On the night of September 25th, four finalists competed against each other for the winner of Group C of the piano contest in the theater hall. It was the last game and the apex of the Competition. The 12-day piano and violin contests finally embraced a satisfying ending, producing 24 prize winners in 6 groups.
On the previous night, after due deliberation and discussion, the judge panel announced the winners of Piano Groups A and B. Chinese players dominated Group A with Xiaoxuan Li, Qixuan Fan and Ruichao Chen winning the top three places. Jiwon Yang from South Korea won the 4th place. In Group B, Mao Fujita from Japan grabbed the first prize, followed by Qian Tang of China and Coco Ma of Canada. Peijie Yu of China came in fourth.
In the finals of Piano Group C on the night of September 25th, four finalists, Ivan Krpan (Croatia), Mitra Kotte (Austria), Huan Li (China) and Guo Woo Hwang (South Korea), cooperated with various parts of the Salzburg Chamber Soloists and played Mozart works in the form of a string quintet, each lasting around 30 minutes. The judges and the audience were intoxicated by the tacit cooperation between the pianists and the orchestra. Whether the rhythms went up or down, or the melodies tasted mellow or inspirational, the music seemed to put everyone in a state of trance all the way till seconds after the coda, where the crowd erupted in thunderous applause, shouting bravos. Gun Woo Hwang’s soft fingering rendered the final note, marking the end of the final of Piano Group C, as well as the conclusion of the Competition.
On the other hand, the Mozart master classes and lectures received a fine ending on September 25th, on the afternoon of which three master musicians, Professor Min Kim (top South Korean violinist, educator and music director), Professor Petru Munteanu (renowned violin educator) and Professor Lina Yu (famed Chinese violinist) were the plenary speakers. From 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, Lina Yu introduced to the audience the background, creation and performance stories of “The Butterfly Lovers”. She played excerpts from the work that has accompanied her through the past fifty years, turning the final page of the series master classes of the Competition.
Lina Yu
At 10 AM on September 26th, the Organizing Committee will host a post-game press conference, summarizing the entire competition. Celebrities of the international music circle, including Xiaogang Ye (Chairman of the Chinese Musicians’ Society), Zuohuang Chen (distinguished conductor), Gudrun Hardiman (Cultural Affairs Counsellor of the Austrian Embassy in China) and Gustav Alink (Chairman of the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation), will gather and discuss extensively on topics like “The influence of classical music over cities”. At night, the closing ceremony of the first International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians and the Winners’ Concert will be held at the Theatre Hall of Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre. Twenty-four winners of six groups (for violin and piano) will be awarded prizes on the stage. The six top prize winners will then give live performances of classical music, signifying the gratifying finale of the Competition.
