Music | The Maj Lind piano competition, which is starting now, has a surprising number of participants – including two Finns

Fifth the international Maj Lind piano competition starts in Helsinki on Friday, narrower than expected.

46 pianists were selected for the competition from the video pre-qualification, but only 29 showed up for the draw of the order of competition held on Thursday, in which participation was mandatory either in person or by proxy.

“In general, we calculate that ten percent cancel, so we aimed for a competition performance of around 40 pianists in the preliminaries”, admits the general secretary of the competition Terhi Luukkonen.

“The level of the pre-qualification was amazing. We should have allowed 55 pianists to participate, so that we could have achieved the goal, i.e. about 40 places”, chairman of the competition committee, professor Tuija Hakkila says.

The use of reserves was considered, but the idea was rejected. Many of the cancellations come at the last minute, when even those on the reserve seat may already have other things to do.

Participation cancellations have become more common in other international music competitions due to the world situation.

The pandemic can still have an effect in the background. Russia’s major attack on Ukraine and the fear of an escalation of the war may also reduce the desire to travel to Europe from, for example, the United States and Asia.

“In addition, around 300 piano competitions are held each year, so there is plenty to choose from,” says Luukkonen.

Some of those who passed the Maj Lind video pre-qualification seem to have chosen the currently ongoing Geneva piano competition or the Olga Kern piano competition.

Maj Lind tournament based on this, there is no need to fear a decrease in international weight.

“A record 270 pianists applied for the pre-qualification”, Luukkonen reminds.

The main prize of 30,000 euros and other prizes are also internationally comparable. The jury also has a fairly famous and influential chairman About Joanna McGregor since.

Interesting as a detail, the Maj Lind piano competition allowed Russians to participate, while earlier this year the Jean Sibelius violin competition forbade it. The organizers of the violin competition appealed to Russia’s atrocities after it launched a major invasion of Ukraine.

Read more: The best player does not necessarily win the Sibelius violin competition, as Russian students were excluded: This is how the disputed decision is now justified

Read more: This is how Russians are treated in Finland’s concert autumn – Jyrkkä not for Gergiev, not the same demands for Trifonov

Two Russians were selected for the piano competition, but they canceled their participation. One of them seems to be currently participating in the Geneva competition.

Instead, a Ukrainian Galyna Gusatchenko did not have to cancel and was drawn as the starter of the race.

“Oh, so I’ll call on Friday at 10 a.m. Now it’s time to calm down and concentrate as quickly as possible,” he said after hearing the lottery result.

The first times the international Maj Lind competition does not in itself list the nationalities of the participants. Only the most recent degree program is mentioned in the list of competitors.

This is justified in itself, because you don’t participate in music competitions as national teams sent by the state, but you apply for the qualification as individuals.

“Now we are trying such a practice, which conforms to the line of the Federation of Music Competitions to denationalize the competitions. Country of birth does not determine a competitor, but nationality is no secret either,” says Luukkonen

Opinahjo is interesting information in itself. International competitions are one way to check whether you can get internationally competitive teaching in a nationally significant degree program.

In this sense, the Jean Sibelius violin competition did not flatter the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts, because it did not make it to the finals this time. However, conclusions that go too far based on just one competition should be avoided.

It is still interesting to watch how the Maj Lind piano competition goes, when there are three competitors from the Sibelius Academy.

David Munk-Nielsen is used to winning

Danish David Munk-Nielsen has been studying in Helsinki for the sixth year already and has just spent a few months on exchange in Berlin, where he will return later.

He is taught at the Sibelius Academy Erik T. Tawastjsterna and in Berlin Bjorn Lehman, who is also on the jury of the Maj Lind competition. The judges are of course the ones to evaluate the performances of their own students.

Last year, Munk-Nielsen won the Tampere Piano Competition and the Tallinn International Piano Competition. In 2018, he won the Lithuanian international Stasys Vainiunas competition and in 2019 he received the second prize at the Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark.

“After I’ve studied in Finland for such a long time, the Maj Lind competition is a great opportunity to get maybe even more great performance opportunities both in Finland and elsewhere,” he says.

No matter how he entered the competition, Munk-Nielsen is trying to graduate from the Sibelius Academy within a year – and learn more Finnish at the same time.

