5 CD: Chronicle of 14th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (2011)

We present to you a 5-CD sound chronicle of 14th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition which was held on 8-23 October, 2011 in Poznań.

A selection of the recordings was not easy. For how to capture the unforgettable atmosphere of the fourteen days of auditions on several CDs? Which interpretations should be included to make this chronicle a representative cross-section of the many diverse performances, while allowing listeners to make their own judgment on the skills of the young violinists? These were the challenges faced by the producers of this sound chronicle.

The first CD is devoted exclusively to the competition winner, Soyoung Yoon of South Korea.The second CD features recordings by Second and Third Prize winners, Miki Kobayashi (Japan) and Stefan Tarara (Germany). The third CD contains the recordings by the finalists – Erzhan Kulibaev (Kazakhstan), Aylen Pritchin (Russia) and Arata Yumi (Japan). The fourth CD is dedicated to representatives of the Polish violin school, and the fifth features a selection of pieces performed by those who failed to qualify to the finals but are interesting artistic personalities.

The 14th edition of the Wieniawski Competition was unique in many ways. Its jury was chaired by the world-famous violinistMaxim Vengerov and included such household names as outstanding violinists Zakhar Bron, Bartosz Bryła, Edward Gracz, Erich Gruenberg, Koichiro Harada, Dong-Suk Kang, Leonid Kerbel, Piotr Milewski, Bartek Nizioł, Vera Tsu andPavel Vernikov, as well as the prominent conductor Yuri Simonov. Ida Haendel served as the jury’s honorary chairperson. For the first time in the history of the event, the participants were selected, by Maxim Vengerov himself, in a series of preliminary auditions held in nine cities around the world (Bergamo, London, Quebec, Yokohama, Seoul, Moscow, Baku, Brussels, Poznań). In one of the competition stages, the entrants performed with a chamber orchestra.

The overriding goal of jury members was to select all-round violinists, who combine technical brilliance and virtuoso skills (1st stage – works for solo violin) with an ability to perform with other musicians (2nd stage – works for violin and piano, 3rd stage – with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, 4th stage – with the Symphony Orchestra of Poznań Philharmonic) and are at the same time unique artistic personalities. In our view, the prizewinners of the 2010 Wieniawski Competition possess all these features and we hope that you will feel the same as we invite you to listen to the sound chronicle of the event.

CD 1

First Prize and Gold Medal:

SOYOUNG YOON (South Korea)

Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No.1 for Violin Solo in G minor BWV 1001
1 Adagio 4:33
2 Fuga 5:38

3 Niccolò Paganini: Capriccio Op.1 No.24 5:03

4 Henryk Wieniawski: Capriccio Op.10 No.7 (La Cadenza)  5:03

Sergey Prokofiev: I Sonata in F Minor Op.80
Irina Vinogradova – piano
5 I Andante assai 7:05
6 II Allegro brusco 7:09
7 III Andante 7:44
8 IV Allegrissimo 7:46

Henryk Wieniawski: Violin Concerto in F sharp minor Op.14
Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marek Pijarowski
9 I Allegro moderato 15:31
10 II Preghiera. Larghetto 5:05
11 III Rondo. Allegro giocoso 6:39

 total time: 77:16

CD 2

Second Prize and Silver Medal

MIKI KOBAYASHI (Japan)

Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor Op. 77
Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marek Pijarowski
1 I Nocturne. Moderato 13:11
2 II Scherzo. Allegro 6:54
3 III Passacaglia. Andante 15:22
4 IV Burlesque. Allegro con brio – Presto 5:04

Third Prize and Bronze Medal

STEFAN TARARA (Germany)

Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor Op. 47
Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marek Pijarowski
5 I Allegro moderato 16:51
6 II Adagio di molto 8:59
7 III Allegro ma non tanto 7:58

 total time: 74:32

CD 3

Prizewinners:

ERZHAN KULIBAEV (Kazakhstan):
1 Henryk Wieniawski: Variations on an Original Theme Op.15  11:12
Irina Vinogradova – piano
2 Eugène Ysaÿe: Third Sonata in D minor for violin solo Op. 27 – Ballade  6:46

ARATA YUMI (Japan):
3 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto in G major KV 216 (Allegro)8:22
– part I: Allegro, cadence: Robert Levin
‘Amadeus’ Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal
Franz Schubert: Sonata in A major “Duo” D 574
Irina Vinogradova – piano
4 I Allegro moderato 6:05
5 II Scherzo. Presto 4:09
6 III Andantino 4:39
7 IV Allegro vivace 3:41

AYLEN PRITCHIN (Russia):
8 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major KV 364
part I – Allegro maestoso 13:05
Lech Bałaban – viola
‘Amadeus’ Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal
9 Eugène Ysaÿe: Sixth Sonata in E major for violin solo Op. 27 6:53

total time: 64:53

CD 4

Polish Participants of the Competition – a selection:

MARIA WŁOSZCZOWSKA

Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No.3 for Violin Solo in C major BWV 1005
1 Adagio 4:49
2 Fuga 11:07

ALEKSANDRA KULS

3 Karol Szymanowski: La fontaine d’Arethuse of Mythes cycle Op. 30  5:42
Marcin Koziak – piano

MACIEJ STRZELECKI

4 Karol Szymanowski: Dryades et Pan of Mythes cycle Op. 30 7:53
Marcin Sikorski – piano

JOANNA KREFT

5 Nathan Milstein: Paganiniana  8:44

CELINA KOTZ

Karol Szymanowski:Sonata in D minor Op.9  9:20
Marcin Sikorski – piano
6 I Allegro moderato. Patetico

MAŁGORZATA WASIUCIONEK

7 Alfred Schnittke: A Paganini 12:46

MACIEJ BURDZY

8 Henryk Wieniawski: Capriccio Op.10 No.6 (Prélude)  2:54

MATEUSZ SMÓL

9 Henryk Wieniawski: Polonaise in D major Op.4 4:57
Marcin Sikorski – piano

total time: 68:14

CD 5

Talents to watch:

JI-YOON LEE (South Korea)

1 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto in A Major KV 219  10:32
part I – Allegro aperto, cadence: Joseph Joachim
‘Amadeus’ Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal

EMMA STEELE (USA)

Béla Bartók: Second Sonata
Katarzyna Wieczorek – piano
2 Molto moderato 15:33
3 Allegretto 5:25

MARIANNA VASILYEVA (Russia)

4 Henryk Wieniawski: Fantasy on Themes from Ch. Gounod’s Opera Faust Op. 20  16:51
Alina Komarkowa – piano

HANNAH JI (USA)

5 Niccolò Paganini: Capriccio Op.1 No.17  4:08

OMARLI KAMRAN (Azerbaijan)

6 Johann Sebastian Bach: Chaconne from Partita in D minor BWV 1004  15:11

total time: 67:42