| Winner Announced for the Beethoven Chamber Music Competition 2010 |
| In a sense Beethoven was the true winner in the Gwyneth George Award of the BPSE Chamber Music Competition 2010, held in association with the Piano Trio Society. Three outstanding young ensembles each performed a Beethoven trio of their choice before the distinguished Jury of Martin Lovett OBE, former cellist of the Amadeus Quartet, the cellist Gwyneth George, who donated the annual award, and Alberto Portugheis Vice-Chairman UK of the BPSE. The result was a fascinating and inspiring concert, in which distinctive ensembles drew out a wide range of varying aspects of Beethoven's style, his drama, poetry, surprise and intensity, and highlighted the richness and wealth of invention and interaction in the trio repertoire which still rewards exploration and fresh investigation.
The competition took place on 22 April 2010 before a select audience in the attractive surrounds of Steinways Hall, 44 Marylebone Road, W1, thanks to the generosity of the director of Steinway, Glen Gough, who is also Chairman of the Piano Trio Society. Each of the trios had earlier, on Tuesday 20 April, benefited from participating in a masterclasses with Martin Lovett OBE, whose influence was evident in the high standard of musicianship and interpretation throughout.
All nine young players elicited magical sounds from their instruments in the pristine acoustic and from the magnificent concert Steinway Grand piano. The first to perform was the Bager trio, Michael Foyle, violin; Hannah Masson-Smythe, 'cello; Frederic Bager, piano, all first year students at the Royal College of Music. They chose Beethoven's Piano Trio Op 70 No 2, in E flat major, a work that is less often played and whose delicate geniality belies its subtle structure. The initial Allegro was well projected, the modulation of the development well highlighted, if the tempo was a little on the safe side. The cellist always drew interesting colours from her comments and asides, and her exchanges with the violin; the finale was virtuosic and built steadily to its climax.
The next competitors were the November Trio, comprising Agata Darashkaite, Violin, Mikhail Shumov, 'cello, and Olga Jegunova, Piano, all third year or postgraduate students at the RCM. They performed the first of the Op. 70 trios, nicknamed the 'Ghost'; on account of the eerie second movement, with its wayward chromatic harmonies and recurrent diminished 7ths. In this interpretation, there was plenty of drama here, the textures well balanced with lean vibrato less sustained notes in the strings against the rather clear and clean radiant colours of the piano. The trio brought alive the exuberant first movement Allegro vivace e con brio, with plenty of sonority, and the string playing was most arresting, especially the cellist. Most was made of the surprises, the sudden sfz or pp, the contrasts of dynamics, particularly in the second movement, Largo assai ed espressivo, where the ending was enthralling in its unpredictability. The Presto finale was dynamically propelled, rounding off what was a very professional and admirable interpretation and realisation of the piece.
The concert - for that is what the competition turned out to be - concluded with the Greenwich trio's riveting rendition of the trio in B flat op 97, 'Archduke' full of new fresh insights that emerged in their expressive and passionate performance. The three members of the Greenwich Trio, Lana Trotovsek, violin, Stjepan Hauser, 'cello, and Yoko Misumi, piano gave a performance of the 'Archduke' Trio which formed the impressive climax of an exciting event in which three young trios competed The pianist's delicate limpid touch helped throughout, from the very start where the lilting octave theme grows from silence. The richness of the ensemble when Stepjan Hauser and Lana Trotovsek joined was one of the delights of the evening. Hauser is always interesting in his articulation, the sound of his lightweight modern instrument particularly impressive. Their duets had an almost Schubertian lyricism here. There was a real feel for the architecture of the work, and their experience was showing in the wide range of dynamics (as opposed to the rather extreme contrasts of the earlier performances). The Scherzo was delicate and airy, though it could have been a tiny bit more humorous and cheeky in character. Yet the trio, with its fugal treatment of the undulating theme was masterly, building up in layers of textures towards a climax; the reappearance of the texture in the coda was most effective. The highlight was the slow movement superbly expressive, with wonderful dueting and interaction for the strings, and meshing with the piano. The ensemble plays as one, and there as plenty of communication within the group. The finale had zest and panache, and the Presto coda drew some effervescent risk taking from the group already well saddled into their account. Of course there are still room to develop, some of the rhythmic coordination in the Presto needed extra control, and the violin's tone could resonate and sing even more; yet theirs was a first rate performance full of originality and intensity. Interestingly Lara Trotovsek was the winner (with a different pianist) of the duo competition in the previous year.
