Russian competitor Georgy Tchaidze enjoys a standing ovation with Fort Worth Symphony conductor Nicholas McGegan. Courtesy Photo 

Rachel Cheung of Hong Kong, the only woman still in the Cliburn contention. Courtesy photo

By ANN MCLAUGHLIN

At this point in the Cliburn Competition, the jury has heard more than 52 hours of music and there are many hours to go. Committing to serve on a Cliburn jury is a major commitment for people who already have busy performing and teaching schedules.

The 10-member jury headed by Chairman and Conductor Leonard Slatkin, operates under a set of rules laid out in a six-page handbook. The rule that may come as a surprise to many is that jurors are not allowed under any circumstances to discuss the competitors’ performances with anyone including their fellow jurors. They are not even allowed to engage in body movements, eye rolling, or noise-making during performances that might signal an opinion. This rule eliminates the dangers of “group think” and the possibility that one very vocal opinion or strong personality might sway the entire group.  

The world of elite pianists is a relatively small one, so just as in Olympic ice skating, jurors in international piano competitions have been accused of shenanigans designed to favor the chances of their countrymen or competitors with whom they have a personal connection. The Cliburn has sought to minimize this possibility by requiring that jurors disclose any familial, teaching or professional relationship with a competitor in the previous four years. The juror is then barred from casting votes for that competitor.

We (and the jury) heard two more semi-finalists perform their 60-minute recitals today including the lone woman to have made it this far, Rachel Cheung of Hong Kong. She played the same Prokofiev sonata (No.6) that Yekwon Sunwoo performed so beautifully yesterday. Her account was lovely if not quite as convincing as Sunwoo’s. She also played Schumann’s Kreisleriana so beautifully that she almost made me like Schumann. (Sorry Schumann fans, I’ve just never warmed up to all those notes that seem to say so little!)

If I have one quibble with Cheung’s performance, it is a concern that I have had with many performances over the last few days. The competitors seem to feel that if louder and faster is better, then softer and slower must be better as well. This creates jarring imbalances between those two extremes and forces the pianist to labor mightily instead of enjoying an opportunity to bask in relaxed lyricism. It’s tough to keep things flowing forward at a very slow tempo on an instrument whose sound begins to decay the moment a key is struck. Watching a pianist hunched painfully over the keyboard during these calm interludes is exhausting to watch.

Of the four competitors who played concertos in the evening, Russia’s Georgy Tchaidze, who so impressed me in his earlier recital, did not disappoint. His muscular approach to the first movement of Mozart’s No. 20 was in perfect balance with the orchestra. (This was in stark contrast to an earlier competitor who played the first movement of his chosen concerto so softly that one had the sense that he and the orchestra were playing different pieces.) Tchaidze’s account of the second movement was lyrical and lovely and not too slow! His tempo in the final movement was so fast that I had some momentary concern for the first violins but he (and Maestro McGehan) had everything in perfect control for a thrilling end to a long day. The audience responded with an instant and prolonged standing ovation.