• The International Piano Competition of Valencia, organised by the Provincial Council of Valencia [Diputació de València], is gaining in international prestige and will be held at the Teatro Principal from 31 May to 9 June

• Gloria Tello, the councillor in charge of the Iturbi Award, has expressed her satisfaction because “the 20 people selected have been chosen from among 184 who signed up, another record for participation that breaks the previous one, increasing the number of participants by 3.3%

• Joaquín Achúcarro, the artistic director: “It’s going to be an extraordinary event with four trials that will put the performers’ musical stature to the test.” The renowned Basque soloist considers that “the Iturbi Award puts Valencia at the forefront of the world’s piano scene”

• The 20 pianists who will be taking part in the competition come from 10 countries, mostly from South Korea with 4 contestants; Spain and Russia with 3 each; and the US, Italy and Taiwan with 2. Other nations that will be providing performers are Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Sweden

Valencia, 30 May 2023

The Iturbi Prize, run by the Provincial Council of Valencia [Diputació de València], is beginning the twenty-second International Piano Competition of Valencia, which is to be held at the Teatro Principal in Valencia from 31 May to 9 June. The main people responsible for this biennial music event are: Gloria Tello, the councillor in charge of the Iturbi Prize, the Valencia City Council’s head of Culture and president of the Palau de la Música; Joaquín Achúcarro, artistic director; Ana Guijarro, coordinator and chair of the shortlist selection jury; and Josep Vidal, head of the Culture Service at the Provincial Council of Valencia.

Tello has expressed her satisfaction because “this year’s contest will have its biggest attendance ever since it began to be held in 1981. The 20 people chosen by the jury have been selected from among 184 who registered”. The councillor emphasised that “this means another record in participation, breaking the previous one of 178 participants in 2021 by increasing it by 3.3%, which in turn was six times the one held in 2017 (in 2019 it was not held) with 31 applications. The record of previous competitions has also been amply beaten: in 2010 there were 31 applications registered, in 2013 there were 39, and in 2015 a total of 70.”

Achúcarro points out that “the Iturbi Prize catapults Valencia to the forefront of the world piano scene,” pointing out that “it will be an extraordinary event with four trials to throw the spotlight on the performers’ musical stature”. The renowned Basque concert pianist considers that “registering pianists from 36 different countries is a success that is clearly cause for celebration, because it means that from one Iturbi prize to another, the competition’s international fame is continually growing.” He encourages us all to “experience these unrepeatable days, listening to pianists of the highest quality, full of dreams and hopes, ready to give their very best.”

The Iturbi Prize shortlist selection jury, made up of Ana Guijarro (chair), and the pianists Carles Marín and Ángel Sanzo, selected the 20 pianists who will be taking part in the competition in January. They come from 10 countries, mostly arriving from South Korea with 4 contestants, Spain and Russia with 3, and the US, Italy and Taiwan with 2. Other nations that will be sending performers are Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

High artistic level

Guijarro points out that “in selecting the shortlist, we have verified the contestants’ high artistic and pianistic level, which ensures that this year there will be an excellent contest to enjoy.” The coordinator enthuses that “the pianists who will be competing in the first phase were selected unanimously, and in the coming days we will have to make some difficult decisions thanks to the musical excellence shown.” The coordinator invites “citizens, fans and music buffs to attend and enjoy the concerts”.

Entrance to all stages is open to all and free of charge, but to attend the recitals and the concerts for the final, the grand finale and the closing gala in the Teatro Principal, it is necessary to book in advance via the Tickets section in the website pianoiturbi.dival.es.

The Iturbi Prize’s artistic board is made up of Gloria Tello, Joaquín Achúcarro, Josep Vidal, and the artistic advisors and pianists Ana Guijarro, Emma Jiménez and Carles Marín. Achúcarro will be presiding over the competition’s jury, made up of seven exemplary people from the international music and piano panorama: Catherine D’Argoubet, Edmon Colomer, Ana Guijarro, Paolo Pinamonti, Jorge Luis Prats, Didier Schnorhk and Josu de Solaun; who will be evaluating the performances based on artistic criteria of performance and suitability to the repertoire chosen.

