Finale KEW Cello 2022 – sixth evening

First candidate: Sul Yoon - Korea, °1995

It is almost painful to write how this candidate interpreted Jörg Widmann's '5 Albumblätter'. It was completely soulless, nothing was told. Clearly enormous nerves must have taken over, something that was also visible on her face. Look, that is so very human and a lesser performance at a competition is no proof of lack of talent. After all, it's just 'merely' a competition…

With more conviction and strength, yet still somewhat tense, Sul Yoon began Antonín Dvořák's Concerto n. 2 in b op. 104 B 191. Once the romantic, full of longing-laden phrases came into play, Yoon let the cello sing more and more and the music overcame the inner tension. This way the audience got a beautiful interpretation that even radiated calm. The final result in the competition will be what it will be, it is not the most important thing, never for anyone.

Second candidate: Yibai Chen - China (People's Republic), °2001

For the last time, the assigned work '5 Albumblätter' by Jörg Widmann resonated. Indeed, 12 versions of one work that none of the candidates had heard before. So it's 100% up to them to make it come true. How did Yibai Chen make it come true, in our experience? The entry is rather dry, the melodic line that follows shortly lacks the warmth that we heard in many others. Chen is above all a technician. Plays perfectly on and in the strings, not a single note is on or over the edge of purity, but it remains at that.

For the second time, Dmitry Shostakovich's Concerto n. 1 in Es op. 107 rings out. Again Chen proves how purely he can play. That is a strength in itself, but we would certainly like to hear more development in the long phrases of the slow part of this work. There is something missing there (personal) interpretation that makes listening more engaging. Does Chen know, do many others actually know that this work has an autobiographical character in which the motif DSCH (stands for the composer's name) is leading? It once again says much about how creative artistic souls deal with a dictatorship when they have to live and work in it. Perhaps the performers of such music simply need to be a few years older, have more life experience? Now it was a neatly played work, sometimes very fine and compelling to listen to, but not entirely understood.

Saturday 04/06 [20:00]

Sul Yoon [ Antonín Dvořák, Concerto n. 2 en si mineur op. 104 | Concerto n. 2 in b op. 104 ]

Yibai Chen [ Dmitry Shostakovich, Concerto n. 1 en mi bémol majeur op. 107 | Concerto n. 1 in Es op. 107 ]