Chopin Competition to mark 100 years of Polish independence
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
25.06.2017 12:00
An international Chopin Competition featuring period pianos is to be held in Warsaw in September 2018 to mark 100 years of Poland's independence after 123 years of foreign rule.
An 1885 Erard grand piano. Photo: Jmrebes/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The competition will be open to pianists aged 18 to 35 from around the world.
The participants will have at their disposal pianos from the National Chopin Institute's collection, including Erards from 1838, 1849 and 1855, Pleyels from 1848 and 1854, and an 1843 Broadwood, as well as copies of period instruments, including Chopin's Buchholtz, specially commissioned for the competition. The original burned in Poland's 1863-64 January Uprising against its Russian rulers.
Jacek Kurski, CEO of public broadcaster TVP, which is organising the event with the Chopin Institute, said “one cannot imagine the celebrations of the centenary of Polish independence without Chopin’s music. TVP will broadcast the competition live.
Warsaw has hosted the International Chopin Competition since 1927, which has been held every five years since 1955. The 18th edition of the event is scheduled for 2020. Next year’s event will be the first ever Chopin Competition on historical instruments. (mk/vb)