I could only watch it tonight, so here are my impressions.
Sebastian Egebakken Svenøy - Piano Concerto #5 / 3rd movement by Camille Saint-Saëns
Very good technique. I like the phrasing and also the dynamics. I would have expected the middle part to be just a little bit slower, but all in all it was a very good start.
Valerian Alfaré - Concerto for Euphonium by Paul Mealor
Interesting to hear a concerto for euphonium. Musically this is a bit too pleasing for me. It took me a while to get connected to it. But the guy is a great performer. The last minute or so convinced me the most.
Mahault Ska - Concerto for piano g-minor, 1st movement by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Well played especially considering her age, but you felt her nervousness. So the performance was technically good, but a bit sterile. The phrasing was clearly less elaborated than from the norwegian guy.
Leonhard Baumgartner - Concerto for violin a-minor 1. movement by Henri Vieuxtemps
Very good choice if piece. His technique is absolutely amazing, the tone is wonderful, the intonation flawless and the phrasing very
very good. It‘s of course a piece for showcasing virtuosity, but one has also to master that - which he does in perfection. Couldn‘t agree more with the judge here. Goosbumps also on my skin.
Hayk Hekekyan - Concerto for oboe #1 in d-minor, 1st movement by Ludwig August Lebrun
Here‘s the opposite. Not the most clever choice of piece for a competition. If you want to show your technical and musical abilities, I would have gone for baroque rather: Bach or Vivaldi would have given him much more opportunities. Also there were a few minor insecurities at the triplets at the end of the first third - and with classical pieces you hear it instantly. Solid overall.
Pierre-Emmanuel Hurpeau - Concerto for piano G-major 3rd movement by Maurice Ravel
No doubt - the technique is great, but I find him a bit overdramatic. As if he‘s playing the role of a concerto pianist instead of just being one, if that makes sense. I‘d like to have a bit more of connection with the orchestra.
Hugo Svedberg - Concerto for cello #1 in d-major. 1st movement by Joseph Haydn
In terms of musicality and interpretation, he is the best so far. He conveys so much emotion! And he‘s also a very virtuous player. I like his tone - so rich and broad. Fantastic phrasing and the intonation is also flawless. I think this is my number one.
Jeremi Tabęcki - Phantasy on motives from Rigoletto by
Luigi Bassi
Another solid performance, showing his abilities, but it lacks the wow-factor for me. This is one of the classic „encores“ so it feels a bit boring.
Bogdan Dugalić - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini by Sergej Rachmaninov
Very well played! What a great performer with such an elaborated technique. It‘s really difficult to differentiate tonights pianists.
Fabian Egger - Tangophantasy for flute and orchestra by
Jacob Gade &
Toke Lund Christiansen
Interesting choice of piece. The flute is not my favorite solo instrument, it‘s difficult to keep a clear tone when going fast but he does a very good job. I also like his interpretation but the more it gets virtuous, the more he becomes a little bit less nuanced.
Adam Znamirovsky - Concerto for piano #2, 3rd movement by Camille Saint-Saëns
It‘s unfortunate that there are so many pianists this year, and that he‘s last. He‘s also a very skilled performer and his technique is impressive. Regarding the musicality he‘s not on the level of Serbia and Norway and also the tone is a bit dry at times.
My ranking would have been
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Very high level of quality this year! I really enjoyed the whole event. Even those who are lower in my ranking are amazing musicians and represented very well their country.