34th Smetana International Piano Competition

Deadline: 31/01/2023
Location: Plzeň, Czech Republic
Disciplines: Piano
From: 24/04/2023 To: 30/04/2023
Age limit: up to 30

Conditions for participation

Age Limit and Competition Categories

The competition is divided into three categories and is open to Czech and foreign pianists who:

  • a) comply with the age limit of 16 years for the First category (born in 2007 and later)
    The competition of the First category consists of one round.
  • b) comply with the age limit of 20 years for the Second category (born in 2003 and later)
    The competition of the Second category consists of two rounds.
  • c) comply with the age limit of 30 years for the Third category (born in 1993 and later)
    The competition of the Third category consists of three rounds.
    In the Third category the Jury will select only four contestants to compete in the third round (the Finals).

Dates and Place of the Competition

The 34th SMETANA INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION will be held in Plzeň, Czech Republic, between 24 – 30 April 2023.

The competition will take place in the concert hall of the Conservatory of Plzen. The third round of the Third category will take place in the Great Hall of the City Ballroom.

Other Competition Regulations

  • All works in all competition rounds must be performed from memory.
  • The order of the works performed in individual rounds is the competitors´ free choice with the exception of the free chosen composition.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one in every round of the Competition.
  • The competition performances are open to members of the public.
  • Any change in the competitors repertoir can be announced to the organizer of the Competition until 31 January 2023 in a written way or using an e-mail. It is not possible to change the repertoir after this date.
  • In the event that any radio or TV broadcast or recodings of the competition performances be made, these are at the Organiser´s disposal and shall serve to promote the Competition. In the event of any commercial use of any recording, this will be the subject of further negotiations.

The Source of the Music for Studying Bedřich Smetana´s Compositions

Should any dispute arise, the following edition of Bedřich Smetana´s compositions shall be the determining factor: Bedřich Smetana: Klavirni skladby, 7 volumes, Editio Bärenreiter

The music can be obtained at the address:
Bärenreiter Praha s. r. o.
music publisher
namesti Jiriho z Podebrad 112/19,
130 00 Praha 3
Česká republika
tel.: +420 274 001 911, fax.: +420 274 001 927
e-mail: info@baerenreiter.cz, zcentrum@ebp.cz
www.baerenreiter.cz (translate by Google)

The competition conditions have been issued in the Czech and English languages. Should any dispute arise, the Czech version shall be the legal text.

Awards

The following prize money has been offered for individual categories in the
34th  SMETANA INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION:

First category:

  • 1st prize: CZK 10, 000
  • 2nd prize: CZK 5, 000
  • 3rd prize: CZK 3, 000

Second category:

  • 1st prize: CZK 30, 000
  • 2nd prize: CZK 15, 000
  • 3rd prize: CZK 8, 000

Third category:

  • 1st prize: CZK 50, 000
  • 2nd prize: CZK 25, 000
  • 3rd prize: CZK 12, 000

Special Smetana Prize CZK 30, 000

Other Regulations regarding the Awarding of Prizes

The Jury reserves the right to withhold an award in any category.

In the event that more equal prizes in any category are to be awarded, the Jury reserves the right to combine the total financial amount determined for the particular category and divide it in such a way that it will respect the conventions of awarding prizes. All of the decisions of the Competition Jury will be final and not open to discussion.

1 st-, 2nd- and 3rd- prize winners will become “competition laureates”.

The playing of the selected competition laureates at the prize-winners´ concert on Sunday, 30 April 2023, is a condition of being awarded the prize money and other awards.

Schedule

Smetana Piano International Competition will take place in April 24 – 30 2023.

Finals of the 3rd Category will be held on Saturday, April 29 2023 at 7 p.m.

Concert of Winners will be held on Sunday, April 30 2023 at 3 p.m.

First category repertoire

(age limit: up to 16 years)

  • Competitors born in 2007 and later.
  • The competition consists of one round.

Programme

  • The time limit of the entire performance is 20 minutes.
  • A shorter performing time of B. Smetana´s works will result in the disqualification of the competitor.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one.
  • 1. a rapid movement from a classical sonata by one of the following composers:
    J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, J. L. Dusik, J. V. H. Vorisek
    or one rondo chosen from the works of  W. A. Mozart or L. van Beethoven
  • 2. B. Smetana: free choice of one or more compositions of not less than seven minutes´ duration
  • 3. competitor´s free choice of one or more works

Second category repertoire

(age limit: up to 20 years)

  • Competitors born in 2003 and later.
  • The competition consists of two rounds.

Programme – first round

  • The time limit for the entire first round is 20 minutes.
  • A shorter performing time of  B. Smetana´s works will result in the disqualification of the competitor.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one.
  • 1. one concerto etude of a virtuoso character chosen from the works of these composers:
    F. Chopin, F. Liszt, B. Smetana, S. Rachmaninov, A. Scriabin
  • 2. B. Smetana: free choice of one or more compositions of not less than seven minutes duration
  • 3. the competitor´s free choice of  Czech or the world´s compositions from the romantic period

Programme – second round

  • The time limit for the entire second round is 30 minutes.
  • A shorter performing time of B. Smetana´s works will result in the disqualification of the competitor.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one.
  • 1. a rapid movement from a classical sonata by one of the following composers:
    J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, J. L. Dusik, J. V. H. Vorisek
    or one rondo chosen from the works of  W. A. Mozart or L. van Beethoven
  • 2. B. Smetana: free choice of compositions of not less than ten minutes´ duration.
    No work by B. Smetana included in the previous round may be performed in this round.
  • 3. competitor´s free choice of one or more compositions
    No work included in the previous round may be performed in this round.

Third category repertoire

(age limit: up to 30 years)

  • Competitors born in 1993 and later.
  • The competition consists of three rounds.

Programme – first round

  • The time limit for the entire first round is 20 minutes.
  • A shorter performing time of  B. Smetana´s works will result in the disqualification of the competitor.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one.
  • 1. one concerto etude of a virtuoso character chosen from the works of these composers: F. Chopin, F. Liszt, B. Smetana, S. Rachmaninov, A. Scriabin
  • 2. B. Smetana: competitor´s free choice of compositions of not less than seven minutes´ duration. In the selection, one polka from the first series of  the Cycle of  Czech Dances must be played.
  • 3. the competitor´s free choice of  Czech or the world´s compositions from the romantic period

Programme – second round

  • The time limit for the entire second round is 45 minutes.
  • A shorter performing time of  B. Smetana´s works will result in the disqualification of the competitor.
  • The composition of a free choice of candidate must be played as the last one.
  • one complete sonata from the works of these composers:
    J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, J. L. Dusik, J. V. H. Vorisek
  • B. Smetana: competitor´s free choice of compositions of not less than fifteen minutes´ duration. In the selection, one composition from the second series of the Cycle of  Czech Dances must be played.
    No work by B. Smetana included in the previous round may be performed in this round.
  • competitor´s free choice of one or more compositions.
    No work included in the previous round may be performed in this round.

Programme – third round

one of the following piano concertos:

  • W. A. Mozart: Concerto in D minor, K 466
  • W. A. Mozart: Concerto in C, K 467
  • W. A. Mozart: Concerto in A, K 488
  • L. v. Beethoven: Concertos Nos. 1 – 5
  • E. Grieg: Concerto in A minor
  • F. Chopin: Concerto in E minor, Concerto in F minor
  • R. Schumann: Concerto in A minor
  • F. Liszt: Concerto in E flat

More details