The Eighth New York International Piano Competition in Review

The Eighth New York International Piano Competition in Review

The Eighth New York International Piano Competition (NYIPC) under the Auspices of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation
Greenfield Hall, Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
June 24, 2016

 

It was an honor and pleasure to be asked to review the awards recital of the New York International Piano Competition – now its Eighth Biennial event – as I had enjoyed and written quite favorably about its seventh competition back in 2014. Interested readers may wish to read about the 2014 edition by following the link here: Seventh International Piano Competition in Review. To reiterate my positive reactions, this competition stands out in two special ways from other competitions. First of all, everyone is a winner in a way, because, in addition to the major prizes, there is a finalists’ award for each of the remaining contestants. Secondly, there is outstanding commitment to maintain relationships between the contestants and the organization, under the leadership of Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz, both veteran musicians and mentors. To read more about this remarkable duo, the reader can also read a recent article by Frank Daykin entitled “The Musical Father Figures We All Need” by clicking here: The Musical Father Figures We All Need. One may also click here to visit the competition website: http://stecherandhorowitz.org/competition/.

 

In addition to the two above-mentioned pluses and the “no elimination” policy (everyone getting to play every round), this competition is perhaps unique among soloist competitions in holding a piano-four-hand round, an appropriate signature feature given the history of the duo-pianist founders, Stecher and Horowitz. This year’s inclusion of John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances was a particular joy. This competition boasts plenty of other pluses, including its distinguished jury and excellent track record for selecting talent, but the numbers tell their own story: this year’s twenty-two pianists were selected from an international field of over 150 applicants, and many of them traveled a long way for it.

 

These award evenings tend to start with a string of speeches. We heard from Mr. Stecher, Mr. Horowitz, and Chairman of the Board William S. Hearst, in addition to the delightful Master of Ceremonies, Robert Sherman, of WQXR fame. As engaging as the speeches were, one could not help empathizing with the twenty-two contestants seated onstage awaiting the calling of names and, in the cases of some winners, their own chance to perform. It won’t be the last time these youngsters (ages 16-21) are required to have nerves of steel in their chosen field, but the speeches are certainly a rigorous test. The winners were certainly up to the challenge.

 

We heard from First Prize Winner, Aristo Sham, who dazzled with Scriabin’s Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 (the “Black Mass”) as well as with Two Impromptus, Op. 131 by Lowell Liebermann. The latter was commissioned by the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation to be played by each contestant, and Mr. Sham happened also to win the award for Best Performance of Commissioned Work, so he gave the Impromptus what could be considered their public premiere on this occasion. It would be difficult to imagine them played more compellingly. Mr. Sham showed tremendous command, involvement, and what seemed to be intimacy with the piece, showing meditative lyricism through its melancholy sections and fierce intensity through its severe contrasts. It was impressive to consider that he, like all contestants, had been sent the scores only two months prior. Fortunately Mr. Liebermann, a fine pianist himself, writes some of the most idiomatic piano music today, so any contestant would be delighted to be assigned the Two Impromptus as a “test piece” – Mr. Sham said as much to emcee Robert Sherman, and volunteered that he was (“obviously”) already familiar with Mr. Liebermann’s Gargoyles. (How old that made me feel, as I recall when they were “hot off the press!”) The Impromptus are a welcome enrichment to the contemporary piano repertoire, and Mr. Sham will be an able champion for them.

 

Originally from Hong Kong, educated in London, and currently enrolled at Harvard University and New England Conservatory, the 20-year-old Mr. Sham is a young phenomenon. His Scriabin, in addition to showing passion and pianism, reflected logic and clarity, two qualities one doesn’t always associate with Scriabin but which are nonetheless vital in holding it together. Every note had a decisive place in the grand scheme of things, and the more extroverted moments had a strong sense of inevitability. One’s interest in Mr. Sham’s Beethoven was certainly piqued (and he had offered Op. 106 in earlier rounds, but opted here to play Scriabin, with help from an audience “vote” he solicited). There is clearly much to look forward to, both for Mr. Sham and for us.

