The 17th Van Cliburn International Piano competition, now underway in Fort Worth, always features a commissioned work by a leading composer. Each of the contestants must play it in the first round.
Venezuelan-born Gabriela Montero, who’s also
on this year’s competition jury, wrote the technically challenging "Rachtime." She says the title is a play on words.
“It’s sort of reminiscent of Rachmaninoff in some ways, but, at the time it also has a sort of a ragtimey rhythm underneath it all. So then I thought, oh, ragtime, Rachmaninoff, perfect. 'Rachtime.'"
The piece is short. It takes between 4 and a half and 6 minutes to perform. Montero, says it started out as an improvisation. She’s known for improvising – in the classical style - at her recitals. But she also built in opportunities for the pianists to be both challenged and creative.
She also wanted this to be fun, because so many of her works, she said, are dark, influenced by politics of her home country.
“I can't write anything that's simple. It's always very complex,” said Montero, on a break between competitor performances.
“What I wanted was to give the opportunity to the candidates to really display their imagination, their musicianship, but you have to then have it in your fingers and allow it to really come to life in this kind of dance element.”
27-year-old Chinese-born pianist Shangra Du picked up on that element.
“To me,” said Du, “this piece is almost like a dance. So we have at the very beginning, we have this very active, very joyful dance.”
Another competitor from China, Aristo Sham, took the piece a bit faster.
“I love the fact that even in this sort of virtuosity, there are still so many emotions to be found within, in the little inflections and little voicings," said Sham.
These different interpretations of the new work, especially convincing ones, these are what Cliburn CEO Jacques Marquis hoped for.
“I'm not looking at who's winning and who's best,” said Marquis. “I am looking at 30 candidates who got really engaged in the piece, and that tells me something about the candidate.”
Judges chose 12 semifinalists over the weekend. They’ll announce who they thought best interpreted the new piece at the end of competition June 7.