Following all three performances, Alberto Portugheis, BPSE Vice Chairman UK, introducing the Jury decision, thanked Glen Gough for hosting the event, and also expressed gratitude to the founder of the Piano Trio Society, the violinist Jane Faulkner and the secretary Christine Talbot-Cooper for their help in organising the event. As Martin Lovett OBE, Jury Chairman and Spokesman observed, all the musicians performed beautifully; and choosing a winner was thus a difficult decision, though they finally chose the Greenwich Trio. Indeed the Greenwich is a highly experienced young ensemble at the cusp of a promising career and they have performed for the BPSE series and in major venues throughout Europe, while the two other ensembles were made up of students both at the start of their studies and in advanced courses. While the Greenwich Trio received the Gwyneth George Award, a cash prize, all three trios will receive recitals as part of the BPSE concert series in recognition of their great promise and the high standards displayed at the competition. Details will be posted on the BPSE website, www.bpse.org.
Malcolm Miller (c) 2010
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| Winners announced for the 2010 BPSE Junior Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition |
 The Winner Asagi Nakata with William Brown CBE and Mrs Nachiko Brown | There was a high level of promising pianism on show at the BPSE Junior Intercollegiate BPSE Competition 2010, held at the Bluthner Piano Centre on Sunday 21st March 2010. Five young talented pianists attending junior departments or specialist music schools participated. Each performed the compulsory Bagatelle Fur Elise as well as a sonata or set of variations of their choice before the distinguished Jury, Angela Brownridge, Wanda Jeziorska and Melvyn Cooper. Alberto Portugheis, BPSE Vice-Chairman UK, introduced the proceedings and thanked Roger Wilsson, Director of the Bluthner Piano Centre, for his hospitality and the salubrious surrounds of the showroom adorned with glistening grand pianos.
The select yet enthusiastic audience were regaled with some admirable performances. First was Eleanor Kornas (Chetham's School of Music), who launched into an intensely well characterised account of the 32 Variations in C minor; I was struck by the convincing way she prepared the surprise contrasts of mood as well as the linking of those variations that shared their poetic reflective nature. She followed it with a delicately elegant Fur Elise that was similarly impelled by an inner expression. Next came Isata Kanneh-Mason (Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music), who played the Sonata in C minor 'Pathetique' Op.13 with confidence and bravura; if at times disjointed in the exposition, the development and recapitulation were propelled with energy and unusual power from such a young performer. The slow movement unusually featured a rather questionable tempo change for the triplet section yet the whole was capped with a fluent rondo finale.
Lee Jae Phang, of the Wells Cathedral School, found a forthright projection for his performance of the Sonata in D minor sonata Op 31/2 'Tempest'. The evocative pedalled sonorities of the development section were especially well conveyed, as well as the explosive relaunch into the recapitulation's striving rising theme. There was much to admire in the finale, its relentless momentum driving throughout, though the resonant gestures of the slow movement could have benefited from a slightly more relaxed tempo. Ambitious tempi were also problematic for the fourth competitor, William Green (Junior Department of the Royal Northern College of Music) who performed the Sonata No 30 Op. 109 in E major. Though the fast variations and fugue suffered lapses, his was an impressively expressive account of the first movement and energetic middle movement.
The final competitor was Asagi Nakata, representing the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music, who gave an excellent account of Beethoven's Sonata in C minor 'Pathetique' Op.13. Her delicacy, elegance, fluency and expressive beauty emerged especially in the slow movement where the textures were finely balanced and flowed seamlessly; Asagi Nakata followed it with a Fur Elise which was equally successful in its poise and finesse, and in the event she received first place as well as the Audience Prize. In second place was Lee Jae Phang, of the Wells Cathedral School.
