I remember Leeds 1972 when my classmate from High School, Murray Perahia entered and prevailed as the First Place winner. “Murray” as he was known at the NYC HS of Performing Arts-“P.A.” (aka the FAME school) was rightly recognized as a teen phenom! I, for one, would gather with other piano majors, around an old, rather beat up grand where Murray was rehearsing a Mendelssohn Piano Trio with violinist, Diana Halperin (another big talent) and cellist, Marsha Heller. Naturally, the music-making was divine, as Perahia drew listeners into his singing tone, phrase-loving cosmos. (This was after school hours in a musty practice room.)
Even when P.A. orchestra conductor, Julius Grossman asked Murray to play the figured bass of a Corelli Concerto Grosso, ears became pinned to what the young student drew out of the piano that pulled members of the ensemble into collaborative harmony.
Who cannot forget Murray at the podium for a Conducting exam waving his fluid baton in an impassioned late Haydn Symphony reading. (As a Second Violin section member, I felt a surge of excitement that rose to new heights and dwarfed past rehearsals under our regular music director!)
Perahia, as would be expected, took Leeds by storm 8 years later at the urging of his mentor Mieczysław Horszowski. The 25 year old pianist from the Bronx, had largely been playing Chamber music at Marlboro and well beyond, partnering with Rudolf Serkin, Casals, and the Budapest String Quartet (a natural route for him), until he was jettisoned into the solo spotlight by his Leeds victory!
Fast forward to Leeds 2021 where so many competitions now abound in a crush for attention. Pianists from all over the over the world amass first, second, and third place medals, wondering how many they can collect before they solidify a career.
It’s a rat race to the top that’s often beyond reach since there’s always another contest on the horizon that trumps the last! (Given this testy, high-wire, environment, one worries about competition fatigue or burnout!) For pure relief, players hypnotize themselves into a non-competitive bubble, allowing the music to envelop them from start to finish without nerves eating them up alive!
For Leeds 2021 entrants, there’s a demanding Contemporary composition performance requirement that’s layered in with Solo piano repertoire and Chamber Music specifications. Here’s the list of Contemporary works to choose from.
| Pierre Boulez | 1st Sonata | 10′ |
| Luciano Berio | Sequenza | 11′ |
| Brett Dean | Hommage a Brahms | 3 pieces – 8’ |
| György Ligeti | Selection of Etudes | up to approx. 10’ |
| György Kurtág | Selection of Játékok | up to approx. 10’ |
| Thomas Larcher | Noodivihik | 10′ |
| Thomas Ades | Three Mazurkas | 9′ |
| George Benjamin |
Mandatory Chamber Music performances draw on defined works by Dvorak, Brahms, Beethoven among others.
This year, during the Semi-Final round I heard cello and violin sonatas, along with a well known Dvorak Quintet and Brahms Piano Quartet, etc.
Murray Perahia in this posted video for Leeds (as one of its patrons) emphasizes how the Chamber Music component is so intrinsic to the competition and a valued feature.
Were he, however to choose from the list of contemporary SOLO works at the 2021 Leeds website, his enthusiasm might wane.
In media interviews over decades, Perahia often referred to his career-embracing “Classical programming” of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. He resisted critics such as New York Times Arts Editor, Anthony Tommasini who faulted him for omitting serial-based, atonal repertoire on his programs. (See my embedded blog about this repertoire issue that resonates into the present as Competitions insist on Contemporary music exposure.)
Murray responded to his detractor that he “did not understand” many of the Contemporary works urged upon him, though perhaps he might feel differently at this juncture of his life. (Somehow Leeds 2021 officials overlooked Perahia’s recorded comments about the “classically-based” repertoire that he underscored as being a pivotal dimension of Leeds.) Oops! Did anyone check the total footage before it was amplified at the Competition’s website?
About the Leeds 2021 Jury. There are NINE members of which 4 are Pianists! (and only two women!)
- Dame Imogen Cooper (UK) Chair of the Jury. (Pianist)
- Adam Gatehouse (UK) Artistic Director / Juror. (Conductor)
- Inon Barnatan (Israel/ USA) Juror. (Pianist)
- Adrian Brendel (UK) Juror. (Cellist)
- Silke Avenhaus (Germany) Juror. (Pianist/Chamber Musician/Arranger)
- Gaetan Le Divelec (France) Juror. (Oboist)
- Ryan Wigglesworth (UK) Juror. (Composer/Conductor)
- Ludovic Morlot (France/ USA) Juror. (Conductor)
- Steven Osborne (UK) Juror (Pianist)
By contrast the 1972 Leeds Competition had 11 judges, Chaired by the late Fanny Waterman, pianist. From having watched the 1972 Leeds Documentary on You Tube, I ingested the sagacious words of jurors, Ingrid Haebler, Raymond Leppard, Nikita Magaloff, and Waterman. Notice the appearance on the panel of Nadia Boulanger as well. (There were 4 women on the Jury.)
In 1972, when female pianist contenders including Uchida, obtained considerable recognition–though not passing into the Finals where 3 males prevailed, 2021 LEEDS eliminated NOTABLY gifted Semi-Finalists, Elizaveta Kliuchereva–Russia, age 22 and Yuzhang Li–China, age 22 from the Finals leaving FIVE MALES in the culminating Concerto round. These choices revealed a glaring gender disparity!
To make matters worse, Leeds instituted an Audience Favorite limitation, allowing only a voting selection among the FIVE FINALISTS. (This is highly unusual. Most respected Competitions give an option to pick from ALL entrants through a progression of Rounds) Such tight Leeds imposed control is likewise manifest in the Concerto portion of the Finals where Jurors select two piano Concertos for each player, barring contenders any autonomy. One might question the way these pairs of concertos of different length are assigned. Officials justify it as an attempt to adjudge what each entrant needs to play in order to further expand the jurors’ understanding of individual abilities. (This is atypical in the competitive arena.)
Leeds principles also assert in the main, that they want to avoid redundant performances of the same concerto in their assignments, though repetition of repertoire including concerti is par for the course at renowned Competitions such as the Tchaikovsky, Van Cliburn, and Chopin (in Poland) among others.
Leeds 2021 definitely has a different face this year that’s caused a bit of an uproar among its followers around the world. Surely, it should respond in accordance with public opinion and make appropriate adjustments. In the meantime, some ardent piano lovers who tuned into 2021 Leeds from day one, are bidding it farewell until there’s more gender equality and an opportunity to voice their choice of a FAVORITE pianist without restriction.
***
LEEDS 2021, Competition Website
https://leedspiano.medici.tv/en/about/the-leeds/
from Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten)
https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2021/09/16/leeds-piano-competition-2021-and-a-look-back/
No comments:
Post a Comment