III International Chopin Piano Competition

The III International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: III Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 21 February to 13 March 1937 in Warsaw. It was the last competition before the outbreak of World War II, and the competition would not be held again until 1949.

The Third International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
Date21 February – 13 March 1937 (1937-02-21 – 1937-03-13)
VenueNational Philharmonic, Warsaw
Hosted byWarsaw Music Society [pl]
WinnerSoviet Union Yakov Zak
← 2nd · Chopin Competition · 4th →
Władysław Korsak, Deputy Minister of the Interior, giving the inaugural speech in the Warsaw Philharmonic

80 pianists from 22 countries took part in the competition, including two participants from Japan. Contestants could choose between pianos manufactured by Bechstein, Bösendorfer, Pleyel and Steinway. Soviet pianist Yakov Zak was awarded the first prize.

Awards edit

 
Yakov Zak, winner of the first prize, during the competition
 
Laureates of the competition: Yakov Zak, Rosa Tamarkina, Witold Małcużyński and Lance Dossor

Out of 80 pianists in the elimination stage, 21 were admitted to the final, where they performed two consecutive movements of one of Chopin's two piano concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic.[1]

The two female Japanese pianists Miwa Kai [jp] and Chieko Hara [jp] received great acclaim among critics and the public. When news broke that Hara, who reached the final, was not among the prize-winners and was merely awarded an honorable mention, a commotion broke out. Fearing that the frenzied crowd would cause damage to the Philharmonic, industrialist Stanisław Meyer sponsored a special award for Hara.[2]

 
16-year-old Evi Wächter from Austria was the first pianist to perform in the elimination stage

The following prizes were awarded:[1]

Prize Winner
1st  5,000 Yakov Zak   Soviet Union
2nd  2,500 Rosa Tamarkina   Soviet Union
3rd  2,500 Witold Małcużyński   Poland
4th  2,000 Lance Dossor   United Kingdom
5th  2,000 Agi Jambor   Hungary
6th  1,000 Edith Axenfeld   Germany
7th  1,000 Monique de La Bruchollerie   France
8th  500 Jan Ekier   Poland
9th  500 Tatiana Goldfarb [ru]   Soviet Union
10th  500 Olga Iliwicka [pl]   Poland
11th  500 Pierre Maillard-Verger   France
12th  250 Lélia Gousseau   France
13th  200 Halina Kalmanowicz [pl]   Poland
HM Jan Bereżyński   Poland
Maria Bilińska-Riegerowa [pl]   Poland
Márta Blaha   Hungary
György Faragó [ru]   Hungary
Colette Gaveau   France
Zbigniew Grzybowski   Poland
Chieko Hara [jp]   Japan
Natalia Hornowska-Pęzińska   Poland
Nina Jemelianowa   Soviet Union
Helena Landau   Poland
Fryderyk Portnoj   Poland
Paulina Szmukler   Poland
Viktorie Švihlíková [cs]   Czechoslovakia
Marie Aimée Warrot [Wikidata]   France
Jozsef Weingarten   Hungary

Two special prizes were awarded:

Special prize Winner
Best Performance of Mazurkas  250 Yakov Zak   Soviet Union
Best Performances of a Sonata  500 Lance Dossor   United Kingdom

Jury edit

The jury consisted of:[1]

 
The final of the competition. The jury sits on the left.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "III International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition". Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. ^ Marczyński, Jacek (21 October 2000). "Salon odrzuconych". 247 (5717) (in Polish). No. "Rzeczpospolita" (special issue). Warsaw. p. 4. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)

Further reading edit

External links edit