Tello retains an emotional memory of the renowned Israeli-American pianist of German background, Menahem Pressler, who was part of the jury in the previous contest, and who recently passed away. Achúcarro is adamant that “the maestro Pressler is irreplaceable. In tribute to his memory, the jury members have decided that his chair should remain vacant during the contest.”

Four trials

The competition will have three qualifying rounds and the Grand Finale. In the first phase (recital) and the second (semi-final), the performers must freely choose from among the following works: one using counterpoint, Preludes and Fugues from The well-tempered clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach; Preludes and Fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich; Ludus Tonalis by Paul Hindemith; Preludes and Fugues by Felix Mendelssohn; Bach-Ferruccio Busoni; Bach-Ferenc Liszt, etc.; a sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven; a sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; two short works by Fryderyck Chopin, one of which must be a nocturne; a piece from Goyescas by Enrique Granados, a piece from the Iberia Suite, Navarra, either The Vega by Isaac Albéniz or Fantasía Bética by Manuel de Falla.

The pianists who take on the second phase must interpret the work Madre [Mother] by Francisco Coll, commissioned by the Iturbi Prize and with which the renowned composer pays tribute to the Valencian painter Joaquín Sorolla, in a year when the centenary of his death is being commemorated. Participants cannot repeat works throughout the contest.

The first phase will involve the 20 selected performers and will be held from 31 May to 2 June, starting at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.; the second with 10 pianists will be held on 3 and 4 June, at the same times; the final with 6 contestants will take place on the 6 and 7 June at 7:00 p.m.; and the Grand Finale will be held with three participants on 9 June at the same time.

In the latter two rounds, the contestants will perform together with the Orchestra of Valencia, the Palau de la Música’s own ensemble, conducted by Álvaro Albiach. In the final, they will be able to choose between one of Beethoven’s five concertos for piano and orchestra; and in the Grand Finale, they must tackle a concert for piano and orchestra from among those assigned by the organisers from composers such as Chopin, Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Joaquín Rodrigo, Manuel Palau and more.

Prizes

This year, the first prize will be endowed with 30,000 euros, the recording of an album and several recitals and concerts; the second with 20,000 euros; and the third with 10,000 euros. They will also be able to compete for the special prize for the best performance of Spanish music, valued at 2,000 euros.

The rest of the contestants will be able to opt for a series of special prizes: the finalists who are not selected for the Grand Finale will receive 5,000 euros awarded by the Provincial Council of Valencia. There will be an award for the finalist who did not win the first, second or third prize (3,000 euros), and a prize for the best performance of a work by Chopin (2,000 euros), both from the Valencia City Council.

The best performance of a Mozart sonata will be rewarded with 2,000 euros and a recital for the winner of the first prize awarded by the Philharmonic Society of Valencia; the best performance of a Beethoven concert (2,000 euros) will be donated by Kawai España; the best contestant chosen by the public (2,000 euros) by Clemente Pianos; and the Ministry of Culture will be offering 5,000 euros for a series of concerts to be held in the Valencia Community region by the winners of the first, second and third prizes.

Artistic quality

In the previous Iturbi Prize held in 2021 the jury, which praised the artistic quality seen in the contest, the first prize was declared to be void, with the second prize was awarded to Alexey Sychev (Russia) and the third to Salome Jordania (Georgia) and Ryutaro Suzuki (Japan) ex aequo, even though the high artistic quality was confirmed.

The Iturbi Prize is part of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, an association headquartered in Geneva for competitions in countries on the five continents, including the most prestigious international music competitions in the world. The International Piano Competition of Valencia is also a member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation, which caters to most of the international piano competitions in the world.