Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
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The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (1957) has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin (since 1937), piano (since 1938), to composition (since 1953) and to singing (since 1988). Held in Brussels, the Competition is named after Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.
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[edit] History
Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian concert-violinist, had wanted to set up an international music competition for young virtuosi showcasing their all-round skill, but died before he could do so. Queen Elisabeth, patroness of the arts and good friend of Ysaÿe, set up the competition in his memory in 1937. The prestige of Ysaÿe and Belgium's Royal Court (King Albert and Queen Elisabeth were admired heroes of the First World War) assured that the first competition would draw great entrants.
The Soviet school was the resounding winner in 1937 as David Oistrakh took first prize. In 1938, the competition was dedicated to piano; Emil Gilels won, and again, the Soviet school was victorious.
The competition did not resume until 1951; World War II and several royal scandals prevented the competition from taking place. In 1951, the competition was renamed for its patroness, Queen Elisabeth, and has taken place under that name since then.
Entrants are expected to learn a compulsory work written especially for the competition. (The work is picked during the composition competition.) Usually there is also a section where contestants are expected to perform a work by a Belgian composer.
From 1963 to 1980, Marcel Poot of the Brussels Conservatory chaired the jury of the competition and wrote several commissioned works to mark the occasion, that were used as competition-required pieces.
[edit] Patronage
The Queen Elisabeth Competition generates income from its own activities, from private patronage and from sponsoring. Resources are varied: part of the funding for the prizes laureates receive is provided by public authorities and patrons, corporate sponsors, donors contributions, ticket and programme sales, advertising in the programmes and the sale of recordings. The Competition also benefits from the volunteer assistance of families who open their homes to candidates for the duration of the competition.
[edit] Past winners
[edit] Piano
[edit] Violin
[edit] Singing
[edit] Composition
| Year | 1st | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 |  Michał Spisak |
Serenade voor orkest |
| 1957 |  Orazio Fiume |
Concerto for orchestra |
| 1960 |  Marcel Poot |
Sinfonia burlesca |
| 1963 | Léon Jongen |
|
| 1982 |  John Weeks |
Five Litanies for Orchestra |
| 1989 | André Laporte |
Fantasia con tema reale |
| 1991 |  Tristan-Patrice Challulau[1] |
Ne la città dolente |
| 1993 | Piet Swerts |
Zodiac |
| 1995 | John Weeks |
Requiescat |
| 1997 |  Hendrik Hofmeyr |
Raptus |
| 1999 |  Uljas Voitto Pulkkis |
Tears of Ludovico |
| 2001 |  /  Søren Nils Eichberg |
Qilaatersorneq |
| 2003 |  Ian Munro |
Piano Concerto Dreams |
| 2005 |  Javier Torres Maldonado |
Obscuro Etiamtum Lumine |
| 2006 |  Miguel Gálvez-Taroncher |
La luna y la muerte |
| 2009 |  Cho Eun-Hwa |
Agens |
| 2010 | Jeon Minje |
Target |
[edit] Prizes
First prize: International Queen Elisabeth Grand Prize - HM Queen Fabiola Prize
20,000 euro, numerous concerts, recording on CD, loan of the 'Huggins' Stradivarius violin from the Nippon Music Foundation for a period of three years
Second Prize: Belgian Federal Government Prize
17,500 euro, concerts, recording on CD
Third Prize: Count de Launoit Prize
15,000 euro, concerts
Fourth Prize: Prize awarded alternately by each of the communities of Belgium
10,000 euro, concerts
Fifth Prize: Brussels Capital Region Prize
8,000 euro, concerts
Sixth Prize: City of Brussels Prize
7,000 euro, concerts
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Queen Elisabeth Competition Winners http://www.cmireb.be/files/Palmares%201937-2008.pdf
- Queen Elisabeth music competition - official page
- Queen Elisabeth music competition - Prize List - Laureates - Statistics...
- World Federation of International Music Competitions
- Laureates from 1937 in violin, piano, singing and composition
- Directory of International Piano Competitions
- "Concours Reine Elisabeth: Lorenzo Gatto termine 2ème" (in French). RTBF. 2009-05-31. http://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/musique/concours-reine-elizabeth-lorenzo-gatto-termine-deuxieme-112783&cid=1305747864&ei=4oxCSp-NMJXSjAepwcWsBw. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- "Belg Lorenzo Gatto naar de finale Elisabethwedstrijd". Het Nieuwsblad. May 17, 2009. http://www.nieuwsblad.be/Article/Detail.aspx?articleID=b31096905090517. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
