September 4. /TASS/. Russian pianists Miroslav Kultyshev and Viktor Maslov took first and second places, respectively, at the second International Classic Piano contest, the results of which were summed up on Saturday in Dubai, the press service of European Foundation for Support of Culture, the organizer of the show, told TASS.
"Today one of our largest musical projects, Classic Piano, wrapped up. This event lasted a total of three years, taking into account the preliminary selection in different countries. I was happy to see all the participants and I am very grateful to our highly professional jury, which consists entirely of masters of classical music and piano. We congratulate the winner and look forward to seeing him as a soloist on our tour," the press service quoted President of European Foundation for Support of Culture Konstantin Ishkhanov as saying.
The winner of the contest, Miroslav Kultyshev, noted the complexity of the task. “I am happily empty, because it was a really difficult three-week challenge. I was glad to be on stage again, which is especially valuable in our time of pandemic restrictions, I was glad to talk with my colleagues — other participants of the contest. I am greatly thankful to European Foundation for Support of Culture for organizing and supporting classical art. "There is music above us," as Osip Mandelstam once said, and we all serve music," he noted.
About the contest
The contest was held in four rounds from August 15 to September 4, and 70 pianists from more than 20 countries took part in it. In the first two rounds the musicians performed solo, in the third and fourth — accompanied by the State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia under conductor Sergei Smbatyan. In the semifinals, the participants performed concerts by Mozart and composer-resident of Classic Piano competition Alexei Shor. In the final, musicians from Germany, Austria, France, China, Armenia, South Korea, UK, Switzerland, Japan, US, Russia, Israel, Italy and Belgium competed for the victory. They were offered several works of the classics of the XIX-XX centuries.
The musicians were judged by a professional jury chaired by composer Alexander Tchaikovsky. "Initially, all the participants of the contest who came to Dubai are high-class professionals. And it was not so easy to make a choice at each stage," he stressed. "In the finals, we did witness heated battles as each participant showed virtuosity, and artistry, and a deep understanding of musical material."
The prize fund of the competition amounted to more than € 300,000. The winner was awarded a check for € 100,000, the second-place winner — for € 50,000. Moreover, Kultyshev is waiting for a world tour, including concerts in Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, US and UK.
Another Russian musician, Artem Kuznetsov, won a special prize of € 3,000 for the performance of works by Maltese composers.
The contest is timed to coincide with InClassica International Music Festival, which kicked off in Dubai on August 28. It is also organized by European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group.