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Eberhard, amateur pianist and founder of the Berlin Amateur Competition, shares our passion of giving amateurs opportunities to express their love of making music. He and Richard want to organize a federation of international amateur competitions to enhance networking and coordination of events.

The world of music is like any other ~ small and connected. Here we saw Maria Mazo, 2005 Cliburn Competitor, who is studying at the Hochschule in Hannover and had a master class with Veda Kaplinsky. She shares a bite with Marcello when she came to say hello at a reception for the Jury and celebration for Richard’s birthday.

And we all sang ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Steinway is a wonderful sponsor and partner! Steinway provides pianos for the recitals in all the venues. Gerrit travelled from Hamburg, international headquarters for Steinway, to greet the Cliburn delegation and to hear the performances.

Friday evening, the hall was filled ~ not an empty seat! Throughout the day, audiences were coming to support their various favorites. One doesn’t have to know the spoken language to understand the appreciation of an artist and a performance. There definitely was a buzz ~ bravos and numerous curtain calls for several of the competitors. Truly, this was a day and night of exquisite performances.

Saturday is the last day in Hannover. We leave early Sunday morning for St. Petersburg; therefore it may be a few days before I get back to the blog. Everyone is well ~ thank goodness! Alann

A walk in the park (sponsored by the Shanghai Spiritual Civilization Promotional Committee) before the auditions ~ one sees little boys playing with helicopters, all ages doing tai chi, men painting Chinese characters on the open walkways; writing is considered a fine art and exercise in China.

Dinner included roasted lamb bits presented in a Chinese boat sailing on a cloud.

Marcello Abbado pauses with us in front of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Over the two days and three evenings, we heard 16 applicants, 12 males and 4 females. Liszt was the most performed composer. However, we heard 5 performances of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata, a Bach prelude, two Mozart sonatas, and 2 Chopin nocturnes. It is interesting to note audiences in China are reserved in their applause even though they are rapt in their listening to the performances. More than half of the hall was filled with young people, and parents brought their children who tried hard to sit still ~ like young children everywhere; they ultimately found it more comfortable in the balcony.

As we left Shanghai, this red symbol was being hung everywhere as the Chinese begin to celebrate their New Year, the year of the Ox. The Chinese are a vibrant people, eager to embrace the present and mold the future. We leave inspired and continue the quest for competitors for the Thirteenth Competition in Hannover. It will be a 24 hour journey. Alann

St. Petersburg Conservatory

Here we heard 13 applicants from across the Russian Federation. In all, we will hear 27 Russian in auditions, which is the largest national majority. However, in these days many of the Russians study and live abroad.

Liszt and Rachmaninoff were the favorite composers for these applicants, and we did hear some wonderful Scarlatti. Whatever the acclaim of the ‘Russian school’ ~ factors of it are in transition. Time brings change.

It is interesting to note that the audiences in the Conservatory do not applause until the performance is ended, and even then the response is only polite.

The acoustics are wonderful, and the hall is richly beautiful. Over the last four years, the Conservatory has undergone major restoration for its public places ~ like most of the imperial buildings in St. Petersburg ~ utterly stunning. The city has a special glow this week as it celebrates the 65th anniversary of the end of the Seige of Stalingrad/St. Petersburg.

Today we leave snowy St. Petersburg and head for Lugano, Switzerland, and two days of rest ~ a welcomed respite on the schedule before four intense days begin. The auditions in Lugano will be streamed on our website ~ so take a look, beginning Saturday, 31 January. And, I will be back on the blog. We all send our hellos to everyone. We are still in tact and holding up! Alann

Weather conditions delayed departure from St. Petersburg for Munich and the connection to Milano for the van to Lugano. We made the connection because they held the plane for us but not the luggage. So we had a bit of a layover in Milan while we waited for the luggage to catch up with us. Everyone was a good sport, and John Giordano took this opportunity to stretch out!

Ahh! It's all worth it.
Sunset at Lugano.
Marcello sits for the setting of the stage lights before auditions begin.

The first day of recitals showcased 6 applicants performing a range of repertoire from Beethoven to Ligeti, with three opting for Schumann. The hall in the radio station is perfect for these auditions; the audience is rapt and polite, with definite preferences. Two from North Texas came to Lugano to follow these auditions in person, one joining the trek in Hannover and continued to St. Petersburg.
Davide Cabassi comes to say 'Hello' and share news!

Davide Cabassi comes to say HELLO and to share news.

Four years ago Davide auditioned in Lugano for the Twelfth Competition in which he competed and became a laureate ~ finalist, and he remembered how very nervous he was in Lugano. Today he came to tell us he and his wife are expecting their first child in July. Davide’s smile lit up the hall. CONGRATULATIONS! With great expectations, Alann

[caption id="attachment_13" align="alignnone" width="300"] Palm trees display snowy bonnets![/caption]

Snowbound! Snow fell heavily and stranded travellers throughout western Europe. This kept two applicants from performing their audition recitals today; they will prepare DVDs and send to Fort Worth for the jury to view later in the month. However, the programs performed presented several spectacular moments. Liszt and Scriabin had special spotlights.

Snow does not dampen enthusiasm. Dr. and Mrs. Heiniger are from Zurich; she is in the arts and he is a geophysicist/mathematician/teacher and amateur pianist; they came to Lugano Thursday to spend vacation time at the auditions. He has been following the Cliburn since 1997; hopefully, we will see them in Fort Worth for the next Amateur Competition. Several Cliburn enthusiasts ~ board member and friends ~ came from Italy and Switzerland for these performances. Their ardent admiration fills the hall with applause and bravos.

Christian will be in Fort Worth as an Official Guest at the competition. He is director of the classical music series for RTSI in Lugano and is planning to present Cliburn winners in the coming seasons. In fact, there are several plans in the making for adding opportunities and venues for Cliburn laureates in Europe and elsewhere.

It was especially moving to speak with some of the pianists today; perhaps a comment from one of them reflects the aspirations of others:

“This is my dream ~ to compete in the Cliburn, the best, the highest competition in the world.”

You feel as if your heart is on the line with theirs!

This will be the last blog from Lugano. Tuesday, we hear 6 recitals, lasting until almost midnight; we leave at 4:00 in the morning for the connections and flight to the states. To be resumed in New York, Alann

Six very interesting applicants ~ from all over the globe ~ Italy, Israel, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Korea. Special performances of Stravinsky, Scarlatti, Szymanowski, Scriabin made for a wonderful day of concerts.

There has been good coverage of the auditions on the radio and television, including interviews with Richard. However, the audiences remain small but faithful ~ eager to give encouragement to these remarkable young artists as they take on this challenge.

The acoustics are very good ~ can hear every soft note; in quiet passages it seems as if we hold our breaths, not wanting to disturb the resonance of the notes ~ and there is no coughing, regardless of the cold.

Getting ready to return home! ‘Knee deep’ in snow, Alann