The Jury spokesman Angela Brownridge, announcing the Jury's decision, underlined the high level of all the competitors, each of whom had won internal competitions in their respective institutions and highlighted how such competitions were important, especially as Beethoven is central to the pianist's repertoire and it is useful to gain experience with Beethoven's music early on. Valuable comments about each individual performer followed, as well as general comments on shortcomings which all could learn from, particularly the importance of a tempo that was manageable: speed for its own sake was to be avoided, in order to allow the more reflective and poetic aspects of the composer to emerge. The two main prizes were presented by the BPSE patrons William Brown CBE and Mrs Nachiko Brown. The two winners also receive recitals in the BPSE lunchtime series (dates will be announced on the BPSE Website and Newsletter). All participants received certificates and copies of the latest issue of Arietta, the BPSE Journal.
Malcolm Miller (c)2010
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| The Stunning Kanazawa Admony PIano Duo Dedicate their London Debut to the Memory of Carola Grindea |
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| It was apt to dedicate the BPSE lunchtime recital, on 13 July 2009 at St James's Church, Piccadilly, to the memory of Carola Grindea, BPSE co-founder and Vice-Chairman, who died three days earlier, in her tenth decade.
The well-attended concert, by the prize-winning Kanazawa-Admony Piano Duo, presented jointly with the Jewish Music Institute, SOAS, was introduced by BPSE Chairman Malcolm Troup, who both welcomed the Duo, whose fame had travelled on before them, and underlined Carola Grindea's insuperable achievements, in founding, as well as the BPSE, two most significant international organisations, the European Piano Teachers association (EPTA) and the International Society for Study of Tension in Performance (ISSTIP).
The feast of four-hand music, played with virtuoso panache, was certainly an eloquent tribute to Carola Grindea's lifelong enthusiasm for pianists, piano music and piano pedagogy. The husband and wife duo from Israel launched their programme with the UK premiere of a richly coloured Sonata a Quattro Mani by one of Israel's leading composers, the octogenarian Yehezkel Braun, present in the audience to acknowledge warm applause. The three movement work was dedicated to Braun's mentor Alexander Uriah Boskovich (1907-64), a leading pioneer of Israel's Eastern Mediterranean style, one of whose songs formed the theme of the variation finale.
The seldom played duet version of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge Op.134, in the composer's own arrangement, formed the formidable centrepiece, given a breath-taking account. It has been described by Charles Rosen as technically "impossible" according to a recent chapter by Robert Winter. The duo's artful choreography of hand crossings and leaps, and their fine dynamic shading, enabled each subject, countersubject, augmentation and diminution, to emerge with varied emphasis, generating tension and drama. This tour de force was followed by yet another, Mendelssohn's Allegro Brillante Op. 92, composed in 1841 for the debut of another conjugal ensemble, Robert and Clara Schumann: Exhilarating elfin textures contrasted with poetic colouring in their sparkling account. 'Le Bal' from Bizet's Jeux d'Enfants offered a witty encore. We hope they will soon return to these shores at a major London venue. Fortunately we may, in the meantime, enjoy their Naxos CD of Liszt Symphonic Poems soon to be followed by a CD of Rhapsodies on the Romeo label.
Malcolm Miller (c) 2009 |
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| The 2009 BPSE Chamber Music Competition |
 Pianist Gayane Gasparyan (left) and violinist Lana Trotovsek. Photo © 2009 Harry Atterbury | The winner of the 2009 BPSE Chamber Music Competition for the Gwyneth George Award, was the duo of Lana Trotovsek, violin, and Gayane Gasparyan, piano, while the duo of Andrei Simion, cello, and Veneta Neynska, piano, was highly commended by the jury. This exciting event, held on Thursday 28 May 2009 at Steinway Hall, central London, UK, attracted five young and talented duos, all of whom participated in two days of masterclasses (26-27 May 2009) with Martin Lovett OBE, cellist of the renowned Amadeus String Quartet.
Introducing the competition, held before a select and enthusiastic audience, Alberto Portugheis, UK vice-chairman of the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, warmly welcomed the distinguished jury, chairman Martin Lovett, pianist Julian Jacobson and cellist Gwyneth George. Expressing the BPSE's gratitude to Steinway Pianos for hosting the event, he also praised Martin Lovett for his wisdom and insights into Beethoven interpretation which had inspired the duos to enrich their performances in the competition and beyond.
