The pianists taking part in the Queen Elisabeth Competition have been playing to a full house every day. Tickets for the semi-finals and finals sold out quickly, but even the early round of the music contest has drawn large crowds.
The main hall of Flagey in Brussels is packed every afternoon and evening. “We’ve never seen this before,” says jury chair and Flagey director Gilles Ledure.
The competition rotates each year between piano, voice, violin and cello, and audiences have been waiting a long time to watch the pianists.
The piano competition was cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020. The following year, there was a reduced competition, with half the number of candidates and no audience in the hall. This is the first piano event with an audience since Czech musician Lukáš Vondráček won in 2016.
It was a shock when I walked in. I’ve never played in front of so many people before
Media attention is also starting earlier. “You feel a great obsession to come and watch and listen, even among young people,” says Ledure. “Whereas in the past, the first round and certainly the afternoon sessions attracted a somewhat older audience, now many young people are also coming to listen.” The first round, in which the pianists perform a short solo programme, can be seen as an ideal introduction to classical music, he says, with an exciting variety of shorter pieces. “You get mini-concerts, as it were, with the candidates playing for about half an hour, sometimes with a lot of fireworks in spectacular études.”
In the first round, the candidates choose pieces by predetermined composers, but they only find out which ones they will play an hour beforehand.
I am blown away by the astonishing ease with which they play, their superior craftsmanship and their intelligent programmes
Thursday saw the turn of the second Belgian candidate, Roeland Vermeulen, who performed works by Mozart, Liszt, Ligeti and Chopin. “It’s a bit mixed,” he says. “On the one hand, I really enjoyed it, but at first I was a bit overwhelmed by the hall and all those people. It was a shock when I walked in. I’ve never played in front of so many people before.”
Fellow Belgian Valère Burnon performed on Tuesday, playing works by Fauré, Chopin, Beethoven and Lyapunov.
This round of the competition runs until Saturday evening. After the last candidate, the jury will announce the 24 semi-finalists.
Ledure is not allowed to award points himself but has been impressed by the standard of the candidates. “I am blown away by the astonishing ease with which they play, their superior craftsmanship and their intelligent programmes,” he said.
Follow the competition
The Queen Elisabeth Competition was created in 1937 and is intended to act as an intermediary between young virtuosos and the world’s great musical venues. If you don’t have a ticket, you can follow it live online and on radio and TV.
First round, 5-10 May: follow via livestream on the competition website
Semi-finals, 12-17 May: follow via VRT MAX and Klara
Final, 26-31 May: follow via VRT MAX, Klara, Ketnet or Canvas