...the composers were competitors as well, but in a different contest: the Cliburn's second American Composers Invitational. The composers' works were sent to all the competitors who had to select one for performance in the semifinal round—should they be lucky and skilled enough to get that far. The composer performed by the most semifinalists would be the winner.The winner of the $5,000 prize was Sebastian Currier, whose Scarlatti Cadences and Brainstorm was played by more semi-finalists than any other pianist. Here is Sa Chen (who eventually won the $20,000 Crystal Award) performing it in the preliminary round in this stunningly filmed video:
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sa Chen Plays Sebastian Currier's Scarlatti Cadences and Brainstorm
The 2005 Van Cliburn Competition was a piano competition with a twist. From an August 2005 NewMusicBox article by Joseph Dalton:
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Thanks so much for sharing this, Chris. What a riveting performance of a wonderful piece! I've played a lot of contemporary music over the years (usually not of my own choosing) and wish it all had been pieces of this caliber.
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