Posts Live from Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Three Finalist, Three Concertos

Something unique in my concert-going experience happened last night. Cliburn Competition finalist Nikita Mndoyants played his own cadenzas.

A cadenza is a virtuosic solo interlude inserted into a movement of a concerto, an opportunity toreally show off. In the good old days, when pianists were trained to do this, they often improvised elaborate cadenzas on the spot. Composers usually wrote cadenzas for their pieces and those the ones most frequently performed.

Mndoyants has Read More

Posts Live from Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

The weather in Fort Worth has been one of many very pleasant surprises during the Cliburn Competition. The oppressive heat and humidity one expects at this time of year have been blessedly absent.

The Bass Performance Hall, however, maintains the arctic chill typical of every interior space in the city. No wonder the Cliburn’s back stage “mom” keeps a heating pad on hand, reportedly clutched like a teddy bear by the competitors before each performance.

The youngest Read More

Posts Live from Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Last night, the audience was much larger and the stage was filled with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the finals of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Leonard Slatkin, in his first appearance at the Cliburn, led the orchestra through some very challenging repertoire. This gig makes unusual demands on everyone involved. Each pianist has about an hour to rehearse with the orchestra, precious little time when the works they are playing Read More