 

We also heard from talented Second Prize Winner Angie Zhang, also age 20, in Los Requiebros from Goyescas by Granados. Ms. Zhang’s playing was warmly expressive, sensitive and polished, just right for this piece. Almost as impressive was her ease and eloquence in speaking about the music, to share a bit about the composer and give the audience some context. It almost seemed as if this were not an awards night but simply a chance to share music. Ms. Zhang will be a valuable advocate for classical music from her generation if this evening is any gauge. One looks forward to hearing her again, hopefully in a more telling variety of repertoire.

 

We did not hear the other prizewinners as soloists, but Jiacheng Xiong, age 19, from China, won Third Prize, and Evelyn Mo, age 17, from the US, took Fourth Prize. For the four-hands ensemble component, Second Prize went to the team of Jhiye Lin, age 19, from China, and Aaron Kurz, age 20, from the US.

 

First Prize in the ensemble round went to the team of Prudence Poon, age 19, from Hong Kong, and Jooyeon Ka, age 20, from Korea, who performed a pair of Corigliano’s wonderful Gazebo Dances with festive spirit. The Waltz showed nuance, elasticity, and playfulness that were just right. Despite a supposed language barrier during rehearsal (when asked, Ms. Poon said they relied somewhat on “body language”), they obviously had found a rapport. The feisty Tarantella was stunningly together, with an exciting display of fireworks at the end. The audience heartily approved. Mr. Sherman, with ever-perfect timing asked, “see what body language can achieve?”

 

All who participated in this event are to be congratulated, and certainly among them the distinguished panel of Francis Brancaleone and Anthony Lamagra (Screening Jury) and the Competition Jury of Tong-Il Han, Jane Coop, Ian Hobson, Orli Shaham, Jeffrey Swann, and Erik Tawastjerna. One eagerly awaits the Ninth NYIPC in 2018!

 

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Stecher and Horowitz Foundation Presents Charlie Albright in Review

Stecher and Horowitz Foundation Presents Charlie Albright in Review

 
Charlie Albright, Piano
Subculture, Arts Underground, New York, NY
November 20, 2014
 

Charlie Albright is a pianist whose name music-lovers will be hearing more and more. Winner of a slew of awards, most prominently a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Albright is now in the company of classical musicians who have become household names (given a classically oriented household anyway) – Ursula Oppens, Richard Stoltzman, Joshua Bell, Hillary Hahn, Yuja Wang, and many others who have made their marks. Mr. Albright will undoubtedly lend his own additional distinction to this already illustrious group.

As there are no applications for the Avery Fisher Career Grant (only recommendation by a board), the awardees must naturally have sufficient careers to be noticed, so some view the award as more of an honorary plum than an early boost. For the early boost, big kudos are due to the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation’s New York International Piano Competition (NYIPC), which awarded their First Prize in 2006 to the then seventeen-year-old Mr. Albright; they are a rare competition that follows up on their laureates, and eight years later they presented him in this concert, an evening not to be forgotten.

The program was, as Mr. Albright described from the stage, made of “familiar and less familiar” works. The more familiar included Beethoven’s Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, Quasi una fantasia (the “Moonlight”), though, as the pianist noted in his informal comments from the stage, it is so famous that it has become almost “infamous” and is relatively underperformed today. It was good to hear this work in its entirety, live, and not massacred by a teenager as it so often is. Mr. Albright took a sprawling, leisurely tempo for the first movement, a challenge to sustain, but he held the audience’s unwavering attention. I was initially concerned about the casual feel of this rather trendy venue (with a bar adjoining and listeners quickly finishing drinks before start time), but I was quickly reassured. Blue lighting set a peaceful atmosphere for the capacity audience of avid listeners, and one could hear the proverbial pin drop. I began to see “what the fuss is all about” with this venue. Classical concert life is evolving in interesting directions, and the attempts to modernize it are interestingly bringing it back to the warm intimacy one associates with nineteenth century salons. What was old is new again. Beethoven, for one, felt new, because as casual as Mr. Albright was in his stage style and commentary, he was equally intense in his high-powered performances. The finale of this 1801 work took on the fire of the master’s Op. 57 or 111. It was brilliant, precise, and powerful.

