{"id":148,"date":"2025-10-02T21:10:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T21:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/?p=148"},"modified":"2025-10-03T07:15:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T07:15:19","slug":"chopin-competition-2025-a-battle-of-notes-begins-in-warsaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/?p=148","title":{"rendered":"Chopin Competition 2025: A Battle of Notes Begins in Warsaw"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every five years, the piano world converges on Warsaw, Poland, for the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition (<em>Mi\u0119dzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina<\/em>). This unique contest is devoted exclusively to the works of one composer \u2013 Chopin \u2013 with repertoire beyond him permitted only in exceptional cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 19th edition of the competition will take place from 2\u201323 October 2025, with rounds held at the National Philharmonic and the Polish National Opera (<em>Teatr Wielki<\/em>), which also hosts the final prize-winners\u2019 concert. Preliminary auditions were staged earlier in the year, between 23 April and 4 May 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"755\" src=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nayttokuva-2025-10-02-kello-23.27.07-1024x755.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nayttokuva-2025-10-02-kello-23.27.07-1024x755.png 1024w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nayttokuva-2025-10-02-kello-23.27.07-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nayttokuva-2025-10-02-kello-23.27.07-768x566.png 768w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nayttokuva-2025-10-02-kello-23.27.07.png 1522w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A record 642 pianists from across the globe applied to take part. Of these, 162 reached the preliminaries, and 84 advanced to the main competition. Some were admitted directly thanks to prizes in other prestigious contests such as Leeds, Miami, and Hamamatsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jury numbers 17 distinguished performers and Chopin specialists, chaired by the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson, himself a past Chopin Competition winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"1080\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1920 \/ 1080;\" width=\"1920\" controls src=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chopin-concert.mov\"><\/video><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A Chopin concert for tourists in Warsow Old Town, July 2025.<br><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The programme unfolds across three rounds culminating in the final, where selected pianists will perform Chopin\u2019s concertos alongside mazurkas, sonatas and other major works. The first prize carries \u20ac60,000, as well as laureates\u2019 concerts and international tours arranged with partner orchestras and promoters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year\u2019s competition takes on added resonance as it falls close to the centenary of the Chopin Competition \u2013 the inaugural edition was held in 1927. The idea, born in interwar Poland, was to reassert Chopin\u2019s central role in piano music and to strengthen the country\u2019s international cultural standing. With interruptions only during the war years and rare exceptions, the event has since been held at five-year intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chopin.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-146\" style=\"width:732px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the decades, the competition has launched the careers of pianists who became household names, among them Maurizio Pollini (1960), Martha Argerich (1965), Krystian Zimerman (1975), Yundi Li (2000), Rafa\u0142 Blechacz (2005) and Seong-Jin Cho (2015).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The significance of the event is manifold: it is a springboard for rising stars, it preserves the centrality of Chopin\u2019s works in recital repertoire, and it draws global attention to Warsaw while sustaining appreciation for Poland\u2019s cultural heritage. Few other competitions in the world are so tightly focused on a single composer, demanding of entrants not only technical brilliance but also profound stylistic understanding of Chopin\u2019s Romantic idiom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finnish pianists have not made a major mark on the Chopin Competition. An exception is Janne Mertanen, who competed in 1995 and later built a career around Chopin recordings and recitals. Olli Mustonen has also given recitals at the Chopin Institute, including a Warsaw performance in 2020 in the \u201cBefore the Grand Competition\u201d series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"CHOPIN, CHOPIN! trailer\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/noi55KOvrew?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new film about Chopin has just been released: <em>Chopin, Chopin!<\/em>, directed by Micha\u0142 Kwieci\u0144ski. Films are an excellent way to bring classical music to new audiences. Mozart has gained popularity in recent decades thanks to at least two films \u2014 first <em>A Clockwork Orange<\/em>, then <em>Amadeus<\/em>. It will be interesting to see what kind of acclaim <em>Chopin, Chopin!<\/em> brings to its protagonist\u2019s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why not a Sibelius Airport?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Warsaw-Chopin-Airport-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International competitions are powerful cultural brands and stages for young musicians. In Finland, the most prominent is the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, held every five years in Helsinki. The 2025 edition ran from 19\u201329 May at the Helsinki Music Centre and the Sibelius Academy, with South Korean violinist Sueye Park emerging as the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such events prompt reflection on how Finland might reinforce its own cultural profile \u2013 perhaps through a major piano competition alongside the Sibelius Violin Competition, or even a smaller Chopin-style contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Warsaw, Chopin\u2019s name embodies not just a competition but a national image. Even after the Second World War, culture was a central tool for rebuilding Polish identity. Today, Chopin\u2019s legacy is entwined with Warsaw\u2019s international reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert-1024x559.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-144\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert-1024x559.png 1024w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert-768x419.png 768w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert-1536x839.png 1536w, https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JeanSibelius-violin-Concert.png 1652w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interestingly, only two international airports are named after composers: Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) and Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD). Years ago, there was debate in Finland over renaming Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL) as \u201cSibelius Airport\u201d \u2013 but the idea fizzled out, perhaps lost to legal wrangles. \u201cHelsinki-Vantaa\u201d remains neutral and rather bland compared with the cultural resonance of \u201cHelsinki Sibelius Airport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read More:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Chopin Competition official:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/konkursy.nifc.pl \/\">konkursy.nifc.pl \/<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/chopincompetition.pl\">chopincompetition.pl<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wikipedia:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/International_Chopin_Piano_Competition\">International Chopin Piano Competition<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Culture.pl:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/culture.pl\/en\/article\/19th-chopin-competition-2025-meet-the-jury\">\u201cMeet the Jury\u201d 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WFIMC: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfimc.org\/member-competition\/warsaw-international-fryderyk-chopin-piano-competition\">Warsaw International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sibeliuscompetition.fi\/en\/home\/\">Sibelius Violin Competition<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Violin Channel:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/theviolinchannel.com\/sueye-park-wins-2025-international-jean-sibelius-violin-competition\/\">Sueye Park wins 2025 International Jean Sibelius violin competition<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WFIMC:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfimc.org\/member-competition\/helsinki-international-jean-sibelius-violin-competition\">Helsinki &#8211; International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wikipedia:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Janne_Mertanen\">Janne Mertanen<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IMDB:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/m.imdb.com\/title\/tt33305572\/\">Chopin, Chopin!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every five years, the piano world converges on Warsaw, Poland, for the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition (Mi\u0119dzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina). This unique contest is devoted exclusively to the works of one composer \u2013 Chopin \u2013 with repertoire beyond him permitted only in exceptional cases. The 19th edition of the competition will take [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,26,8],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arcticle","tag-chopin","tag-culture","tag-eng"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=148"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ilovepoland.fi\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}