I just returned last evening from the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and WOW, what an amazing experience of a lifetime that was!Describing what I heard in words is difficult but I’ll do my best to share some of my impressions.
First of all, the competitors were all between 19-30 years old. Of course that has its pros and cons. This year, the six finalists were all male. That’s not usually the case, but that’s what happened this year. Originally there were 36 semi-finalists who had been chosen from over 90 pianists who had submitted videos of themselves for entry into the competition. The 36 semi-finlists came to Ft. Worth, Texas last December to play in person for the panel of 8 judges. There, they were reduced to 12 competitors.
Choosing the Six Finalists
On May 23rd, the 12 finalists arrived in Ft. Worth to play lengthy solo recitals, including a new piece that had been commissioned for The Cliburn (as it is known) and by June 1st, they had chosen the six finalists. I arrived on June 5 and on the evening of the 7th the winner was announced: Aristo Sham, age 29, from Hong Kong. His education for the past 10 years was in the United States and he studied at Harvard, New England Conservatory, and The Julliard School.
In the finals, each pianist played two concertos in contrasting styles, with the Ft. Worth Symphony under Marin Alsop. I heard Aristo Sham perform the Brahms 2nd piano concerto on Friday evening and it was gorgeous. This has been one of my favorite concertos since I was 15 years old and got a recording of Van Cliburn playing it with the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner.
Entertainment vs. Entrainment
I was a piano performance major in college and received Bachelors and Masters degrees in performance under Lee Luvisi. I also studied in Italy with Mme. Ilonka Deckers. Going to an international piano competition like this is something I never though I’d be able to do. There was a time when I thought I wanted to be a contestant in this sort of competition but those days of opportunity flew by pretty quickly. But being in the audience was absolutely thrilling!
Music like this is totally engrossing and a joy to listen to.As you know, I sell specially curated music to reduce anxiety and pain perception during surgical procedures and other anxiety-provoking medical/dental procedures. However, music of the type I heard at The Cliburn, while wonderful, would not have the desired effect. Instead, the appropriate music will stablize the vital signs and reduce anxiety.
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