Janácek’s Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 (“From the Street”) may have been meant to be among the “less familiar” but has been programmed increasingly in the last decade or so, so I’ve heard it no fewer than six times live in the past few years; it is always, however, a revelation. Mr. Albright chose to take dynamic markings to extremes more than I’ve heard in the first movement (especially left hand phrases, even though marked in the score as strong). The exaggeration was striking, although not always completely convincing to me.

The despair inherent in the Janácek was dispelled by Chopin’s well-known Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22. Mr. Albright projected the opening phrases with limpid delicacy and took the ensuing Polonaise by storm. It was a joyous romp, untroubled by petty concerns, free and full of whimsy and yet cohesive, which it often is not. The way Chopin dovetails delicate cadences with bursts of virtuoso energy is enough to cause a good musician the emotional equivalent of whiplash, but Mr. Albright steered things gracefully always, appearing to have fun all the way. In fact, throughout the entire evening, he displayed a joy in playing that was utterly infectious. He disarms jaded concertgoers with an openness and humility that for some reason we are not prepared to expect of one who earned simultaneous degrees in Economics (Harvard), and Pre-Med (Harvard), while studying for a Master of Music degree the following year (New England Conservatory). Clearly not wanting for “gray matter” Mr. Albright brings a vibrant spirit and limitless range to his performances. He possesses the kind of intellect that doesn’t stop growing and will no doubt continue to surprise as his career progresses. I’ll be looking forward to following him.

The second half consisted of the twelve Chopin Etudes, Op. 25, continuing to exploit this pianist’s nearly effortless technique while reflecting sensitivity and imagination. Mr. Albright offered a thumbnail description of each Etude (a nice touch along with the fine program notes), adding a healthy dose of humor. He peppered his comments on the first one (“Aeolian Harp”) with references to “that thingy” the harpist does and drew appreciative laughter, but then played it with sincerity and mastery. He described Chopin’s F Major Etude as resembling galloping horses (though adding, “not quite ‘Gangnam Style'”) and his playing followed through with tremendous spirit and interesting voicing surprises. The A Minor Etude, Op. 25, No. 4 he likened to “target practice” – and anyone who has played it would have to agree – but Mr. Albright is an able marksman and fared well. The E minor (which he likened to a “drunk guy” in the opening section) included some of his most inspired playing, replete with playful pauses, creative accentuations, and interesting voicing (if some vanishing right hand passagework in its central section). The B minor Etude in octaves (No. 10) was too fast and rough for my liking but it was certainly effective in building blizzard-like effects, and the central B Major section was ethereal. The Etude No. 11 (“Winter Wind”), was, as they say, “as good as it gets” – and so was No. 12 (“The Ocean”), which started more softly than one usually hears, a good decision (despite markings) when pacing so many Etudes in a row.

A highlight of the evening was the first encore, Mr. Albright’s own improvisation on notes provided by the audience – in this case, B-flat, C, E-flat and A. He looked unfazed by the first three suggested notes, but the fourth offering was apparently bad news, prompting a grimace and an “oh, boy … we’ll talk after the concert.” The improvisation was nonetheless spectacular, and the spontaneity, even with stylistic similarity to Chopin and Rachmaninoff, kept one on the edge of one’s seat. If the music world is worried about the widening chasm between audience and performer, Mr. Albright is just the answer, especially with this improvisatory element. While I can’t say I agreed with every interpretation by this pianist, especially the occasional roughness that sometimes comes with “going for broke,” the improvisation alone was worth the trip, and the program offered much to love.

A second encore, the Mozart-Volodos Rondo alla Turca (with some Albright additions?) was perhaps a bit “too much of a good thing” but one must allow a mid-twenties artist his exuberance. It seemed that a broken string was adding to the clangor, the Steinway’s own contribution to the Turkish Janissary band. Bravo – and encore!

