Monday, 2 November 2009 (Updated!)

It's really cold in Shanghai today!

The thermometer would say it's in the mid-fifties Fahrenheit, but that doesn't tell the whole story. There is a really strong gale off the water that adds considerable damp wind chill to the equation. I guess our all too brief Autumn is making its inevitable segue into Winter.

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Last night's concert at the Conservatory was really fascinating. This was the "closing night gala" of the 5th Shanghai International Piano Competition.

We were both prepared for just a concert, but the evening actually began with the official announcement (with both the jury and the contestants on stage) of the positions of the six finalists in the competition, starting with sixth place, and going up through first prize. Before this could happen there was a lengthy introduction of all of the members of the jury (in Chinese and English), and someone representing the Shanghai International Arts Festival droned on for about 10 minutes (only in Chinese), while most of the color drained from the faces (and probably the knuckles) of the contestants. Following this, each of the finalists played some of their competition entries. Talk about maalox moments! The sixth runner up not only had swallow any disappointments she may have had about not doing better, she also had to come out first to perform! The end of the program might have afforded a nice opportunity for all the runners up to get one more dose of applause for all their efforts, but after the first prize winner's bow, the house lights came up abruptly, and that was that!

Among the six finalists, there were four women and two men. China provided one of the women and both of the men. The other women were one each from Belgium, Kazakhstan, and Korea. Here was the roster of finalists:

• First prize: Duanduan Hao (China)
• Second prize: Cunmo Yin (China)
• Third prize: Oxana Shevchenko (Kazakhstan)
• Fourth prize: Siqian Li (China)
• Fifth prize: Kang-Eun Cho (Korea)
• Sixth prize: Stephanie Proot (Belgium)

There was one lone woman on the jury, an American. Here is the complete jury panel:

• Tigran Alikhanov (Russia)
• Lydia Artymiw (US)
• Pierluigi Camicia (Italy)
• Hyoung-Joon Chang (Korea)
• Guillermo González (Spain)
• Shikun Liu (China)
• Jean Bernard Pommier (France)
• Pierre Reach (France)
• Jerome Rose (US)
• Liqing Yang (China)
• Keng Zhou (China)

Each of the pianists had their own strengths, but we pretty much agreed that the jury definitely got it right as to the first prize winner, Duanduan Hao. And we also pretty much agreed that the second and third place awards probably should have been switched. The second runner up, Cunmo Yin had his technique down but didn't end up making much music. The third runner up, Oxana Shevchenko, played less technically treacherous pieces, but to palpably greater musical effect.

Duanduan Hao really was impressive, both as to technique, and for his evident musicianship. His piece at the concert was the Ginastera Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22, which was presented complete. Before we heard him play a single note, we gave him high marks just for having the courage to program this "modern" piece (actually it was written in 1952, so it's hardly "new music"). Everyone else made far "safer" choices: one played the Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D minor, another played a Haydn Sonata and a Liszt concert etude, a third coupled the Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie with the Bizet-Horowitz Carmen Variations — well, you get the idea. It seemed like about half the program was either a piece by Liszt, or a transcription by Liszt, or one by someone who was "the Liszt of his time."

There was, sad to say, more bad concert-going audience behavior — the usual cell phones bleeping, unabashed talking, and the ceaseless restless rustling of candy wrappers. We really had hoped for better at a Conservatory Hall. But, this time, Miles spotted a real drama (sadly, I missed it — I was too engrossed in the Ginastera Sonata, I suppose). One woman was visibly (if not for once audibly) arguing with another, in the denouement of which, she apparently knocked her opponent to the ground!

I guess they don't call it a Piano Competition for nothing.