The competition programme afforded a fascinating opportunity to compare different readings of the same work, for, while there are ten Beethoven violin sonatas, all three competing violin and piano duos chose the Sonata in F Op 24 'Spring'; by contrast, the two cello piano duos chose works from different phases in Beethoven's career, the early Op 5 No 2 and Op 102 No 1 from the more 'experimental' period in 1815.
The programme opened with Lana Trotovsek and Gayane Gasparyan who brought vigour, personality and panache to the 'Spring'; their textures were translucent, rhythms electric, and the pace maintained with drama and tension throughout. The delicate Scherzo was delivered with plenty of wit while the finale flowed richly; above all the ensemble had a unanimity and cohesion that was compelling.
The second violin duo, Galya Bisengalieva, violin and Aizhana Nurkenova, piano, also displayed great musicality, the violin's inward tonal expressivity complemented by characterful and intrepid pianism. If a measure of suppleness may have bordered on hesitancy of coordination at times, their reading abounded in fine nuances and inflections, supporting the work's dramatic impetus.
The final rendering of the 'Spring' sonata was again different, this time performed by Agata Policinska, violin, with Nadia Mokhtari, piano. Their performance took flight in the moving slow movement, through a fizzing Scherzo and forthright finale, throughout which Ms Policinska's resilient tone was especially well coordinated with her pianist.
The cello duos offered refreshing contrasts in between each violin sonata. Ashok Klouda, cello, and Natalia Gonzalez, piano gave a steady account of the Sonata in G minor Op 5 No 2; tempos were slightly problematic in my opinion, for while the introduction seemed too fast, lacking intensity and a measure of gravitas, the Allegro could have benefited from more zest and impetus.
More intriguing was the responsive and finely coordinated rendition of the Cello Sonata in C Op 102 No 1 by Andrei Simion, cello, and Veneta Neynska, piano, who were alert to the music's quasi-improvisatory searching in the alternating slow and fast sections of each main movement. The rhetorical gestures and changes of mood and metre were all effectively handled, with much exploitation of the element of surprise and rhythmic freedom; the first Allegro projected with thrusting momentum. Even despite a certain unevenness of tone and phrasing, their interpretation was always interesting and full of character.
The jury's decision was announced by Julian Jacobson, followed by a short word from Martin Lovett who reminded us that competitions can often be misleading: while some famous artists had never won competitions, winners did not necessarily guarantee a career.
BPSE UK chairman Malcolm Troup added his thanks to the entire jury and to Gwyneth George for her generous donation of the main prize, a cash award, which was presented to the winners Lana Trotovsek and Gayane Gasparyan; both the winners and the duo of Andrei Simion, cello and Veneta Neynska, will also receive recitals in the BPSE concert series, details of which will be available on the society's website www.bpse.org; all participants received certificates as well as a copy of the BPSE journal Arietta.
Copyright © 4 June 2009 Malcolm Miller, London UK
For Photos see http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2009/06/competition.htm |
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| Talented Youth at the 2009 BPSE Junior Competition, Bluthner Piano Centre, 22 March 2009 by Malcolm Miller |
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The winner of the 2009 Beethoven Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition was Sophia Dee of the Junior Guildhall School of Music, with second prize awarded to Han-Seul Lee of the Junior Royal Academy of Music and third prize awarded to Dae-Young Kim of Chetham's School of Music. The Competition, held on Sunday 22 March 2009 at the Bluthner Piano Centre in central London, attracted six gifted competitors from UK Junior Colleges and specialist music schools to perform before the distinguished Jury of Angela Brownridge and Colin Stone, amidst an enthusiastic audience. All the players performed the compulsory work, Beethoven's Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 'Fur Elise', and a sonata of their choice. It was fascinating to hear six expressive performances of the famous 'Fur Elise', each one different,and suffused with the poetic mood of the miniature. Sophia Dee's account alone seemed to colour the final chromatic passage with glistening radiance in the upper registers.
