Along with the national flag, emblem, language, and sovereign territory, almost every European country has its musical symbol embodying the national character, coloration, and people’s talent. In the case of Hungary in Central Europe, it is Franz Liszt, a brilliant nineteenth century composer (1811-1886).
Grateful descendants of the great European have immortalized his memory in the best possible manner. In 1933, the first Liszt International Pianist Contest was held in Budapest, eventually to become one of the world’s most prestigious musical events. What makes this contest so attractive to every new generation of pianists on all continents?
Liszt’s creative heritage is one of the most exciting pages in the history of European music. His works are marked by singular virtuosity, romanticism, finesse, and scope. Every pianist who tries his compositions must have a special temperament and creative imagination, otherwise the renditions will be dry exercises in virtuoso technique. Also, playing only Liszt in a concert is a physically exhausting marathon, for every work is extremely complicated.
The Liszt contest is monographic, in that only works by this composer are performed in all three (actually four) rounds. Even in the first round the contestants must take the bull by the horns, doing three most complicated etudes, each requiring years of practice. The first two rounds include large-scale compositions, pieces, transcriptions, rhapsodies, and piano miniatures.
After every round the international jury gives every performer a number of points, weeding out most contestants and leaving the very best for the next stage. Only the winning contestants are admitted in the third round as future laureates (several pianists, as a rule). Each has to play the most complicated Sonata in B Major and one of Liszt’s piano concertos. Since the sonata and piano concerto are performed on different dates, the tournament’s finale is actually two rounds.
This year’s contest (held in Budapest on September 3-18) became sensational for Ukraine, as Vadym Kholodenko, ninth year student at the Lysenko Special Secondary Music School (class by Ukraine’s noted Professor Natalia Hrydnieva, Meritorious Worker of Art of Ukraine) under the Peter Tchaikovsky National Conservatory of Music, was named among the laureates. What added to the sensational news about Kholodenko becoming the first Ukrainian winner of the prestigious music contest was the fact that the young pianist marked his fifteenth birthday in Budapest. Even the organizing committee could not at first believe the coincidence, thinking it was a publicity stunt, so supporting documents had to be supplied. In the end the Kyiv pianist was announced the youngest laureate.
He had formidable rivals: thirteen pianists from Russia alone, with contenders from the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Hungary, Spain, Japan, Poland, Holland, Greece, China, Austria, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Moldova, Croatia, the Czech Republic (58 pianists in all). The jury included celebrated musicians from Germany, Canada, Holland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Hungary.
In the end the Grand Prix was not awarded, the second prize went to the Hungarian pianist Peter Tot, and the third to Vadym Kholodenko (Ukraine), Massimiliano Motterle (Italy), and Gabor Farcas (Hungary). Incredibly, the Ukrainian Kholodenko got the better of the only Russian among the finalists, product of the Moscow Conservatory, the world’s acknowledged supplier of extra class musicians.
At the concert hall of the Budapest Academy of Music, the contest venue, Vadym Kholodenko performed Liszt’s best known and most complicated Blizzard etudes, the Gnome Dance, Spanish Rhapsody, Sonata in B Minor, Piano Concerto No. 2, etc., always playing to packed houses. The winners received commemorative medals (rather heavy and beautiful pieces, if still jewelry), laureate diplomas, and tangible monetary prizes (from three to four thousand dollars). The contest was financed by the Hungarian government.
In different years among the Liszt laureates were prominent pianists Annie Fischer, Lev Vlasenko, and Lazar Berman. In 1971, Kyiv pianist Mykola Suk (currently a US resident) won first prize.
The Liszt contest is included in the International Association of Music Contests (Geneva) and the organizing committee buys a new Steinway for every competition.
The Day interviewed the young laureate at the Lysenko School.
It was one of the world’s most complicated adult pianist contests, but obviously not your first.
Vadym: I developed a fondness for such tournaments in 1998, when vying in the Vladimir Krainiev contest in Kharkiv. I was placed third and the next year I took second place in the Horowitz contest in Kyiv. In 1999, I finished first at a contest in Donetsk, called In the Fatherland of Sergei Prokofiev. Last year, I won third place at the Prokofiev contest in St. Petersburg. But the Liszt contest was the hardest.
How did you get there in the first place? During Soviet times information about such contests often reached Kyiv too late to prepare.
Vadym: The situation is practically the same. I happened to receive an invitation. This April I was a on concert tour in Hungary and after a concert I was offered to vie in the Liszt contest and they also gave me a full list of contest requirements.
Participating in such a contest is quite expensive: travel, hotel accommodation, and food. The contest lasted two weeks. Who financed your trip?
Vadym: You should add the entrance fee, over a hundred dollars, to the list. And $25 a day worth of hotel accommodation (we went together with Natalia Hrydnieva). Of course, I had tried to find a sponsor. Nothing. So financing was done by the family. Fortunately, the prize money covered all expenses.
Only works by Liszt were performed during the contest. Didn’t you develop an allergy? But for the contest, would you choose Liszt at all?
Vadym: No, I had no allergy, because it’s excellent music, although I would prefer Bach and Beethoven if I had the choice.
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The Day asked Prof. Mykhailo STEPANENKO, Chairman of the Composers’ Union of Ukraine and head of the piano chair at the National Conservatory of Music, to comment on the contest results.
Prof. Stepanenko: I marvel at Vadym Kholodenko’s brilliant performance and I would also like to commend Prof. Natalia Hrydnieva for her excellent work. She is without doubt an outstanding teacher and has raised several pianists of European acclaim.
Hopefully, Kyiv music lovers and those of other Ukrainian philharmonic societies will have an opportunity to attend concerts by the gifted pianist (even if as part of the philharmonic society’s scheduled piano program). It’s common knowledge that a host of Ukrainian musicians leave this country simply because no one needs them here.
