· The performers will face five elimination rounds in the competition, organised by the Provincial Council of Valencia, at the Teatro Principal from 23 June to 2 July, after passing a pre-selection process involving 178 musicians from 41 countries
· The jury, chaired by Joaquín Achúcarro, will be made up of eight leading figures from the international piano and music scene: Catherine D’Argoubet, Ana Guijarro, Jorge Luis Prats, Menahem Pressler, Didier Schnorhk, Josu de Solaun, Paolo Pinamonti and Barrett Wissman.
· Glòria Tello, councillor for the Iturbi Prize, said, “We invite all citizens, music lovers and enthusiasts to celebrate this festival of international pianism that has been the Iturbi Prize since 1981”
Pianists from Europe, Asia and America selected by the jury of the Iturbi Prize, organised by the Provincial Council of Valencia, are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the five qualifying rounds that will take place from 23 June to 2 July at the Teatro Principal in Valencia, after 22 performers passed the first round, in which 178 musicians from 41 countries demonstrated the high standard of the 21st Valencia International Piano Competition, in an edition in which this biennial musical event celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Glòria Tello, councillor responsible for the Iturbi Prize, Councillor for Culture at Valencia City Council and President of the Palau de la Música, said that “we invite all citizens, music lovers and enthusiasts to celebrate this festival of international pianism that has been the Iturbi Prize since 1981”. Tello highlighted that “we will attend recitals and concerts of the highest standard and quality with performers who, despite their youth, have extraordinary artistic potential”.
The performers who passed the pre-selection process come from 15 countries and are listed in alphabetical order: Juan Barahona (Spain), Antonii Baryshevskyi (Ukraine), Michelle Candotti (Italy), Luigi Carroccia (Italy), Haike Dietrich (Germany), Florian Feilmair (Austria), Felix Hong (Canada), Sebastian Iivonen (Sweden), Vincent Ip (USA), Andrei Ivanou (Belarus), Salome Jordania (Georgia), Airi Katada (Japan), Hoyel Lee (Republic of Korea), Yeram Park (Germany), Mihkel Poll (Estonia), Oxana Shevchenko (Kazakhstan), Alexey Sychev (Russia), Yuna Tamogami (Japan), Tsubasa Tatsuno (Japan), Anastasia Yasko (Russia), Zifan Ye (China), and Hanna Yukho (Belarus).
The countries with the most representatives in the first round are Japan with three contestants, and Germany, Belarus, Italy and Russia with two each. By continent, the number of musicians from Europe stands out, accounting for 64%, while those from Asia account for 27% and America 9%. In terms of gender parity, it is worth noting that participation will be balanced, with 13 men (59%) and 9 women (41%) taking part in the competition. It should be noted that there have been two withdrawals from the initial list of selected participants due to mobility problems caused by Covid-19, who have been replaced by the next highest ranked pianists.
Apart from the level of their performances, as assessed by the jury, the young pianists have impressive CVs that highlight their excellence. They have performed under the baton of leading conductors with some of the best orchestras and ensembles in the world and have won various prizes in important competitions, which gives an idea of the promising future of these concert pianists.
The competition will consist of five elimination rounds in which the participants must decide which of the following works they will perform: a sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, two short works by Frédéric Chopin, one of which must be a nocturne; a piece from Goyescas by Enrique Granados, the Suite Iberia by Isaac Albéniz, or the Fantasía Bética by Manuel de Falla; which participants may not repeat. In the semi-final, they must include the work Imatges, inspired by emblematic places and aspects of the city of Valencia, commissioned from Oscar Colomina to commemorate the 40th anniversary.
This edition is the most popular in the long history of the Iturbi Prize, despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that it coincides with five other important international competitions in Israel, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the United Kingdom, such as the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv and the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels. It will begin, according to the order of performance drawn by lot on 2 June, with the 22 pianists participating in the first round (23 to 24 June), followed by 16 in the second round (25 to 26 June) and 10 in the semi-final (27 to 28 June). The first final will feature six pianists (29 to 30 June) and the Grand Final will feature three (2 July), in which the contestants will perform two piano concertos with the Orquesta de València at the Teatro Principal.
Jury
For the first time, the Iturbi Prize will have an Artistic Director, Joaquín Achúcarro, a renowned international concert pianist who will also chair the competition jury, made up of eight leading figures from the international piano and music scene: Catherine D’Argoubet, Ana Guijarro, Jorge Luis Prats, Menahem Pressler, Didier Schnorhk, Josu de Solaun, Paolo Pinamonti and
Barrett Wissman, who will evaluate the performances based on artistic criteria, interpretation and suitability to the chosen repertoire.
Admission to the different rounds is free of charge and open to the public, and the recitals and concerts at the Teatro Principal can be attended by booking in advance on the website pianoiturbi.dival.es. From 23 to 28 June, performances will take place from 10 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm, while the final and Grand Final on 29 and 30 June and 2 July, respectively, will begin at 7:30 pm. This musical event can also be enjoyed worldwide on YouTube and on the Provincial Council of Valencia’s website, www.webtv.iturbi.es, which will stream all the competition rounds.
Collaborating entities
The Iturbi Prize is supported by entities and institutions such as the Miami Piano Festival, Aux Jacobines de Toulouse, the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, Porto Pianofest, the Palau de la Música, the Valencia Philharmonic Society, the Orozco Festival in Cordoba and the Godella Chamber Music Festival, and is part of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, an association based in Geneva that brings together competitions from countries on all five continents, including the most prestigious international music competitions in the world. The Valencia International Piano Competition is also a member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation, which brings together most of the international piano competitions around the world.
