Application:
The 60th Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition of 2025 invites applications in the categories violin and viola.
The competition is open to the public.
The competition will take place in Markneukirchen (Vogtland), State of Saxony, Germany from 8 May 2025 to 17 May 2025.
The Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition is open to young soloists of all nationalities born after 1 January 1995.
Participants must enclose the following documents with the registration form:
a copy of the birth certificate or other official document stating the date of birth.
a short biography (German or English) in full sentences with 1,000 to 2,000 characters
a recent photograph (preferably digital)
* The above documents will not be returned.
Applications will be confirmed or rejected by e-mail within 10 days of receipt.
The participation fee of 100.00 euros is to be paid immediately and free of charge for the recipient after confirmation of admission by the competition office to:
Recipient: Instrumentalwettbewerb Markneukirchen e.V.
Name of Bank and address: Sparkasse Vogtland, Komturhof 2, 08527 Plauen, Germany
Account No.: 360 3000 357
Bank code: 870 580 00
IBAN Code: DE19 8705 8000 3603 0003 57
BIC/SWIFT: WELADED1PLX
Purpose: participant’s name / registration number
Awards:
First prize: 7,000 €
Second prize: 5,000 €
Third prize: 3,500 €
Repertoire:
VIOLIN
First round
(about 20 minutes including entering and leaving the stage)
a) One of the following compositions:
Johann Sebastian Bach
Siciliana and Presto from Sonata BWV 1001
or
Johann Sebastian Bach
Andante and Allegro from Sonata BWV 1003
or
Johann Sebastian Bach
Largo and Allegro assai from Sonata BWV 1005
b) Max Reger
Prelude and Fugue in D minor op. 117 No. 6
c) One of the following works:
Gerhard Wimberger
„Toi, toi, toi“ for violin solo
(The sheet music can be sent on request.)
or
György Kurtag
„in nomine all‘ongherese“, from: Signs, Games and Messages
or
Adriana Hölszky
„nouns to nouns“ II
Second round
(approx. 30 min including entering and leaving the stage)
a) First movement from one of the following Concertos:
Johannes Brahms
Violin Concerto in D major op. 77
or
Antonín Dvořák
Violin Concerto in A minor op. 53
or
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Violin Concerto in E minor op. 64 (MWV O 14)
or
Sergej Prokofjew
2nd Violin Concerto in G minor, op. 63
or
Jean Sibelius
Violin concerto in D minor op. 47
The movement from the chosen concerto must be performed from memory.
b) Olivier Messiaen
„Louange à l’Immortalité de Jésus“, from: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Third round
(approx. 60 min including entering and leaving the stage)
a) One of the sonatas from:
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata op. 12 No. 3
or
Sonata op. 30 No. 1
or
Sonata op. 30 No. 2
or
Sonata op. 30 No. 3
or
Sonata op. 96
b) One of the sonatas:
Claude Debussy
or
Maurice Ravel
or
Gabriel Fauré
c) Solo work(s) of your choice, which complement(s) the chosen compositions in a 60-minute recital. Works from other rounds may not be repeated.
Final Round with orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin concerto in D major op. 61
The performance of an own cadenza is expressly welcomed.
The work must be performed from memory.
General
The works of the round 2a and the final round must be performed from memory.
A total of eight works plus the freely selectable work(s) from round 3c are to be performed.
The selected programme and the specified editions are binding. Subsequent changes will not be accepted.
It is at the candidate’s personal choice to determine the order of his/her presentations within a selection round. If the required programme is not fulfilled or the presentation is aborted, this will result in disqualification.
Please note that, for legal reasons (copyright law), photocopied music may only be used at the participant’s own risk. All compositions included in this programme can be obtained from music trade.
In general, the International Instrumental Competition does not provide any performance materials.
VIOLA
First round (20 minutes )
a) Max Reger
Suite for Viola solo op. 131 d No. 1 in G minor
out of that: 1st and 2nd movement
or
Suite for Viola solo op. 131 d No. 2 in D major
out of that: 1st and 2nd movement
or
Suite for Viola solo op. 131 d No. 3 in E minor
out of that: 1st and 2nd movement
The chosen piece has to be performed from memory.
b) Franz Schubert
Arpeggione-Sonata A minor D 821
out of that: 2nd movement Adagio and 3rd movement Allegretto
Second round (30 minutes)
One of the following compositions:
Béla Bartók
Viola Concerto
Tibor Serly Version
or
Paul Hindemith
„Der Schwanendreher“
or
William Walton
Viola Concerto
or
Edward Elgar
Concerto in E minor op. 85
(arrangement of Lionel Tertis)
The chosen piece has to be performed from memory.
Third round (60 minutes)
Within the third round, it is generally permitted to perform single movements from the specified works.
a) One of the following compositions:
György Kurtág
Signs, Games and Messages
out of that an own choice
or
György Ligeti
Sonata for Viola solo, out of that: 1st, 4th and 6th movement
or
Benjamin Britten
Suite op. 72
(original for Cello, arrangement by Nobuko Imai, Faber Music)
or
Benjamin Britten
Suite op. 80
(original for Cello, arrangement by Nobuko Imai, Faber Music)
or
Benjamin Britten
Suite op. 87
(original for Cello, arrangement by Nobuko Imai, Faber Music)
or
Tōru Takemitsu
A Bird Came Down The Walk
or
Garth Knox
Fuga libre
b) One of the following compositions:
Robert Schumann
„Märchenbilder“ op. 113
or
Johannes Brahms
Sonata op. 120 No. 1 in F minor
or
Johannes Brahms
Sonata op. 120 No. 2 in E flat major
or
Johannes Brahms
Sonata op. 78 in G major (original for Violin)
own arrangement or that by Thomas Riebl, Edition Peters
or
Johannes Brahms
Sonata op. 38 in E minor (original for Cello)
own arrangement or that by Milton Katims
c) One of the four solo sonatas:
Paul Hindemith
Solo sonata op. 11 No. 5
or
Solo sonata op. 25 No. 1
or
Solo sonata op. 31 No. 4
or
Solo sonata without opus from the your 1937
The chosen piece has to be performed from memory.
d) A work or parts of a work of own choice with a maximum duration of 10 minutes. Works from other rounds may not be repeated. Solo pieces and concertos have to be performed from memory.
Final Round with orchestra (without conductor)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto in A major KV 622 (original for clarinet)
(solopart in own arrangement)
or
Franz Anton Hoffmeister
Concerto D major
(own cadences desired)
or
Carl Stamitz
Concerto D major
(own cadences desired)
The chosen piece has to be performed from memory.
General
Solo pieces and concertos except 3rd round a) have to be performed from memory.
Participants are requested to use Urtext versions whenever possible.
A total of eight works are to be performed.
The selected programme and the specified editions are binding. Subsequent changes will not be accepted.
It is at the candidate’s personal choice to determine the order of his/her presentations within a selection round. If the required programme is not fulfilled or the presentation is aborted, this will result in disqualification.
Please note that, for legal reasons (copyright law), photocopied music may only be used at the participant’s own risk. All compositions included in this programme can be obtained from music trade.
In general, the International Instrumental Competition does not provide any performance materials.
More information: https://instrumental-competition.de/en/ .