“Performances are coming from the Turku music festival to the opening concert of the Aarhus piano competition. Some of the concerts are chamber music by the winner of the Turku cello competition Tatu Kauppinen with, which I am very excited about”, he says.

Aleksei Zaitsev will graduate by Christmas

Born in Outokumpu Alexei Zaitsev (b. 1995) reached the finals of the Tampere piano competition last fall and received a special prize for the best Skrjabin performance.

“The Maj Lind competition is the biggest competition in Finland, and such a large program motivates you to train a lot. It suits me, because I always need a clear goal for training.”

Zaitsev is completing his master’s degree at the Sibelius Academy Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjernan mixed Teppo Koivisto in doctrine.

“We plan to finish before Christmas. At the same time, I will continue my studies in Copenhagen.”

Zaitsev has also started a series of concerts in Denmark and will perform at the Mozart Festival in December.

“But I also want to perform more. That’s one of the reasons to go to competitions.”

Arttu Ollikainen realizes his dream

Arttu Ollikainen returned to the Sibelius Academy after spending some time on exchange in Vienna. He is taught by Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna and Teppo Koivisto – just like Aleksander Zaitsev.

The pace is also the same in master’s studies: Ollikainen will graduate this year.

“It’s been quite busy with practice performances, but I’m happy to go along to do my best. However, Maj Lind is a competition in which participation has been a dream for ten years. It’s really great that such big music competitions are organized in Finland, which bring classical music visibility.”

What next? Will he continue his studies abroad like Zaitsev?

“It is one option, but I will make a decision next year.”

This is how the competition progresses

Starters will be played from Friday in the Sibelius Academy concert hall at Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9 in the following order.

FRI 14.10.

from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m

Gusatchenko, Galyna

Ho, Ya-Chu

Kang, Hyelee

from 17:00 to 19:45

Lee, Jaeyoung

Lee, Linda

Lee, Shinyoung

Saturday 15.10.

from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m

Lin, Hao Wei

Mon, Wed

Mai, An-Chi

from 17:00 to 19:45

Mak, Jonathan

Munk-Nielsen, David

Ollikainen, Arttu

Sunday 16.10.

from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m

Ozaki, Misora

Pawlak, Piotr

Schwalbe, Hanna

from 17:00 to 19:45

Shi, Wenting

Tang, Stephanie

Tsang, Hin-Yat

Monday 17.10.

from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m

Ye, Fangzhou

Yoon, Jeong Hyun

Yu, Yuewen

from 17:00 to 19:45

Zaitsev, Alexei

Candotti, Michelle

Cheng, Wanting

Tuesday 8.10.

from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m

Cho, Jun Hwi

Chow, Kevin

from 17:00 to 19:00.

Dai, Liang (A Bu)

Dugalić, Bogdan

Gillot, Théotime

In the beginning, a 45-minute program will be played, which must include music composed before 1757, as well as a Viennese classical piece, etudes and a freely chosen part. A maximum of 14 contestants will advance to the semi-finals and they will be announced on Tuesday evening, October 18.

Semi-finals

Thursday 20.10. and Friday 21.10. Daily schedule 10–13:30 and 17–20:30.

In the semi-finals, a 50–60 minute program is played, which includes Outi Tarkiainen commissioned piece or, as an alternative, an improvisation task on a given theme. There is also a Sibelius section and an optional section.

Six contestants will make it to the finals and will be named on Friday night, October 21.

Chamber music final

Sunday 23.10. From 16:00 to 19:30. Still the Sibelius Academy concert hall Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9.

All six finalists will perform a piano quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello from the given selection with musicians from the Kamus or Meta4 quartets. All finalists also continue to the orchestra final.

Orchestral finale

Wednesday 26.10. and Thursday 27.10. from 19:00 to 21:30.

Now it has moved to the Helsinki Music Hall, and the finalists will perform a concerto from the given selection as a soloist of the Radio Symphony Orchestra. Acts as conductor Anna-Maria Helsing.

The winner will be announced on October 27 after the second final night. The first prize is 30,0000 euros, the second prize is 25,000 euros and the third prize is 20,000 euros.