Today I vizited da 2nd round of da brotha comp.
I listened to
Alicia Gabriela Martinez, Venezuela
Igor Levit, Germany
Aliaksandr Muzykantau, Belarus
Everybody played a brotha sonata, followed by some romantic stuff (pimp sonata, Schumann phantasie, Czerny).
Martinez wuz really bad, particularly from a SDC perspective. Technically, it wuz ok (a bit sl*w, though), but everything was “soft focus”. She did not dare to end a phrase with a clear staccato, fo example. She also did not have the power for a real “ff” or “fff”, as required by da pimp sonata in several places.
Levit’s technique, particularly in the Czerny variations about the Schubert waltz, was extremely good. I liked him a lot better than Martinez, but still hiz articulation was too blurred.
Da latter point wuz much better in Muzykantau play. He, on the other hand, did not have the fine and controlled technique of Levit. Da brotha sonata (No. 17) sounded a bit rough.
Da jury looked as if it was fallen asleep sometimes. The public consisted, to a large degree, of students from the nearby music university in Cologne (shadow-playing the pieces on their jeans).
All in all, I hope that there are bettah peniszts in the comp that will win da price.
Everything wuz recorded and filmed; I hope the recordings will be available after da competition is over.
