“Simplicity is the highest goal you can achieve when you overcome all difficulties.” – Frederic Chopin
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is recognized as the greatest Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of French-Polish descent. He is one of the greatest composers for piano, for which he wrote the vast majority of his works, and is considered one of the master’s romantic musicians.
Fans of piano and Chopin in October 2021 were able to watch the XVIII Chopin Competition, which took place between 2.10.-23.10.2021.
The Chopin Competition began in 1927 and has been held every 5 years since 1955. It was scheduled for 2020, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. This competition is one of the most resounding competitions for pianists.
At the competition we witnessed the extraordinary success of an extremely talented young pianist – Alexander Gadjiev, who is the first Slovenian pianist in the finals of the Chopin Competition.
More than 500 pianists entered the competition, and 151 pianists were selected by the jury in the pre-competition. With an outstanding three performances, Gadjiev reached the finals, among the top 12 pianists. He charmed the jury, critics and audience with his masterful technique and original interpretation.
Alexander Gadjiev achieved an outstanding 2nd place in the competition, which he shared with Japanese pianist Kyohei Sorito. In addition to the exceptional achievement, he also received the Krystian Zimmerman Prize for Best Interpretation of Sonata.
Alexander Gadjiev chose the Kawai Shigeru SK-EX instrument for Chopin’s music, which he says sounds pleasantly blurred and is therefore the right instrument for performing Chopin’s music.
All of his performances at the Chopin Competition can be viewed on the official website of The Chopin Competition 2020
Alexander Gadjiev, Slovenian-Italian pianist, 27-year-old master of black and white keys, won first prize in 2015 at the 9th International Piano Competition in Hamamatsu, 2018 at the Monte-Carlo Piano Masters and 2021 at the International Piano Competition in Sydney.
He has collaborated with symphony orchestras in Monte Carlo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Prague, Katowice (NOSPR) and elsewhere. His debut, Literary Fantasies, with compositions by Liszt and Schumann, was released in 2018.
He has been living in Berlin for the last few years, the post office is also a BBC artist of the new generation for the period 2019-2021
Picture: Darek Golik, 2nd stage of the 18th Chopin competition