From 16 to 26 September 2010, the fourth edition of the International Piano Competition “Republic of San Marinoâ€. Compulsory pieces, two new works by Uri Caine, who will play a concert on 17 September at Teatro Concordia in Borgo Maggiore. Rich prize: 80,000 euros. To the winner also a management contract with the agency Studiomusica and the possibility to record a CD with the record company Naxos. Media partners of the event: San Marino RTV, Radio Rai 3, Classica, Classic Voice. President o f the jury the famous Polish piano player Adam Harasiewicz. The competition, taking place every two years, is divided in two sections: “Solo players†(up to 30 years old) and “Piano Duets†(up to 30 years old). Candidates’ performances, divided in heats, semi-finals and finals, all opened to the audience, are taking place in ten days and streaming broadcast on the websites
www.sanmarinortv.sm www.sanmarinortv.sm ,
www.allegrovivo.org www.allegrovivo.org and
www.classicvoice.com www.classicvoice.com .
The final are also being broadcast by Radio Rai 3 from 8.00 p.m.
The 63 solo players and the 18 piano duets, coming from 33 countries and admitted on the basis of their curriculum and of the DVDs they sent, have arrived in San Marino in these days and they are getting ready to take the sceptre away from Daniil Trifonov (who won the first prize at the previous edition with a wonderful performance of Prokof’ev’s Third Concert for piano and orchestra op. 26) and from the Sulkhanishvili sisters.
A mixed blessing for the competitors and the competition will be the two jazz compulsory pieces, written every year by big names of the piano scene. In 2008, it was Chick Corea, this year Uri Caine, who has composed Aria (Air) for piano and orchestra and Double Helix for piano duets. The famous American piano player, guest of the competition, will perform a free concert on 17 September at Teatro Concordia in Borgo Maggiore at 9.00 p.m. The programme includes music by Mozart, Waller, Lennon/Mc Cartney and Monk, and two original medleys: Mahler and Othello.
Uri Caine, who is enthusiastic about this event because it is the only one on the international scene of instrumental competitions which supports the meeting of different genres – classical music and jazz – being originally far from one another, said: «In Double Helix, "double" refers not only to the two performers playing one with and against the other, but also to the two styles being in contrast. The music structure is made up of a dramatic and dynamic component mixed with a slower and more thoughtful one. It is the contrast and combination of these two elements which shape this piece. Aria, for piano and orchestra, is formed by brief sections linked in three different contrasting movements. The first one is unpredictable, “mercurialâ€, light and rapid, with a piano part which makes slaloms in and out of the orchestra composition. The second one is softer and more lyrical. The music collects its energy to get to an intense and suspended end. Finally, the third part is assertive, virtuoso and dramatically ending».
The prize will be very rich too – 80,000 euros. 22,000 euros will go to the winner of the “Solo†section, who will win also a two-year management contract with the agency Studiomusica and the possibility to record a CD for the record company Naxos. 8,000 euros will go to the winners of the category “Piano Duets†and this partly explains the “attracting effect†of the competition on the young winners’ process of artistic and professional consolidation.
Web listeners will award a web prize, offered by San Marino RTV, to the best piano player. You can vote on the site
www.sanmarinortv.sm www.sanmarinortv.sm. To the voters USOT will offer two week-ends for two people in San Marino as a prize.
Being the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, a special prize, offered by San Marino Lions Club, will be awarded to the best performer of one of the Polish composer’s pieces. Besides the above mentioned special prizes, on 25 September, on the day of the final of the category “Solo playersâ€, another prize will be awarded by reviewers.
Finally, the fame of the event will be increased by the members of the jury, this year presided over by the famous Polish piano player Adam Harasiewicz: Lilya Zilberstein, Tamás Vásáry, Alan Weiss, Joseph Paratore, Maurizio Zanini, Philippe Entremont.
In the finals, the latter will conduct the Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of San Marino, which cooperates for this event with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Being a member of Alink-Argerich, the Dutch reference fundation for international piano competitions, this year the event will have RadioTre RAI, San Marino RTV, Classica and Classic Voice as media partners.
You can find a thorough real-time archive of news concerning the competition, the candidates, the programmes and the calendar on the Association’s web-site
www.allegrovivo.org www.allegrovivo.org .