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
The Seventh New York International Piano Competition in Review

The Seventh New York International Piano Competition in Review

The Seventh New York International Piano Competition (NYIPC), under the auspices of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation
Greenfield Hall, Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
June 22, 2014

Music competitions today seem to sprout up practically anywhere that there are instruments, such that the array of contest names in winners’ biographies rapidly becomes a blur, from the first annual This prize to second national That award. I must confess that, because of this blur, it took me a while to take notice of the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation’s New York International Piano Competition (NYIPC), which started in 2002. Naturally I had known the names of duo-pianists Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz (no, not that Horowitz!), as the duo had enjoyed decades as a performing team since 1951, including being the dedicatees of Walter Piston’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra and giving it its premiere. In addition, the duo had created a school, a foundation, teaching publications, and more. What I had not realized, though, was that these two musicians, along with their distinguished colleagues and friends, were on a mission to do something very big for the future piano world. They have done just that with the NYIPC.

Unbeknownst to me (as I sometimes only briefly scan the biographies of young artists I review), I had already reviewed or heard some of this foundation’s prior winners, several of whom are now firmly ensconced in their young careers or appearing as finalists and winners of competitions around the world (click here for a list of past winners- New York International Piano Competition Winners List). Clearly this competition has become a magnet for some of the best young pianists today, and the reasons are many. Naturally the total of $50,000 in prizes is one reason (the First Prize winner taking home at least $10,000). Exposure is another, with leaders in the field hearing these winners, learning about them in glossy brochures, and even reading personal statements on music written by the contestants themselves. This year’s brochure incidentally featured letters from our governor, mayor, and others, with a cover illustration of an official Competition Egg created by none other than Theo Fabergé (late grandson of the legendary Peter Carl Fabergé)!

JOYCE B. COWIN FIRST PRIZE Jun Hwi Cho, Age 18 Country of Birth: South Korea Residence: Flushing, New York Cash Award of $10,000 Concert and Recital Appearances

JOYCE B. COWIN FIRST PRIZE
Jun Hwi Cho, Age 18
Country of Birth: South Korea
Residence: Flushing, New York
Cash Award of $10,000
Concert and Recital Appearances

Apart from ever-growing prestige, an additional draw of the NYIPC is the care shown for each contestant, evident in the humane contest rules whereby no contestant is eliminated from round to round – every contestant gets to play every round. Muffing a passage in an etude does not render one unheard in one’s stronger offerings, say, a sonata or a concerto. Such rules evolve when musicians are running things! Beyond these considerations, each of twenty-something participants, not just the top winner, leaves with enough cash to compensate for the effort (even for those travelling from China, Russia, the Republic of Georgia, and the United Kingdom), while also gaining a lasting relationship with this foundation through concerts, mentoring, and more. Oh, that I were twenty-one again (the age range is 16-21)!

If it seems that I have acquired a case of Stockholm Syndrome on behalf of the NYIPC, I did sit through an hour-long set of speeches detailing these strengths, prior to hearing this year’s winners all too briefly – necessary pomp, one supposes, given the considerable fundraising behind it all. Fortunately, all was enlivened by the witty commentary of renowned radio personality Robert Sherman, who also briefly interviewed each of the four performing winners; one wished, nonetheless, for more music.

SECOND PRIZE Daniel Kim, Age 17 Country of Birth: United States Residence: Lexington, MA Cash Award of $6,000 Concert and Recital Appearances

SECOND PRIZE
Daniel Kim, Age 17
Country of Birth: United States
Residence: Lexington, MA
Cash Award of $6,000
Concert and Recital Appearances

The first performer up was Daniel Kim, as winner of the Best Performance of Commissioned Work, Nocturno Nazqueño, by Gabriela Lena Frank. Ms. Frank, a brilliant composer of multicultural background (Chinese, Peruvian, Lithuanian, Jewish) seems to favor her Latin American side, in a style evocative of South American landscapes and folklore. Seventeen-year-old Mr. Kim projected the musical imagery sensitively and convincingly, a remarkable feat considering the scant few months he had to get to know this music. On being asked by Robert Sherman how he felt when first looking at the score, he replied with candor, “the first thing that went through my head was probably panic.” Indeed there were considerable challenges, interpretively and technically, including the need for nuances in timbre, rapid repeated notes, wide stretches, and, as one was led to understand, some aleatoric elements to reveal each player’s uniqueness. Mr. Kim went on to say, though, how he enjoyed it as he started to embrace the elements of mystery and dance and the feeling of the lives of the rancheros. All of these were very much present in his performance, and if they were half as present in the twenty-odd performances of other contestants, then Ms. Frank is quite fortunate – as well as the young pianists. The commissioning of such a work to be disseminated throughout the world is a win-win enterprise.