Hyo-Jung Roh, of Wells Cathedral School, launched the programme with the Sonata Op. 10, No.1 in C minor, though her very detailed and precise account may have lacked a bit in colour and dramatic contrast. Then came Han-Seul Lee, of the Junior Royal Academy of Music, who gave a finely judged account of the Sonata Op. 31, No. 3 in E flat major. Everything seemed to flow in place, and there was a very fine sense of colour and balance, particularly in the gradation of dynamics, and even if the element of wit could have been more emphasised, this was a mature and impressive interpretation. Exciting drama and passion emerged in the Sonata Op. 31, No. 2 in D minor, 'The Tempest', played by Dae-Young Kim of Chetham's School of Music. Especially effective was the way he built up to a climax after the eerie pedaled recitative in the development, and the very beautiful balance of the ostinato motif in the second movement with the chordal theme. Above all one sensed an inner intention throughout his performance, the intensity of pregnant silences in the slow movement matched by the impetus of the flowing finale. After a short interval the fourth competitor was Anthony Satterthwaite of the Junior Royal Northern College of Music, who also played the Sonata Op. 31 No.3 in E flat major, displaying panache particularly in the last two movements. Yet it was left to Sophia Dee of the Junior Guildhall School of Music & Drama to demonstrate a compelling complementation of technical assurance and musical imagination. Her sumptuously atmospheric pedalling of the development recitative, her subtle use of dynamics throughout were enhanced by a sense of line and large-scale structure evident that sustained tension throughout the work, so that the finale acted as a powerful climactic resolution to the whole. The final participant, Sarah Ballard of the Junior Department, Royal College of Music, tackled the challenging Sonata op 78 in F sharp, a work of Beethoven's later, more Romantic style, and there much to admire in her delicately poised approach to this elusive and subtle work.
In his opening remarks Alberto Portugheis offered gratitude to Roger Willson of Bluthners for hosting the event, sentiments echoed later by BPSE Administrator Henry Atterbury who also paid tribute to the Jury for their wisdom and thoughtful erudition. In the final Jury decision, Colin Stone praised all the competitors for their efforts, and stressed that competitions can be of benefit with the awareness that they are only temporary indicators: it would be interesting, he speculated, to see how each of the players would develop in the next ten years. While all the players received a copy of the BPSE Journal Arietta, the first two winners were awarded cash prizes, presented graciously by the BPSE Patrons W.C.L. Brown CBE and Nachiko Brown. Copies of the 2 Volume Schnabel Edition of the 32 Sonatas, published by Alfred's Publishing, were offered by the publishers to the first three winners, who also will appear in prize winner concerts in the BPSE series. See the 'Events' page for details.
Malcolm Miller (c) 2009
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| POTENTIAL AND ACHIEVEMENT AT THE BEETHOVEN INTERCOLLEGIATE COMPETITION 2008 by Julian Jacobson |
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Driving into Mayfair to attend the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe's 15th Annual Beethoven Intercollegiate Competition, I happened to be listening to some marvellous solo outtakes of Thelonious Monk in 1957, exploring his own classic tune "Round Midnight". Did any 20th-century pianist exhibit more sheer creativity, or convey more strongly the impression of actually thinking aloud?
Beethoven, too, needs that sense of questing, of creating the music from moment to moment. He also needs a powerful grasp of thematic and harmonic structure, a rich but not over-cultivated piano sonority, a burning emotional intensity, and - last but not least - most of the right notes. Artur Schnabel got it just about right; and Monk replicated many Beethovenian attributes in his own toughly anti-sentimental, linear bebop language. Which of the gifted young pianists, already winners of their own College's Beethoven Competition, could indicate that they were on the right road and give us an authentic, three-dimensional Beethoven experience? A sonata to remember?
Nikos Stavlos (Goldsmiths College Music Department) is certainly on the right road. His C major Sonata op 2 no 3 sounded like the real thing, although he misjudged the acoustic initially with playing that was a little dry, and his finale slightly let him down. But there's a keen musical intelligence developing. From the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Matthew Drinkwater showed energy and some responsiveness in "Les Adieux" but his message was compromised by technical insecurity. Tatiana Dardykina (Birmingham Conservatoire) had a rather dreamy way with the compulsory Bagatelle (the witty, somewhat gnomic op 126 no 6 in E flat), carried over into the Arietta finale of her C minor Sonata op 111, the first of the day's three op 111's. But her first movement showed more resolution, with good control and some characterful playing.
