III International Chopin Piano Competition

The III International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: III Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 21 February to 13 March 1937 in Warsaw. It was the last competition before the outbreak of World War II, and the competition would not be held again until 1949.

The Third International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
Date21 February – 13 March 1937 (1937-02-21 – 1937-03-13)
VenueNational Philharmonic, Warsaw
Hosted byWarsaw Music Society
WinnerSoviet Union Yakov Zak
Władysław Korsak, Deputy Minister of the Interior, giving the inaugural speech in the Warsaw Philharmonic

80 pianists from 22 countries took part in the competition, including two participants from Japan. Contestants could choose between pianos manufactured by Bechstein, Bösendorfer, Pleyel and Steinway. Soviet pianist Yakov Zak was awarded the first prize.

Awards
Yakov Zak, winner of the first prize, during the competition
Laureates of the competition: Yakov Zak, Rosa Tamarkina, Witold Małcużyński and Lance Dossor

Out of 80 pianists in the elimination stage, 21 were admitted to the final, where they performed two consecutive movements of one of Chopin's two piano concertos with the Warsaw Philharmonic.[1]

The two female Japanese pianists Miwa Kai and Chieko Hara received great acclaim among critics and the public. When news broke that Hara, who reached the final, was not among the prize-winners and was merely awarded an honorable mention, a commotion broke out. Fearing that the frenzied crowd would cause damage to the Philharmonic, industrialist Stanisław Meyer sponsored a special award for Hara.[2]

16-year-old Evi Wächter from Austria was the first pianist to perform in the elimination stage

The following prizes were awarded:[1]

Prize Winner
1st zł 5,000 Yakov Zak  Soviet Union
2nd zł 2,500 Rosa Tamarkina  Soviet Union
3rd zł 2,500 Witold Małcużyński  Poland
4th zł 2,000 Lance Dossor  United Kingdom
5th zł 2,000 Agi Jambor  Hungary
6th zł 1,000 Edith Axenfeld  Germany
7th zł 1,000 Monique de La Bruchollerie  France
8th zł 500 Jan Ekier  Poland
9th zł 500 Tatiana Goldfarb  Soviet Union
10th zł 500 Olga Iliwicka  Poland
11th zł 500 Pierre Maillard-Verger  France
12th zł 250 Lélia Gousseau  France
13th zł 200 Halina Kalmanowicz  Poland
HM Jan Bereżyński  Poland
Maria Bilińska-Riegerowa  Poland
Márta Blaha  Hungary
György Faragó  Hungary
Colette Gaveau  France
Zbigniew Grzybowski  Poland
Chieko Hara  Japan
Natalia Hornowska-Pęzińska  Poland
Nina Jemelianowa  Soviet Union
Helena Landau  Poland
Fryderyk Portnoj  Poland
Paulina Szmukler  Poland
Viktorie Švihlíková  Czechoslovakia
Marie Aimée Warrot  France
Jozsef Weingarten  Hungary

Two special prizes were awarded:

Special prize Winner
Best Performance of Mazurkas zł 250 Yakov Zak  Soviet Union
Best Performances of a Sonata zł 500 Lance Dossor  United Kingdom

Jury

The jury consisted of:[1]

The final of the competition. The jury sits on the left.

References
  1. "III International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition". Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. Marczyński, Jacek (21 October 2000). "Salon odrzuconych". 247 (5717) (in Polish). No. "Rzeczpospolita" (special issue). Warsaw. p. 4. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)

Further reading
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