Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. Some afterthoughts.

What struck me most about the finals of the 2012 Leeds International Piano Competition held last night (Saturday 15^th September 2012) and on Friday night (14^th September 2012) was how easy it was to just get caught up in the music and forget that this was a competition. But surely that is exactly how it should be.

This must have been an incredible event for all the jury members that committed so much time to the competition that ran from 29 August to 15th September.  

Such was the calibre of artists in the final that the two evenings became a wonderful musical event. It was also appropriate that the other six competitors that reached the semi-finals were called onto the platform.

Whilst there has to be winners, no one competing in this event will have had less than a great musical experience and many will gain much from the public exposure the competition has brought.

It isn’t just the bursaries given to all first stage competitors, nor the prizes given to the second stage competitors and semi-finalists or the prize money that is awarded to the finalists that is the most important thing, thought that will be a welcome help to many. It is the public exposure and engagements that can follow and, indeed in the case of the finalists, will follow.

Just go to the Leeds International Piano Competition website www.leedspiano.com to see the range of UK and International engagements that Final Round prize winners will be offered.

The overwhelming message from this important competition must be that the music comes first and certainly all the competitors that I heard seemed to make it do just that.

There was not one artist in the final that I would not pay good money to hear and I’m sure that we will hear a lot more from all of them – and probably from many that didn’t make the final.

BBC4 are starting a six week television series covering this year’s competition. It commences on Friday 21st September 2012. www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour  I shall certainly be watching it.

See also:

Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. The Winner
http://theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/leeds-international-piano-competition_6909.html

Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. The Finals Part 1. http://theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/leeds-international-piano-competition_15.html

Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. The Finals Part 2. http://theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/leeds-international-piano-competition_7394.html

Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. The finalist’s recitals. http://theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/leeds-international-piano-competition.html