Gintaute Gataveckaite, from the Royal Northern College of Music, was also inclined to rhapsodise in the Bagatelle. But her E flat Fantasy-Sonata, op 27 no 1, settled into some pretty good playing, concentrated and natural, stylistically and structurally convincing, only lacking an ounce or two of temperament. Konstantin Lapshin (Royal College of Music) came over as a fine player not quite at home in his chosen "Moonlight" Sonata (the other of the two op 27 Fantasy-Sonatas). His Allegretto second movement was unenticing (when will pianists realise this is one of the hardest movements in all the sonatas?), and his finale was hard-driven and somewhat gabbled. Yet his Bagatelle, played for once after the sonata, was one of the day's best performances.
Matthew McCombie (Trinity/Laban) disappointed with a ploddy Bagatelle, but there was more to enjoy in an energised op 111 first movement. The pacing and punctuation weren't quite right though: again, I thought, listen to Monk and Schnabel! (To be sure, Thelonious never recorded op 111 but he did have the most wonderful way with pauses.) McCombie's Arietta was overladen with "points", becoming somewhat sentimentalised. From the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Veneta Neynska missed the character of the Bagatelle, though her playing certainly had intensity. Her E flat Sonata op 31 no 3, one of Beethoven's great comedies-of-manners, was considerably more enjoyable, lively and energetic, with the middle movements particularly well characterised (although the Trio section of the third movement was over-characterised - surely Beethoven shouldn't sound "cute").
Ayako Kanazawa, from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, showed an engaging personality in the Bagatelle, warm and impulsive (maybe veering towards frisky). The A flat Sonata op 110 suited her warm, caring playing, even if it came across as slightly romanticised, with a tendency to split hands and with over-generous if never unmusical pedalling. She conveyed the sheer oddness of the second movement well, and displayed good part-playing in the fugue.
As Andrejs Osokins (Royal Academy of Music) began his Bagatelle I noted down simply: "Well, this is the real thing". Nothing he did subsequently gave me reason to revise this all-important first impression. In the Bagatelle, he somehow made sense of the pedalling in a way that none of the others had quite managed, and his playing had an extraordinary concentration and distilled poetry. In the day's last op 111 he convinced me that he had, as it were, the right to play this Everest of sonatas, with a maturity of phrasing and a grasp of the longer structure (including the all-important pauses!) that were deeply satisfying. Occasionally in the first movement he could have risked rougher, more elemental playing, and his coda, that magical wind-down, was rather literal - but this will surely come. He also had the measure of the Arietta, with a tempo that flowed just enough to convey the august momentum of Beethoven's varied yet implacable three-in-a-bar. The extraordinary variation where Beethoven seems to invent boogie-woogie was a little too forceful for its "cosmic dance"to take fire; but more or less everything in Osokins' performance was meaningful and well-heard, and he was the deserving winner of the first prize. Second prize went to Gintaute Gataveckaite and third prize to Veneta Neynska, with an honourable mention for Nikos Stavlos. The Jury also expressed their appreciation of Ayako Kanazawa and Tatiana Dardykina.
The Competition was held as in previous years at the Bluthner Piano Centre in London, generously hosted by Mr Roger Willson. The Lady Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians (the first such in the Company's 500-year history), Petronella Dittmer - herself a professional musician - presented the Company's Beethoven Medal to Andrejs Osokins, with some inspiring words for all the contestants. Osokins also received the Eugenie Maxwell Award of £500, although Mrs Maxwell, in her role of Vice-President of the Beethoven Society, was unable to be present. William Brown CBE and Mrs Nachiko Brown, Patrons of the Society, were on hand to present their prizes and say a few words of congratulation. The distinguished Jury comprised Dr Marios Papadopoulos, Mr Stephen Savage and Prof Malcolm Troup; Dr Papadopoulos, as Chairman of the Jury, announced the results and drew favourable attention to the admirably high standard of the playing throughout.
Julian Jacobson
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