When I was about 10 years old I developed a liking for the Queen Elizabeth Competition. It was hard to follow as I was young and the competition happened at night.I had a little radio and had been able to locate the channel where the competition was being broadcasted every night so when I went to bed, it was not to sleep right away or at least not as fast as my father was hoping I would.
It is true that it is how I discovered there was classical music I didn't like as well. Some eventually grew on me but some remains much of the contemporary classical movement remains 'too much' for me. That is where I fell in love, Tchaikovsky's famous Piano Concerto#1.
This also helped strike a friendship later in life with someone who would give me a recording of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony made during the Queen Elisabeth Competition competition.
"In 1937 a dream, long-cherished by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium and Eugène Ysaye, came true: the Concours Eugène Ysaye was born. The war brought this enterprising and generous venture to a stop that many thought definitive. However, the Queen’s determination was such that the competition was eventually resumed in 1951 under its present name. It soon became a highly popular event in Belgium’s musical life and progressively acquired an enviable international status.
...In 1988, the directors of the Q.E.C. launched the Song Award. This was done on an experimental basis, but the general response was such that it is now a permanent component of the Q.E.C.
An important characteristic of the Q.E.C. is its emphasis on Belgian contemporary music which was materialized in the test pieces for the semi-finals and the finals. In fact, from 1938 to 1983, the unpublished concerto played by all twelve finalists was by a Belgian composer. The first of these was composed by Jean Absil for the 1938 Concours Eugène Ysaye"
The internet has brought the competition online and what a special treat to find it just in time for the Piano last year! I was able to download the mp3s on ITune but my pc crashed and all that remains is what I have uploaded here. The Belgian Liebrecht Van Beckevoort took 6th place. The winner Anna Vinnitskaya, was brilliant. I watched the audience stand up, applauding for an encore, which is not be allowed by competition rules, because they were so taken with her performance. And it was absolutely wonderful! I think she won that day, but maybe not...
I'll admit that I skipped the Voice this year and although I look forward to next year's Violin, the Piano is my favorite, and that will have to wait until 2010. They have announced the rules for the 2009 Violin Competition.
To watch this year's performances - until September 15, 2008, go to http://video.cmireb.be/vod/
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