Tinkling the ivories for a prize

I sat in at the biennial National Piano competition at Alliance Francais today.

Piano Artist category quarter finals. This is how it works. The participants will play a first work and then the adjudicators will pick one or more pieces from their repertoire list. I heard 10 participants today. Out of 15 participants, 5 withdrew. That's a third! Here's the lowdown.

Kwon Cheo Yong
played Chopin's Polonaise in A flat major Op.53 'Heroic', Scriabin's Etude in C sharp minor and Prokofiev's Suggestion Diabolique
The Chopin Polonaise started off a bit stiff. The use of pedal was rather sparing and the approach quite metronomic. I thought the logic between the sections could be better worked out too. Powerful playing though with good left hand technique. But having fully warmed-up, the Scriabin and Prokofiev came across much stronger than the Chopin. He really was suited to late-romantic pieces and the Prokofiev was really effectively done - excellent wrist technique and incisive rhythmic approach.

Huang Xuhua
played Granados' Goyescas No. 5 'El Amor y la Muerte' and Mozart's Rondo in A minor K.511
The Granados is such a difficult work to play, not only in terms of technique, but chiefly because it is so meandering and I think you really need to understand the Spanish idiom to evoke the mood effectively. I think she was quite drained after playing this, for when the adjudicators asked her to play her Kabalevsky, she was dazed and unable to carry on. They then settled on the Mozart Rondo - her right hand melody really needed more projection.

Zhang Xiaowei
played Bach's Italian Concerto
Kudos for not using pedal at all, this started off rather clean and neat, though the left hand became rather stodgy as the music progressed. A faster tempo would make it more buoyant, I think. Then something very unfortunate happened. She had a series of rather serious memory lapses and her confidence was quite destroyed, to the point that she couldn't continue at all. I really empathize with her. You really need nerves of steel to play in a competition.

Xie Xinying
played Chopin's Fantasy in F minor Op.49
This was played with quite a lot of colour, and she's obviously well-taught and the piece was well-prepared. There were some obvious wrong notes, and I don't know how this would affect how the adjudicators judge her. (the cruel fact is that competitors are often expected to have 'bullet-proof' technique)

Irene Margarete Setiawan
played Rachmaninov's Variations on a Theme by Corelli Op.42 and Mozart's Sonata in A Minor K.310
Indonesian pianists usually play with great spirit and freedom. The Rachmaninov was very well built up and she seemed totally comfortable on stage. The Mozart was not really to my taste. It was over-pedalled. There were some wrong notes but she overcame that very quickly - a plus point.

Koh Min Yu
played Copland's El Salon Mexico and Bach's Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue
The Copland was a very nice jazzy work, and a good choice too, because not many people play this and thus it definitely left an impression. The Bach started off really well, the improvisatory feel was very natural and this 'modern' piece had lots of colour and shaping. However, she broke down after some very unfortunate memory slips towards the end. I really hope she can stay on, as she's really talented.

Midorie Tjiawi
played Schubert's Sonata in A major D.664 and Debussy's Suite Bergamasque
I know Midorie because we have the same teacher. Her Schubert was very delicate, very feminine, but her right hand notes were sometimes missing. The Debussy was lovely, very characterful, sensitive with attention to detail. (Not surprising, as my teacher's a specialist in French music)

Chan Siang Lin Kelvin
played Ravel's 'Ondine' from Gaspard de la Nuit and Prokofiev's Sonata No.7 in B flat major Op.83
The stylo guy of the day. Dressed in tails and all. He was also totally immersed in the music, often looking up into space and shaking his head during the emotional bits. He looked like he really enjoyed performing, had flawless technique and a keen sense of the drama in the music.

Gao Chao
played Chopin's Scherzo No. 4 in E major and Mozart's Variations in D major K.573
Another very assured player. Very natural on stage and well prepared programme. Chopin was very good, but I felt that the Mozart, though very clean, could have been more nuanced.

Winnie Santia Soekojo
played Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor and Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy
A very strong girl, she played the Chopin Scherzo (one of my fav pieces, the slow bits can make you cry) with such energy, but she was quite drained after that, and her energy level clearly waned during the very taxing Schubert. A pity, because of all the pianists, I like her stage persona the most, which was humble and not exaggerated.

Okay, many more participants to go, and I don't know how many they are selecting to enter the semis, but from the 10 that I've heard, I think Kwon Cheo Yong, Irene Margarete Setiawan and Chan Siang Lin Kelvin stand a chance. If the later participants are so so, then Midorie Tjiawi and Gao Chao should make it too.