XV International Chopin Piano Competition

The Fifteenth International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
Official poster
Date2–24 October 2005 (2005-10-02 – 2005-10-24)
VenueNational Philharmonic, Warsaw
Hosted byFryderyk Chopin Society [pl]
WinnerPoland Rafał Blechacz
Websitekonkurs15.chopin.pl
← 14th · Chopin Competition · 16th →
The National Philharmonic during the competition

The XV International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: XV Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 2 to 24 October 2005 in Warsaw, organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Society [pl]. The competition was won by Rafał Blechacz of Poland, who prevailed against 80 competitors from 18 countries.[1]

This was the first competition that was completely broadcast on TV, radio and on the internet.[1]

Awards

Rafał Blechacz of Poland decisively won the competition

For the first time, the competition introduced a preliminary round, as selecting participants from submitted recordings only was deemed not wholly reliable.[1]

In the most decisive showing in the history of the competition, Rafał Blechacz took First Prize and the special prizes for the best performance of a polonaise, mazurka, and concerto.[1] One of the judges, Piotr Paleczny, said that Blechacz "so outclassed the remaining finalists that no second prize could actually be awarded."[2] Another judge, John O'Conor, called Blechacz "one of the greatest artists I have had a chance to hear in my entire life".[3] Blechacz was the first Pole to win the prize since 1975, when Krystian Zimerman won.

The following prizes were awarded:[1]

Prize Winner
1st place, gold medalist(s) US$25,000 Rafał Blechacz  Poland
2nd place, silver medalist(s) not awarded
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) US$15,000 Dong-Hyek Lim  South Korea
Dong-Min Lim  South Korea
4th US$10,000 Shohei Sekimoto  Japan
Takashi Yamamoto  Japan
5th not awarded
6th US$6,000 Ka Ling Colleen Lee  Hong Kong
F US$2,000 Andriej Jaroszynskij  Russia
US$2,000 Jacek Kortus  Poland
US$2,000 Rachel Naomi Kudo  United States
US$2,000 Rieko Nezu  Japan
US$2,000 Yuma Osaki  Japan
US$2,000 Yeol Eum Son  South Korea

In addition, three special prizes were awarded independently:

Special prize Winner
Best Performance of a Concerto Rafał Blechacz  Poland
Best Performance of Mazurkas Rafał Blechacz  Poland
Best Performance of a Polonaise Rafał Blechacz  Poland

Jury

The jury consisted of:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "The 15th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition". Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Polish pianist wins prestigious Chopin competition". ABC News. 22 October 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. ^ Bennion, Jackie. "More About the Winner, Rafal Blechacz". PBS Frontline/World. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

Further reading