It’s back to the USSR in Cliburn Competition finals
NewsThe six final contestants were announced in the last few hours.
Four pianists from former Soviet states will face a lone American and a Korean (who’s also the youngest, at 18).
Here’s the lineup:
Dmytro Choni, Ukraine, 28
Anna Geniushene, Russia, 31
Uladzislau Khandohi, Belarus, 20
Yunchan Lim, South Korea, 18
Ilya Shmukler, Russia, 27 (pictured)
Clayton Stephenson, United States, 23
Yunchan Lim for the win….he’s head over shoulders above the rest of them in terms of artistry.
I’ve been playing the piano for 58 years. At the Cliburn competition level, there’s no saying who’s “above the rest of them in terms of artistry”. There is “who you liked most”. These are all very fine young players. Sure, they won’t all have major careers as soloists. That’s the way it goes. But let’s not be in any doubt about their overall level of musicianship.
Yes they certainly won’t all have major careers as soloists. There just isn’t the capacity nor the market for them all. It’s a simple case of some people play good, but others play better. And only the best of the best of the best will survive. Hence Yunchan.
Yunchan Lim is tremendous. I feel a Liszt reincarnation with serious artistry! Best new young pianist I’ve heard in many years.
There is a lot of “serious artistry” on display in this competition from virtually all of the competitors. To be clear, I’m rooting for Lim, but since I don’t know what Liszt sounded like, I’m not prepared to call Lim a “Liszt reincarnation”.
I really wish that fans of particular competitors would speak more often in terms of “favourite” rather than “best”. Music IS subjective.
Please stop politicizing competitions! Listen to what each candidate has to offer.
Indeed. Stop politicising competitions, and while we’re at it, stop politicising music too.
Norman simply stated that four out of six finalists were from the former USSR republics. It is not politicizing, it is simply stating the fact.
I’m curious how slippedisc readers feel about the results. If you listened to, say, at least 50% of the semifinalists, can you thumbs up this message if you agree overall with the jury decision, and thumbs down if you disagree overall with it?
This isn’t the usual way to use votes on this website, but why not?
Personally, I will limit myself to say I enjoyed the semifinal recital of masaya kamei very much.
Hi,
I was also disappointed (and surprised) to not see him finalist
The clear anti-Asian bias of these results is a poor reflection on this jury. Whatever the current political appeal of the Russian and Ukrainian pianists may be, none of them played at the musical or pianistic level of Masaya Kamei or Yutong Sun, for example.
The results are utterly unfair. There is no way that Stephenson played better than Kamei. In terms of technique, artistry and communicative power, Kamei is way better in every aspect.
I am not the only one. Check out comments section under the Cliburn YouTube video then you’ll see that people are shocked by the results.
By allowing this kind of shenanigans the competition is pretty much saying “fuck you” to all who listened honestly and invested themselves with their emotions.
Since the results came in, I have ruled out Cliburn as a legit competition and will NEVER waste any minute on it!!!
I don’t think it’s fair to assume there is a racial bias just because only one Asian competitor advanced. The ones that get a unique sound from the instrument are the ones that get my attention. The two that got my attention in that respect are not Asian (Stephenson and Shmukler).
If anything, I feel better about this jury than previous juries. I don’t think there are issues with jury independence like there have been at previous editions of the Cliburn or at the last Chopin competition (in my opinion it impacted the eliminations).
Mr. Shmukler just played one of the worse Rach3 I’ve ever heard at a major piano competition. The jury must regret eliminating Masaya Kamei – who is capable of playing an incredible Rach3.
I agree Shmukler’s Rach 3 wasn’t great. I thought Shmukler was much better in the semi-finals though. His recital was excellent, particularly his Prokofiev 8. The last movement was so clearly articulated and incredibly accurate at the very end, with a massive sound. It was at a tempo that I think really worked. I would still like to see him perform live.
I’m doubling down on my assessment of Stephenson though. His Gershwin was in another stratosphere from the two performances that preceded him last night. It’s so good you forget that you’re watching a competition when he is in his element. I think the judges feel that and the Fort Worth audience feels that. I hope his Rach 3 is good. I personally would have preferred that he play one of the Brahms concertos – I think it would have been spectacular.
