Third stage, first day

No sooner had we received the Jury’s verdict late on Wednesday night, than the running order for the third stage was announced, with recitals kicking off yesterday at 10am. In the third stage, the repertoire gets even more concentrated. Yesterday the audience was treated to no fewer than six B minor Sonatas in a row, eight Polonaise-Fantaisies (a required work) and two B flat Sonatas. It would have been nice to have heard a C minor Sonata in all this, but we won’t this Competition. This is just the first day and I would not blame any audience members who were flagging towards the end. But on the contrary, for most people in the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, attending competitions is clearly a pleasure and in some cases a sport – I’ve spotted quite a number of homemade spreadsheets dotted with scores and ticked-off names draped over people’s laps.

I attended two recitals today: Fei-Fei Dong, in an extraordinary pink and gold dress, who played with spirit and fire, despite a nasty slip at the end of her B minor Sonata, and the intense Claire Huangci, who performed both sonatas. I would have liked to have heard Evgeni Bozhanov again, but was at work in the office on the Chopin Express – my sources tell me he seems to have matured almost overnight, serving up a fully realised recital that took the breath away and proved that he is much more than a face-pulling showman. Isn’t it great when you have your prejudices overthrown and someone surprises and delights you?