四虎影院

Five days into the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 12 competitors are moving on to the semifinals.

After hearing their names announced before a packed audience at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU late Sunday night, the pianists huddled together in a corner of the stage to nervously ask Cliburn staff questions about the next round, which runs May 28-June 1 at Bass Performance Hall. Seventeen musicians vied for the semifinals after Xiaofu Ju of China due to medical reasons.

Now, each remaining competitor will perform a 60-minute recital and a Mozart concerto accompanied by conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

of South Korea was to place for the semifinals. She said it felt great to hear her name called.

鈥淚 feel very excited 鈥� excited that I am getting to play more of the pieces that I have prepared,鈥� she said.

Here鈥檚 who is headed to the semifinals:

• , Poland, 25
• , Germany, 26
• , Canada/United States, 28
• , China, 24
• , Italy, 23
• , South Korea, 27
• , China, 29
• , Israel/Russia, 30
• , China, 23
• , Russia, 26
• , United States, 22
• , United States, 26

One of Park鈥檚 chosen recital pieces is Beethoven鈥檚 , which she described as 鈥渢errifyingly exciting.鈥� Competitors choose their Mozart concertos from a list provided by the Cliburn, with Park picking the .

鈥淚 think the temperament of this concerto suits me a bit better than some others (on the list),鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite introverted at times, but 鈥� I think it鈥檚 a very soulful concerto and it also has a lot of fire, and I tend to gravitate toward very strongly emotional pieces.鈥�

Cliburn President and CEO Jacques Marquis told the Report in an interview before the competition that the Mozart concertos showcase the performer鈥檚 ability to work within a demanding chamber music format. Chamber music involves a smaller orchestra, which Marquis said leaves the pianist with 鈥渘owhere to hide.鈥� The concertos are also stylistically vigorous.

If played too fast, the style is wrong, he said. If played too slowly, audiences get bored.

鈥淭he phrasing is really, really, really important,鈥� Marquis said, 鈥渂ecause a note that is too loud in your scale sounds too loud because there鈥檚 no backup.鈥�

This round tells the jurors a lot about a pianist, which is the point of the whole competition.

鈥淲hat we ask the jury at the end is, 鈥楥hoose someone that you believe has a unique voice but also can sustain a career and touring,鈥� and that鈥檚 part of it,鈥� Marquis said.

Park said she hasn鈥檛 thought much about what it would be like to win the Cliburn. How the jury votes is outside of her control. What she focuses on instead is meeting her own standards and being happy with her performance.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the most important thing,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd I want to be satisfied with my playing.鈥�

Erin Ratigan is a freelance journalist and writer specializing in narrative news features. You can find her on X @erinratigan.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .