The Chopin Competition is nearing its centenary
The International Chopin Piano Competition is one of the world’s oldest and most important events of its kind. It is devoted exclusively to one artist – Poland’s greatest composer, Fryderyk Chopin.
.Every five years, pianists from all over the world gather in Warsaw to compete for the title of the best pianist of their generation. It goes without saying that taking part in the contest is a remarkable trial of one’s composure. Much more importantly, though, it is an opportunity to showcase one’s talent to millions of viewers from around the world and launch an amazing career with global reach.
The Chopin Competition was created by Jerzy Żurawlew, a Polish pianist born in 1887 in Rostov-on-Don. His decision to become a professional pianist is said to have been the result of three events: his enchantment with the playing of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, whom he heard for the first time at the age of eight; his fascination with Chopin’s Polonaise in A Major; and Józef Hoffman’s opinion of him as having exceptional musical talent. In 1907, Żurawlew came to Warsaw to study at the Music Conservatory under the tutelage of Aleksander Michałowski.
In 1922, after the restoration of Polish independence, he founded a music school in Białystok. He later admitted that it was at this time that he first had the idea of organising a competition devoted wholly to Chopin’s work.
‘I was on a train back from Białystok. It was full of young people. I heard them say, “Chopin is evil,” “He makes the human soul mawkish,” “His sentimentalism cannot be reconciled with a modern world,” “His music should be removed from the conservatory’s curriculum.” I thought, That isn’t right. What can be done to stop this? Considering the immense popularity of sports competitions, I wondered if organising a musical one might be the way to go,’ Żurawlew said years later. Soon after, in 1925, efforts were made on his initiative to organise an International Chopin Piano competition. The first edition of the contest was held in 1927 in the beautiful building of the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Twenty-six pianists from eight countries entered the lists. Among them was 20-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich, representing the Soviet Union, who incidentally did not win a prize. The first edition was won by Russian pianist Lev Oborin, followed by Polish representatives Stanisław Szpinalski and Róża Etkin-Moszkowska in second and third place, respectively. The contestants rehearsed in the private homes of wealthy Varsovians because the organisers hadn’t thought to provide a sufficient number of rehearsal rooms. This oversight was never repeated.
In 1932, the competition was organised for the second time. Karol Szymanowski, a renowned Polish composer, was on the jury. Its distinguished guest of honour was Maurice Ravel, who travelled from France specifically for this event. The second competition was won by a 21-year-old Russian émigré from Paris, Alexandre Uninsky.
The last pre-war edition of the Chopin Competition was held in 1937. It was then that the contestants were joined for the first time by the Japanese, who have since become well known for their admiration of Fryderyk Chopin. They caused a real sensation. The first prize went to Yakov Zak of the Soviet Union, with Polish pianist Witold Małcużyński taking third. It was a joyous day for him – the competition marked the beginning of his spectacular career.
The Second World War resulted in a twelve-year hiatus in competitions. Warsaw was almost completely destroyed by the Germans. The Warsaw Philharmonic suffered severe damage. Many Polish pianists and teachers died or emigrated.
The first post-war competition took place in 1949 when the whole world was commemorating the 100th anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin’s death. The auditions for the 4th Chopin Competition were held in the popular Roma theatre, which survived the ravages of war. The first prize ex aequo went to Halina Czerny-Stefańska from Poland and Bella Davidovich from the USSR.
The new National Philharmonic Hall was inaugurated in 1955, replacing the one damaged in the war. This is where the 5th International Chopin Piano Competition – and all the subsequent ones – took place. The winner was Polish pianist Adam Harasiewicz. Second place went to Vladimir Ashkenazy from the USSR, and third to Fou Ts’ong from China. The 1955 edition stood out as a remarkable artistic and social occasion, with prominent guests like Elisabeth of Bavaria, a music aficionado, gracing the event.
The sixth edition of the competition was held in 1960, the Year of Chopin, organised under the auspices of UNESCO to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The jury for that year had a record number of 36 judges, including Nadia Boulanger and Witold Małcużyński, and Artur Rubinstein as an honorary member. The 6th Chopin Competition brought luck to Italy when the 18-year-old Maurizio Pollini emerged as the winner.
The 7th edition, held in 1965, had an unusual start, as the opening concert featured works by modern Polish composers – Kazimierz Serocki, Witold Szalonka, Tadeusz Baird and Karol Szymanowski. For the third time in the competition’s history, victory went to a woman – Argentinian-born Martha Argerich, who had almost quit when she had tried to flee the Philharmonic just before her first performance.
The eighth edition of the competition, which took place in 1970, saw Garrick Ohlsson from the USA clinch the top spot, with Mitsuko Uchida from Japan coming in second and Piotr Paleczny from Poland securing third place.
In 1975, Polish viewers gathered enthusiastically to support Poland’s representative, Krystian Zimerman. They were not disappointed – Zimerman took first place and almost all the extra prizes in the ninth competition.
The next edition took place in 1980, in an atmosphere of heightened political tension. It was a time of the Solidarity movement and great hope for the fall of Communism in Poland. The competition was won by Dang Thai Son from Vietnam, whose final performance marked his debut with a symphony orchestra. Dang Thai Son was also jointly awarded, along with Ewa Pobłocka, the prize for the finest rendition of the mazurkas, and jointly with Tatiana Shebanova, the prizes for the most outstanding performances of the polonaise and concerto. The exclusion of Ivo Pogorelić from the competition’s final caused a major scandal. Martha Argerich left the jury as a protest.
The eleventh 1985 competition was won by Stanislav Bunin from the USSR. The twelfth competition in 1990 did not have a winner. The second prize went to Kevin Kenner from the USA. Two royal figures, Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Fabiola of Belgium, have honoured the competition with their presence among the audiences.
In 1995, to the great disappointment of both the public and the contestants, no first prize was awarded once again. Philippe Giusiano from France and Alexei Sultanov from Russia shared second place.
Chinese pianist Yundi Li emerged as the champion of the 14th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000, instantly gaining national hero status in China.
Five years later, Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz became a hero in his homeland. Like Krystian Zimerman before him, he also won almost all the special prizes.
The sixteenth edition took place in 2010 when the whole world was celebrating the bicentenary of Chopin’s birth. This was the first edition organised by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. The newly opened Fryderyk Chopin Museum and the beautiful park surrounding Chopin’s birthplace in Żelazowa Wola were among the places where young pianists sought inspiration. The anniversary competition was won by Yulianna Avdeeva, followed by Ingolf Wunder and Lukas Geniušas sharing the second place, and Daniil Trifonov as the brown medalist.
Media worldwide closely monitored the 17th Chopin Competition held in 2015. A record number of audiences watched or listened to the competition on television, radio and especially online – more than 31,000,000 viewers in total. The winner was Seong-Jin Cho from South Korea.
The media records of 2015 were broken six years later, during the 18th Chopin Competition. That event was unique because it was delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Almost until the very last minute, it was uncertain if the ever-changing sanitary restrictions would allow foreign participants to attend. It was also unclear whether the public would be allowed to watch the hearings. Audiences waited in suspense to see if they would be able to use their hard-earned tickets – all seats for the competition had sold out in minutes! However, the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition will not be remembered for pandemic conditions, but for its wonderful atmosphere and high artistic level. The contestants were so skilled that the jury admitted more pianists to each stage than originally planned. Martín García García secured third place on the podium, while Kyohei Sorita and Alexander Gadjiev shared second place. Bruce Liu emerged as the winner, garnering millions of fans worldwide.
.The 19th International Chopin Piano Competition will take place in October 2025, alongside the inauguration of the contest’s centenary celebrations.