Our prize winners

1st prize: Alexey Sychev
2nd prize: Dina Ivanova
3rd prize: Arseni Sadykov


Special prizes

Florian Glemser
Special prize for the best interpretation of an opera transcription by Richard Wagner/ Franz Liszt

Eka Bokuchava
Scholarship for the best Eastern European participant (prize winners excluded) to study for one semester at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar

Alexey Sychev
Special prize for the best interpretation of the Sonata in B minor by Franz Liszt
Audience Award

 

20 October - 1 November 2015

Budapest, Utrecht—and Weimar: the FRANZ LISZT Piano Competition Weimar, which is hosted in cooperation with the city of Bayreuth, has long been established as one of the three most renowned international competitions which explicitly place the oeuvre of Franz Liszt at the heart of their musical combat.

The University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar and the city of Bayreuth invite musicians to the 8th edition of the International FRANZ LISZT Piano Competition, which is to take place at Weimar and Bayreuth between 20 October and 1 November 2015. Following its first round in the city of Richard Wagner, the competition moves on to Weimar for its successive rounds.

The first round is hosted at Bayreuth (20–25 October), and competitors head to the LISZT UNIVERSITY for the second (27/28 October) and third (29/30 October) rounds. The comparison between participants could not be more just: Liszt's majestic B minor sonata is the sole piece to be performed in the final, third round.

The international jury is chaired by Gerlinde Otto, professor of piano in Weimar; the panel chooses the candidates who will be given the opportunity to perform Franz Liszt's piano concertos and the 'Totentanz', together with the Staatskapelle Weimar, at the closing concert in the Weimarhalle on 31 October 2015 (7.30pm). The prize-winners then move back to Bayreuth, where they will be able to perform works from their award-winning programmes in the Stadthalle on 1 November (8.00pm).

In addition to Gerlinde Otto, the jury includes Rolf-Dieter Arens (Germany), Paul Badura-Skoda (Austria), Wolfgang Döberlein (Germany), Manana Doijashvili (Georgia), Janina Fialkowska (USA / Canada / Poland), Young-Lan Han (South Korea), Leslie Howard (UK), Vadim Monastyrski (Israel) and Stefan Vladar (Austria). The international jury has to make the difficult decision which of the young talents is to be awarded the total prize money of Euro 25,000. The first prize comes with Euro 12,000, the second prize with Euro 8,000, and the third prize with Euro 5,000. There are also some special awards, follow-up concerts, and a radio production to be won.

In all of its rounds, the competition's prescribed repertoire focusses on Franz Liszt's piano oeuvre. The only exceptions are works by Bach and Chopin in the first round, as well as a Beethoven sonata and an etude by Ligeti in the second round. From Liszt's oeuvre, candidates will be asked to perform song transcriptions, etudes, pieces of their own choosing, as well as the B minor sonata in the third round—and the two piano concertos alongside the 'Totentanz' in the closing concert.

Established by the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar twenty years ago, the competition is supported significantly by the Freistaat Thüringen, the city of Bayreuth, and the Oberfrankenstiftung. Further support comes from the NEUE LISZT STIFTUNG WEIMAR. Prof. Rolf-Dieter Arens is the competition's artistic director.