Graced with the powers of modern technology, classical music has fortunately not been left to bite the dust. Thanks to the second-most amazing online TV(Netflix tops the list no question!), medici.tv allows me to follow one of the world’s most prestigious piano competition without any cost at all! Sure, the removal of a price tag means online audiences don’t get to enjoy the “grandeur” of the competition, the “resonance” of a music hall and the “intimacy” of a live performance, but hey! I get to cut the cost of buying a plane ticket, wearing nice clothes and holding in my pee until the intervals. Now I get to sit back, grab some snacks and enjoy a concert whenever I want.
The Leeds International Piano Competition! As one of the world’s top piano competition, with a grand prize of £25,000 plus a big kick to boost you up the ladder of snobbish music society, you’d think the competition would be held in one of the traditional citadels of classical music–think Vienna, Prague, Paris or Moscow–but no, it’s held in the University of Leeds, a university famous on social media for its mad parties, in a city with an iconic drug-infused festival. I’d love to go to Leeds during this season, to experience top-calibre piano playing during the day and cool night-outs later on in the evening, but no, I’m stuck at home in Hong Kong with my laptop. This will have to suffice.
Anyway, I’ve always been a big fan of piano competitions. My experience at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition for Young Musicians in Switzerland back in 2012 really put me in an excited state about the piano, and I’ve been following top competitions such as the Tchaikovsky, Chopin and Van Cliburn competitions since the birth of medici.tv. I’m going to do a running commentary on the Leeds Piano Competition 2018 (my first time watching it!) to show you that these international piano competitions can be just as exciting as the World Cup!
As I’m writing this, the committee has already released a list of second round participants, in which 24 pianists from the first round have been named. These amazingly talented people will travel to Leeds to compete in the second round on the 6th to 8th of September. I will review their performances in the first round; it will be heavily biased and prejudiced, but it should be fun! Stay tuned!
Literally Left-handed 
Leave a comment