The Beethoven Competition returns

After the high-tension, multi-media final of the Chopin Competition the night before, the three Beethoven Concertos in the last round of the quadrennial International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna felt almost relaxing.  The atmosphere at the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein was enthusiastic, joyful, expectant- and most people among the 800 or so listeners were not wearing masks. Like at the Chopin, the Beethoven Competition is devoted exclusively to music by its namesake composer and consists of Sonatas, Variations, and the five Piano Concertos. Determined by drawing lots, the order of finalists made for the Emperor Concerto first, followed by No. 4, and finally No. 1- an interesting factor when it came to comparing the three candidates. 

Dasol Kim (32,South Korea) was first and showed a splendid, faultless, yet somewhat subdued interpretation of the Fifth Concerto. Philipp Scheucher (28, Austria) the Audience favourite, took more risks in his 4th concerto, while Aris Alexander Blettenberg (27, Germany) himself a composer and conductor, seemed to be conducting from the piano while presenting a light, exciting, and fun performance of Beethoven´s First Concerto. 

Almost unanimously, the jury awarded the first Prize to him: a monetary award of EUR 10.000 along with a brand-new Boesendorfer Grand Piano. The other two shared the second prize ex aequo, while no third prize was awarded.