Warsaw cello competition enters second stage
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
04.02.2018 10:15
Nineteen cellists from 10 countries have qualified for the second stage of the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw.
Photograph of Witold Lutosławski conducting, taken by Juliusz Mułtarzyński (1991); Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Six South Koreans are among those who will be battling it out in the competition’s second stage beginning on Sunday.
Polish music fans were slightly disappointed to see only one Pole remaining in the race for prizes: Krystyna Wiśniewska, a 22-year-old student at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
One of the main goals of the competition, which opened on January 30 and runs until February 10, is to promote Polish music, notably works by the composer Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994).
Lutosławski’s Grave is the compulsory piece to play in the second stage of the competition, and his Cello Concerto -- which is recognised as one of the finest works of the 20th-century repertoire for the instrument -- is required in the competition’s final stage.
The winners of the competition will be announced on February 9, with a prizewinners’ concert scheduled for the following day.
Launched in 1997, the Lutosławski Cello Competition is being held for the 11th time.
(mk/gs)