Many feel the conductor from the 1st night of the final sabotaged the concertos for Yunchan, Shmukler and Clayton.
If they use a new conductor on night 2, I don’t think it’ll be fair!
If Clayton plays the Rach 3 better than Yunchan, he may win.
We’ll know soon, because Yunchan is going to play the Rach 3 right after Clayton.
So we can compare them side by side.
At the same concert, Ilya will be playing the Grieg.
I thought that Stephenson’s Gershwin Concerto had a tremendous electricity to it. Aside from that, the entire competition outcome isn’t determined solely by the final round scoring. I think they look at the cumulative scoring. The contestant that I have been consistently floored by performances in every round has been Stephenson. It has nothing to do with his nationality or ethnicity. Don’t underestimate the Fort Worth audience either. They know what the winners sound like because they listen to them every time, and I’m sure there are a lot of pianists in that audience that know what they’re listening to. In short – it’s possible that Lim’s Rach 3 could be slightly better than Stephenson’s (or not). But that wouldn’t necessarily mean that Lim would win the competition. I think back to the Chopin competition, where Garcia Garcia blew everyone else out of the water with his concerto performance, and still placed third (behind one gold and two silvers). Garcia Garcia’s was the best performance I had heard in that entire competition of anything. He got the prize for best performance of a concerto, so the judges agreed, and that also means he got the highest score in the final round. And still placed third.
Likewise, if Shmukler gives a really compelling Grieg, he can’t be ruled out for a medal.
Nobody has mentioned Geniushene, but I thought her Beethoven Concerto last night had many great qualities. The problem was it didn’t project, but she is a tremendous, intense pianist. I thought it could be mic placement, and might not have had as much of that problem from the audience.
Can we all look for the good in the pianists (this is to everyone commenting here, not this specific strand)? There’s a lot of good to be taken from all the performances, whether they had it all or not. I’m listening to be inspired. The outcome doesn’t necessarily matter – what matters is what these pianists do with the opportunities given to them (i.e. what they do after the competition). Their careers are not determined or limited by the outcome.
It’s ridiculous to compare Clayton to Yunchan. The difference in technical prowess is sizable. Clayton struggles with the demands of his hardest selections, while Yunchan plays them with seeming ease – even his Feux Follet!
As for artistry, that’s subjective. Both are excellent, but I prefer Yunchan.
Finally, electricity for the Gershwin is not in the same league as electricity for all 12 of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes.
Countless good pianists can play the Gershwin. But only a handful will dare to attempt all 12 of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes – live, and in a major competition.
With that said, I would be thrilled if Clayton is declared the winner. I love him and everything he stands for! Even though I feel Yunchan is a major talent that comes along once a decade.
I feel like you are reading my mind. Now, however, on 6/18, after hearing Lim’s performance last night, I think we have a winner. Stephenson second, I hope.
I judge by whether it comes out in a compelling way or not, not by speed or perceived facility. If we’re going to judge pianists only by their technical ability, why would people listen to anyone other than Yuja Wang or Marc-Andre Hamelin? Would there be any room for more pianists on the world stage? I’m thinking also about what these competitors will bring that is new. I’m interested in what they choose to play. I suspect the judges are thinking in that way too. Judges have a responsibility not just to be fair, but to help identify someone that is going to move the art forward and generate interest. Not someone who will be forgotten as soon as their engagements from winning the competition are up. The real work begins when they win. How do the winners make sure that where they perform wants to have them again, and isn’t just looking for the next competition winner as an obligatory slot in their seasonal calendar? Think how many pianists we’re seeing emerge with major careers launched their careers from competitions. It’s a small percentage. That’s not to say they can’t do it – I’m just saying that the competition only gives them exposure and provides them a window of opportunity. They have the task of making sure that opportunity isn’t wasted if it’s given to them. I think it’s important that whoever wins these competitions we get that feeling from – that they’re going to approach these opportunities with a great deal of responsibility not just for themselves but for the art itself. That it’s bigger than themselves. Unfortunately, that’s where we are in the world right now, especially true in the U.S. If everyone else feels that strongly about their preferred competitor, I strongly encourage them to seek out their live performances and support them in person with their money, and not just from the armchair. They are going to need it, regardless of the competition outcome. Their lives and careers don’t end with the competition.
