Shanghai Competition 2018 Semi-Finals: Second Day of Sonatas and Kreisler
The level is high and the playing is worth hearing this week at the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition in China, and after watching all the semi-final rounds (so far!) I've put together some commentary and context, along with links to the videos for each individual performance, so that you can watch yourself and show to students and others who may be interested.
Later this week, the last of the semi-final sessions, a Mozart round with original cadenzas, will begin. You can find the video and live feed starting Thursday and Friday for these performances on Violinist.com's Facebook page (click here), as well as more blogs on Violinist.com following the performances.
On Monday, there were three sessions at Shanghai Symphony Chamber Music Hall that featured performances from six of the 12 violinists in the semi-finals: Quanshuai Li of China; Jiayi Chen of China; Sophia Su of the U.S.; Yige Chen of China; Yurina Arai of Japan and Yun Tang of China. The other six semifinalists performed Sunday (click here to see that blog). For these sessions contestants had to choose between two sonatas for violin and piano: either Beethoven's Sonata No. 3 in E major, Op. 12 or Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100. They also were required to play a piece by Fritz Kreisler, with 10 specific pieces from which to choose. Keep reading...
Tweet
Regina Carter, Jazz Violinist: In Her Own Words - Creative Strings Podcast Ep. 32
A recipient of the MacArthur (AKA “genius”) Award, Regina Carter has had a profound impact both on the worlds of violin and jazz. It was my honor to sit down Regina for this rare, extensive, and candid interview.
I’ve followed Regina’s music closely for for twenty years, and was delighted by how down to earth and honest she was willing to be while covering a lot of ground. For example, she addresses her beginnings as a jazz violinist, the transition to jazz from Suzuki/classical training, as well as how playing music for hospice patients has informed both how she derives meaning from music and connects with every audience.
You can listen to the full interview below and/or subscribe for all episodes of Creative Strings Podcast, exploring intersections between violin, music education, and culture.
Comments (2)
Shanghai Competition 2018 Semi-Finals: First Day of Sonatas and Kreisler
The 12 violinists who remain in the Shanghai Isaac Stern Violin Competition are mid-way through a rather long semi-final round that focuses not so much on virtuosity but more on their ensemble skills, flair for style in Kreisler, and then later this week, their ability to lead a Mozart concerto and write the cadenzas for it.
Find the video feed for the live as well as past sessions on Violinist.com's Facebook page (click here).
For Sunday's session, which took place in Shanghai Symphony Chamber Music Hall, the contestants had to choose between two sonatas for violin and piano: either Beethoven's Sonata No. 3 in E major, Op. 12 or Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100. They also were required to play a piece by Fritz Kreisler, with 10 specific pieces from which to choose.
Six violinists played on Sunday: Diana Tishchenko of Ukraine; Alex Zhou of the U.S.; Arsenis Selalmazidis of Greece; Chang Yuan Tin of Canada; Nancy Zhou of the U.S. and Olga Šroubková of the Czech Republic. Another will six will play today: Quanshuai Li of China; Jiayi Chen of China; Sophia Su of the U.S.; Yige Chen of China; Yurina Arai of Japan and Yun Tang of China.
Below are some impressions from Sunday's sessions; please feel free to add your thoughts and comments if you have been following the videos online. Keep reading...
