Comments on Why no International Piano Competitions (as lofty as the Chopin) for less popular composers of ≥ 3 Piano Concertos, like Rautavaara?
Post
Why no International Piano Competitions (as lofty as the Chopin) for less popular composers of ≥ 3 Piano Concertos, like Rautavaara?
I trust my reasoning is obvious, self explanatory. I'm referring to relatively arcane composers who composed AT LEAST 3 piano concertos like John Field, Paul Hindemith, Ernst Krenek, Bohuslav Martinů, Darius Milhaud, Alfred Schnittke, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Charles Wuorinen. NOT referring to famous composers whose piano concertos have hundreds or thousands of recordings like Bartók, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Camille Saint-Saëns. Not to mention the Three German B's, Ravel, ....
The XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition (launched in 1927) just started for October 2021. But isn't it aimless or unproductive, when so many pianists have already recorded Chopin's pieces that are overplayed? At some point, you've got to hit the point of diminishing returns! Can you TRULY innovate on something already played by thousands of professional pianists?!?!?!? At some point, you can't innovate anymore, and you're just repeating what some other pianist already achieved!
Isn't it more logical to spend money and effort on, and to spur youngsters to normalize and popularize, more esoteric composers? My personal favorite is Rautavaara's 3 Piano Concertos. I know just 1 professional pianist who recorded them all, Laura Mikkola. Ashkenazy recorded just Piano Concerto No. 3. In the past 20 years, I've been waiting for more pianists to record them, but nobody has!!!! Arrgghhh!!!
2 comment threads