3rd edition of the Competition. Jarosław Kaliski from prof. Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń’s class took part in the 5th edition and entered the 2nd stage. However, undoubted success belonged to 16-year-old Rafał Blechacz, an extremely talented student of State Music School of second degree from prof. Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń’s class who took part in the Competition in 2002 and won the second prize, and thus commenced his world artistic career.
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