THIRD PRIZE Yilin Liu, Age 19 Country of Birth: China Residence: San Francisco, CA Cash Award of $3,000 Concert and Recital Appearances

THIRD PRIZE
Yilin Liu, Age 19
Country of Birth: China
Residence: San Francisco, CA
Cash Award of $3,000
Concert and Recital Appearances

The next performance was of a four-hand piece by Franz Schubert, Rondeau in D Major, subtitled “Notre amitié est invariable” (“our friendship is unchanging”) and performed by the First Prize winners of The Melvin Stecher and Norman Horowitz Prize for one-piano, four hands, Thomas Steigerwald (21) and Max Ma (17). A touching reminder of the years of performing together for Stecher and Horowitz, the piece seemed also to allude to the friendships that are inevitably launched as these young performers team up with their ostensible “rivals” – a beautiful element to include in a competition. Mr. Steigerwald and Mr. Ma, after just a week of rehearsal, seemed already to have forged a collegial bond and performed with good mutual sensitivity. What was perhaps not quite there in terms of unity of conception was more than compensated for by hair-trigger reflexes and acute listening.

 

MELVIN STECHER AND NORMAN HOROWITZ FIRST PRIZE ONE-PIANO, FOUR HANDS ENSEMBLE Max Ma, Age 17 Country of Birth: United States Residence: Newcastle, Washington

MELVIN STECHER AND NORMAN HOROWITZ FIRST PRIZE
ONE-PIANO, FOUR HANDS ENSEMBLE
Max Ma, Age 17
Country of Birth: United States
Residence: Newcastle, Washington

 

 

Thomas-Steigerwald-1

Thomas Steigerwald, Age 21 Country of Birth: United States Residence: Uvalde, Texas Cash Award of $3,500 Divided between the winning team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Kim returned to the stage to perform as soloist winner of the Second Prize, this time playing the first movement of Schumann’s G Minor Sonata, Op. 22. With a good sense of the drive that suits this work so well, Mr. Kim gave the movement a good solid delivery, no small achievement in such a challenging environment. One could see tremendous potential in this performance, and the fact that it was subject to the slightly “on edge” feeling that comes from an awards concert was in fact an advantage, as an impetuous spirit is an asset here. One looks forward, nonetheless, to hearing Mr. Kim in more extensive performance and in a more controlled setting.

Last of the performers was First Prize Winner (Joyce B. Cowin Prize), Jun Hwi Cho, age 18, performing Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53 (the “Heroic”). Speaking beforehand about having hurt his right hand, Mr. Cho was jokingly reminded by Robert Sherman that in his accompanying statement he had written, “I will overcome any hardship I have in order to become a great pianist.” Overcome he did, and there was power and speed enough in his left hand to more than compensate for whatever might have affected his right hand – and frankly the right hand sounded quite capable as well. Mr. Cho showed a good deal of the firepower one expects to hear in a prizewinner, and one looks forward to hearing much more from him with the coming years.

 

FOURTH PRIZE Seol-Hwa Kim, Age 21 Country of Birth: South Korea Residence: Goyang-Si, South Korea Cash Award of $2,000 Concert and Recital Appearances

FOURTH PRIZE
Seol-Hwa Kim, Age 21
Country of Birth: South Korea
Residence: Goyang-Si, South Korea
Cash Award of $2,000
Concert and Recital Appearances

One would have loved to hear in addition the prizewinners Yilin Liu (19), Seol Hwa Kim (21), Ning Yuen Li (20), Ling-Yu Lee (20), and all the others, but alas, there are limits. For that matter, one might have wanted to hear members of the jury, which included Tong-Il Han, Jane Coop, Jon Nakamatsu, Thomas Schumacher, Orli Shaham, Jeffrey Swann, and a screening jury of Francis Brancaleone and Anthony LaMagra – perhaps another time. Meanwhile, one eagerly awaits the festivities of 2016!

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY