'Competitions are for horses, not artists' - Béla Bartók. 

Today is the last day of the final stage auditions of the Wieniawski Competition. We've already heard 5 out of 7 finalists: Richard Lin, Ryosuke Suho, Veriko Tchumburidze, Luke Hsu and Bomsori Kim. They had to perform two violin concertos during one evening with Poznan Philharmonic. All of them decided to play Wieniawski Violin Concerto no. 2 op. 22 and besides, they performed Brahms, Beethoven and Shostakovich concertos. 

I would like to comment on two great, but extremely different performances of the Shostkovich concerto. This piece had been finished by the composer in 1948, after the Second World War, but it had to wait 7 years so that the censors allow it to be published. David Oistrakh, for whom it had been dedicated, called this concerto a 'shakespearian masterpiece'. It's an unbelivebly dark, even demonic, epic story with a famous composer's DSCH sign in the 2nd movement (Scherzo). It requires a 'complete', mature artist, without any technical barriers, capable of produce dozens of kinds and colours of the sound.  

Veriko Tchumburidze, who played Shostakovich on Thursday, aroused the first standing ovation during the 15th Wieniawski Competition. Her interpretation was very emotional, even aggressive. She played as she were haunted by Shostkovich's ghost. A mysterious beginning (actually, not perfectly in tune, but it doesn't matter), daring Scherzo, melancholic Passacaglia and wild Burlesque provoked a vivid discussion about the limits of the being non-academic. Her performance reminded me to a literary style in Spanish literature called esperpento - beyond the limits of grotesque and inclining into the direction of being absurd. 

Bomsori Kim is 7 years older than Veriko. She also aroused a standing ovation, though her performance of Shostakovich was totally different from the previous one. She proved that she's a complete artist, who understands each note (and each break!) of the music. Her Shostakovich didn't have to be out of the control to get wild and exuberant. She didn't change being grotesque into being absurd. The 1st movement - Nocturne - and the 3rd - Passacaglia - were even darker and dimmer than in the Veriko's interpretation, because she seemed so peaceful. So disturbingly peaceful. At the same time, scherzo was as vivid as it seemed to be like an image of carnival in a battlefield full of dead people. Her Shostakovich was like an epic story about the biggest atrocity of the 20th century. Or at least about how we imagine its cruelty.

I admire both of them because they fulfilled the most important aim of the art - they moved the audience and they didn't let it be indifferent. They've already won. 

http://wieniawski2016.tvp.pl/27415244/veriko-tchumburidze-gruzjaturcja-4-etap-wystep-2

http://wieniawski2016.tvp.pl/27427132/bomsori-kim-korea-poludniowa-4-etap-wystep-2

The 2nd stage of the Wieniawski competition has finished a few hours ago. 26 musicians from 11 countries have faced a very challenging repertoire - one composition for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler, a romantic miniature and a huge 19th or 20th century Sonata. There has been no place for trivial virtuosity or playing the violin without playing music. The aim of this stage has been to choose the most sensitive, creative and unique musicians. 

The members of Jury, chaired by maestro Maxim Vengerov, have decided to invite half of the participants to the 3rd stage. Although my guess has been right in the great majority, I think that the verdict is, at least, controversial. And I'm sure that one person will be definitely missing in the next stage. 

I've known Ania Malesza for almost a decade. She's always been an extremely gifted and brilliant musician. And in the last couple of days she has proved that she's already become a mature Artist, capable of doing incredible things. I know lots of musicians, but very few of them make me feel their music so deeply and intensively. 

Everybody knows that competitions are all about politics. It's just such a shame that some other people's interest can shut door to someone who deserve them to be widely open and inviting. 

Well, I truly believe that there's nothing that will stop Ania from achieving her goals. Eventually, somebody else will get to the final. But she's the one whose music has got to our hearts. And will stay there forever.

I'm very proud that I can be, study and make music around such an incredible Artist like her. And I'm happy that my math coaching helped her to go through the high school  - look where she's got! ;) 

Don't hesitate and listen to the most sensitive, creative and unique violinist of the 15th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition. And enjoy. 

Hello after the holiday break!

I'm glad to be back and to continue on sharing my thoughts and reflections with you.

I would like to dedicate the entire upcoming week to one of the most important cultural events in Poznań - the 15th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, which is celebrated in our city since October 8th.

First of all, it's essential to point out that it's the oldest violin competition in the world. It was organized for the first time in 1935 by a nephew of the famous composer, Adam Wieniawski. The first winner was Ginette Neveu, an amazing (only) 15-years old French violinist, who beat a legendary Soviet artist, David Oistrakh. Unfortunately, she couldn't take advantage of her extreme success for a long time - she died in a plane crash in 1949, when she before her 31st birthday.

The competition was planned to be held every five years, but it was interrupted by the Second World War. It came back after a gap of 17 years, in 1952, and from that time it took place 12 times. Every edition gives us another reason to be proud of our Polish violinists - there are visible and important amongst the participants and they continue on proving that the so called 'Polish school of the violin' is one of the greatest in the world.

There's a lot to tell about, but let's get to the point. Today was the 2nd day of the 2nd stage auditions and I had a huge pleasure to listen to Celina Kotz's performance. She's 1 of 6 Polish violinists who had qualified to the 2nd stage of the competition, just like 5 years ago, when she was an impressing 17-years-old violinist, promising to be a great artist one day. And today she's proved that this day had already come - she's an extremely mature, conscious and developed Artist, who is capable of telling wonderful stories through her beautiful music.

She started her performance with 'Little Viennese March' by Fritz Kreisler. It was a nice, well-played miniature, which reawoke my appetite for more. Then she played Wieniawski 'Legende' op. 17, which turned out to be a nostalgic, even melancholic story of something left or lost. She finished with Ravel Sonata in G Major 'Blues', which I find very hard to describe with words. The first movement, very impressionistic, full of pastel colors and long brush strokes, took me to the 19th-century France. And then, when I was thinking that it couldn't be better, there it was. The second movement. 'All that jazz'. It was so vivid and real that I was feeling like I were sitting in Blue Note drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and listening to a great, Friday night jam session...

Wanna go there? Just listen: