By Lee Hyo-won
Korea Times Correspondent
Fort Worth, TEXAS ― The third and final round of the Van Cliburn took off Tuesday, with six finalists of the original 29 vying for the prizes in a 50-minute recital and two concerti of his/her choice.
Indeed, just as Alann Sampson, the Cliburn's chairperson, said, this year's competition pool is ``remarkable with some of the highest level of artistry and talent.''
Tuesday's round began with Italy's 27-year-old Mariangela Vacatello, who had stood out in the preliminary round even when viewed through the Web cast videos. But her nerves got the better of her perhaps, as some of her clean notes were jammed up in Bach's Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971 and then rushed in Chopin's Rondo in E-flat major, Op. 16.
In the second half, the tall, swanky figure of a 24-year-old Bulgarian emerged. Evgeni Bozhanov, already popular with the crowd, seized the stage with an electric presence, and a likewise catchy, interpretation of Chopin's 1st Concerto ― it was definitely something out of the box, but Chopin purists may reject the heavily accented rendition as being too digressive. It was complete with dreamy head tilting a la Lang Lang.
Di Wu, 24, the noted young pianist from China, presented an elegant Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2, with well rounded phrasings and intense colors, though it was at times a bit speedy and not nearly on par with her other performances. She also demonstrated natural rhythm and breathed in line with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro James Conlon.
The following evening, the Northeast Asian demographics of the finalists was hard to ignore even though age, nationality, gender, etc are immeasurably inconsequential factors in an artist's musicality.
Korea's popular young pianist Son Yeol-eum, 23, made an entrance with an almost regal air, commanding attention as she waited a few seconds before beginning her tastefully thematic program ― there was no sign of nervousness in this lionhearted pianist prior to the performance, either. Her ``Sheep May Safely Graze'' by Bach-Petri melted into the Schubert Impromptus (Nos. 3 and 4), sans pauses long enough for interruptive applause.
Her choice of Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 111 on the other hand was an interesting choice. One of the German master's earlier works, it was well in tune with the program theme, but was slightly too deliberate at times ― or more introspective, in the positive sense, as one audience member pointed. Nevertheless, she deserves praise for braving the piece when it has not been long since she started delving into Beethoven.
Then, Japan's Nobuyuki Tsujii offered Chopin's 1st Concerto ― a great contrast from that of the previous evening. The young pianist gave flight to pristine, rollicking timbre and showed an amazing chemistry with the Conlon-led symphony. It was secondary that the 20-year-old is visually challenged ― even though it could be said his performance was doubly inspiring, as reflected in the enthusiastic audience. The local crowd gave a standing ovation for every performer, but not one as impassioned and in a single jump as this.
China's Haochen Zhang, who just turned 19, wrapped up the evening with Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20. The immensely talented young man rendered some of the most silvery tones, but his efforts to collaborate with the orchestra was visibly labored, as he kept count, and his rhythms were a bit stilted. He kept well inside too-safe lines, and could offer more verve next time.
The contestants will each give two more nights of recitals and/or concerti. Who will the winners be? It is difficult to say at this stage, when finalists have performed just one of their three rigorous programs. But what is certain is that all six are enjoying an exposure and horizon of possibilities through this distinguished competition.