Final round of KEW semi-final
The presence of Queen Mathilde in the front row of the concert hall greatly motivated the participants to give their best. The upbeat demeanor of the queen inspired the hosts in their tribute to the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia and to express their gratitude. During the intermission, the queen, patron of the Queen Elisabeth Wcompetition, took to the stage to greet the conductor and orchestra. Composer Harold Noben, who was present in the audience, was officially congratulated for his special contribution with the the piece Caffeine, which was commissioned for this KEW edition.
program
Anton Kraft – Concerto in C op. 4
Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
Dthe tonal quality that Marcus Michelin manages to create stands out from the very first moment the cello bow touches the strings. A perfect coordination allows him to shine. With this classical concert piece by Kraft, which is both substantively well-founded and aesthetically perfect, he delivers a stylish performance worthy of a grand occasion.
program
Leopold Hofmann – Concerto in D Badley D3
Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, dir. Vahan Mardirossian
A subtle, sensitive touch, a soft, whispering cello sound that sometimes even displays baroque characteristics, and a cheerful approach to the Hofmann concerto. She is introspective, she almost dances during her performance, and we don't know where her mysterious choreography comes from. It is striking to realize that she is still at the beginning of her development. You cannot help but reflectcand wonder what heights she will still reach.
program
Claude Debussy – Sonata in d
Anton von Webern – Three Little Pieces op. 11
Harold Noben – Caffeine
Mily Balakirev – Romance
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Pezzo capriccioso op. 62
Katsura Mizumoto, piano accompanist
Michael Song is completely absorbed in thought and cello playing. As noted before, this leads to a lack of communication, which gives the impression of an inner struggle while exploring new possibilities, as a continuation of his studies. His natural manual dexterity serves him well in shaping the left hand and bow technique, whereby we see in this candidate a particularly technical ingenuity.
program
Harold Noben – Caffeine
Witold Lutosławski – Sacher Variations for solo cello
Johannes Brahms – Sonata No. 1 in e op. 38
Boris Kuznetsov, piano accompaniment
A brilliant musical interpretation that captures all the nuances of this repertoire: the dramatic intensity of the crisis in Nober's composition, the capricious technical virtuosity in the Variations, the tenderness of the late Romantic sonata – an artistic achievement worthy of this royal evening.
Finalists (order of appearance)
Maria Zaitseva
Lionel Martin
Yo Kitamura
Ivan Sendetsky
Krzysztof Michalski
Clara Dietlin
Ettore Pagano
Narzillaev begins with the somewhat mysterious, very slow, misty, exploratory section of this four-part composition. After the first tentative notes exploring the universe, you hear a deep, warm cello in the first solo line. By choosing this intro, he immediately makes the work more enjoyable. The next section is powerful, turbulent, with an unexpected high tempo and yes, his cello is somewhat overpowered too. That was also the composer's intention. Why? Well… Part three is an aggressive section with many short and forceful bow strokes. Dilshod Narzillaev handles the bow perfectly and minimizes the not-so-pleasant squeaking as much as possible. The chaotic third section doesn't become particularly 'beautiful,' but you do get that less grating cello sound. The final section somewhat echoes how the work began today—a light and pure sound. Still, it's a challenge to keep it engaging throughout. Perhaps we should ask the composer why that is?
Dmitri Shostakovich – Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Op. 107
Leland Ko
Andrew Ilhoon Byun
Tae-Yeon Kim