Of all the pictures of any of the finalists, you chose that one of Ilya’s pinky. Lovely. lol
Masterfully, there is nothing else to say …
… first they made the whole world to boycott, beyond every measure, Russia and Belarus (as for the young musicians – see the Dublin Piano Competiton, Sibelius etc, with moronic decision to expell young musicians and, in some cases, the ones who were already accepted and announced publicly) …
… and then they, just like nothing happened, let THREE into Final Round, out of a total of 6 finalists (out of 30 excellent pianists, in the first round) – two from Russia and one Belarusian …
… just perfect !
Yeah! Clayton Stephenson. ONLY Black American & full-time Harvard student!! And he is beyond incredible & worthy of the win!
Except Bax and Hough, none of these judges can play real virtuoso pieces as these finalists and Masaya Kamei! How pathetic! The CEO has to go!
No matter who wins, Clayton Stephenson will have a great career ahead of him. A million dollar smile, a rags-to-riches story, and an audience rapport which would make him a shoo-in for the next hyped classical music “star.”
Lim and Kamei are by far the class of the field when it comes to technique and musicality.
It is very obvious to conservatory students who heard all the contestants.
I’m stunned that the Cliburn jurors injected 4 former Soviet pianists who had easier programs and played with far less authority.
And with the exception of Anna, they were NOT artistically superior to Lim or Kamei!
When the Queen Elisabeth chose 3 Russians for its final in 2021, someone on this site commented that that was not in line with current performance practice.
The Van Cliburn jury has done the same.
Further, all six eliminated semifinalists are Asian: 3 South Koreans, 2 Japanese, 1 Chinese.
As for the finalists, one did not even get out of the first round of the 2022 Dublin International Piano competition. Another has been a finalist at Leeds and the Busoni but did not get out of the first round of the Tchaikovsky in 2019. A third placed fourth at the Leeds this year.
I couldn’t understand the jury’s choices right from the first round when they eliminated 4 out of the 5 Chinese contestants.
Hmm, Anna did get into the semifinals at Tchaikovsky if she is who you are talking about.
It is sad that the focus of this discussion is the contestants’ (finalists’) countries of origin. I am sure that if fewer Russians were passed into the finals, many Russians would feel that this was political, too – because of the sanctions and boycott. I think the jurors acted by and large out of their musical convictions, not political considerations. Which is quite refreshing and in line with the spirit of the Cliburn (who had himself won in the USSR at the height of the Cold War). Whether our musical preferences square with jury’s decisions is another matter. This is what generally makes music such a subjective field. Someone likes one performer, and someone else is into a completely different type or style. I personally don’t think entering a split second earlier in the finale of Mozart’s piano concerto qualified Stephenson for continuing in the finals… But they must have seen something in him I didn’t. Enjoy the finals, everyone, and let the best pianist win regardless of politics, just like great Cliburn did.
The selection for the Cliburn competition final is not a reflection of those who really deserved to be.
I listened to all of the performances and felt pretty good about the jury’s decision overall! It was clear that every Asian WAS NOT going to be a finalist! As for Clayton’s inclusion in the list, the judges made the correct call. To include the South Korean most people seem to feel was unfairly eliminated would mean removing some other individual from this group of gifted artists! Sorry, but the judges got it right with Clayton I’m this competition and the audience agreed!
Can somebody enlighten me as to how the jury makes decisions? Are candidates assigned numerical scores after each round and are they cumulative, and how do they figure in the ranking order after the Finals?
Hi,
I have the same question. I intend to write to Cliburn.org and ask. Should be transparent, as they did for Chopin competition
Whether Russian bias or not amongst the jury- Yunchan Lim’s semi final performance of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes was quite simply astonishing.
Voting is cumulative.