Let’s put it like this, and no offense, please: to win a Busoni Piano Competition is much like winning the title of the Car of the Year. The winner for this year is Croatia’s very own Ivan Krpan!
Named after the extraordinary Italian pianist, composer, editor, writer and teacher Ferruccio Busoni (1866 – 1924), a man of an extraordinary opus and biography, the Busoni International Piano Competition was founded in 1949 as a memorial to this great personality.
Backed up by some of the world’s most prominent figures from the very start, and thereof with annual juries of highest respect, the competition raised very soon to the most respected and appreciated competitions in the world. The preliminary selection takes place one year in advance, the auditions are strict and demanding.
If you can make it there it means more than a lot, just to say that some years, no winners were proclaimed at all. Which at the same time means that if you win this, you are worth every note you have and will ever play.
The competitors are always 27 (3 retired from this one), and the awards are several. The victory implies guaranteed appearances at world’s most reputed theatres and tours with orchestras.
Let me be personal with this year’s Busoni, please: the winner is Ivan Krpan, a young Zagreb-born pianist about to graduate from the Academy in his hometown. His parents are musicians (and so were Busoni’s). When I heard of this immense success, my patriotism and pride soared and geared to maximum in one millisecond. Not only that: just as if he had known (me), his victory piece was my favourite of all the piano concerti (Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto no. 5, the ‘Emperor’). And not only that, either: his performance is so brilliant, mature, virtuous, youthful, and what not, that I listened to it good six times in a row!
OK, yes, but before you deem me not quite ok in my head, listen to Ivan yourself. You can find out more about Ivan, his other accolades and more about the competition here.
Pay attention to the billboards in your town, as yet another great pianist from Croatia is about to conquer the world!
