Instruments and dates:
For the instruments of BASSOON and CLARINET , the 72nd annual Prague Spring International Music Competition, a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in Geneva, shall be held in Prague from 7 May to 15 May 2020.
Conditions for participation in the competition
The competition is intended for artists of all nationalities who:
- a) satisfy the age limit – 30 years (i.e. those who are born after 7 May 1990 inclusive)
- b) have not already won 1st prize in the relevant instrumental field at the Prague Spring International Music Competition.
Application:
Persons interested in participating in the competition shall apply online at the website http://competition.festival.cz/ en/contestant_application (will be open in September 2019) where they shall complete and confirm an online application form, attach a portrait photograph suitable for reproduction, a recording of the compositions for the preliminary round and other attachments, if any.
The application shall contain the following attachments:
- a) An unedited VIDEO recording in the avi, mov, mpg, wmv, mp4, mkv or, alternatively, DVD formats of high technical quality of the compositions listed in the “Competition Repertoire” section of these General Provisions.
– The quality of the recording must meet professional standards (recordings from mobile devices shall not be accepted for the preliminary round).
– The selection of candidates who shall be accepted to participate in the competition in Prague shall be made on the basis of this recording. The recordings shall be heard anonymously and in random order.
Individual parts of recorded compositions must be uploaded separately each into a different file. Please upload them to YouTube or any cloud server (Dropbox, iCloud etc.) and include the link in your application.
– If you do not comply with the program requirements for the recording, you shall be disqualified.
– A recording need not be sent by applicants who have won the 1st prize at selected competitions – please refer to the “Competition Repertoire” section.
- b) A statement from a professor or other person of artistic standing (e.g. a sound engineer) guaranteeing the authenticity and quality of the recording.
- c) A copy of the applicant’s birth certificate or proof of identity. d) A portrait photo suitable for reproduction (min. 1 MB and 300 dpi). Upload the photo and send it online together with the application. Name the file containing your photo with your full name before uploading.
- e) Proof of payment of the registration fee (for costs associated with registration and the preliminary round) in the amount of EUR 30 made to the “Prague Spring” account no. 3633372/0800 held at the bank Česká spořitelna, IBAN CZ64 0800 0000 0000 03633372, B.I.C. GIBACZPX (applicants wishing to make the payment in CZK shall find information about such payment in the Contact Section on the website).
The administrative fee can also be paid online directly from the application form by means of the PayPal service (platbaPP@festival.cz).
The decision on admission to the competition shall be released by 20 January 2020 at the latest.
The selected competitors shall receive a notification by email. After the receipt of the admission confirmation, the participation fee of EUR 80 must be transferred to the competition account by 15 February 2020 at the latest.
The accepted candidates shall then be sent a letter with complete information concerning the organisation of the competition, as well as the sheet music for the commissioned piece.
Neither the registration nor the participation fee can be refunded should the competitor be prevented from attending, or should he or she cancel his or her participation.
Accomodation:
All travel and accommodation expenses in the course of Round I shall be paid by the candidates themselves.
Starting from Round II, all candidates who do not have their permanent residence in Prague or live more than 100 km far away from Prague shall receive a contribution of 60 EUR/day. The contribution shall be provided for the duration of their active participation in the competition.
The prize-winners shall receive a contribution until the day of the Prize Award Ceremony on 15 May 2020.
JURIES:
BASSOON
Chairman Carlo Colombo (Italy)
Members Bence Bogányi (Hungary), Ole Kristian Dahl (Norway), Richard Galler (Austria), Jaroslav Kubita (Czech Republic), Laurent Lefèvre (France), Matthias Rácz (Germany)
CLARINET
Chairman Harri Mäki (Finland)
Members Nicholas Cox (Great Britain), Igor Františák (Czech Republic), Johannes Gmeinder (Germany), Michel Lethiec (France), Vlastimil Mareš (Czech Republic), Masatoshi Tanaka (Japan)
PRIZES:
1st prize CZK 200,000
2nd prize CZK 100,000
3rd prize CZK 50,000
Other prizes:
- Honourable Mention of the Jury of the First Grade may be awarded to some of the finalists who do not receive any of the main prizes – CZK 10,000
- Honourable Mention of the Jury may be awarded to some outstanding candidates in Round II who do not advance to the finals
- Czech Radio Prize a free studio recording and presentation of the best laureate to be broadcasted by Czech Radio 6 7
- Czech Music Fund Foundation Prize for the best performance of works composed for the 2020 Prague Spring International Music Competition – CZK 20,000
- Prize of the City of Prague for the most successful laureate Crystal Prizes made at the Moser studio for the winners of the main prizes
- Bärenreiter Prize a gift voucher for a selection of sheet music published by Bärenreiter Praha and Bärenreiter-Verlag Kassel for the most successful laureate
PRIZE FOR THE CLARINET CATEGORY
- Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Prize for the best performance of the work by Bohuslav Martinů – CZK 25,000
COMPETITION REPERTOIRE:
All three rounds of competition performances are public
BASSOON :
PRELIMINARY ROUND
A video recording with the following repertoire:
- Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata for Bassoon and Piano Op. 168
Candidates who shall provide a proof that they have won the 1st prize in one of the following competitions, need not submit a recording:
2018 Aeolus International Competition for Wind Instruments
2018 Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition
2019 ARD International Music Competition
2019 Muri Competition
ROUND I
- Zdeněk Šesták Five Virtuoso Inventions for Solo Bassoon – 1st, 2nd and 4th movement
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata in B flat major KV 292/196c (version with piano) Henle Verlag (to be memorized)
ROUND II
- Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata for Bassoon and Piano Op. 168 (to be memorized)
- A work of the candidate´s choice
a) Marcel Bitsch Concertino for Bassoon and Piano
b) Otmar Nusio Variations on an Arietta by Pergolesi for Bassoon and Piano c) Alexandre Tansman Sonatina for Bassoon and Piano
d) Zdeněk Lukáš Rondo for Bassoon and Piano Op. 168
- Petr Wajsar Composition commissioned for the IMC Prague Spring 2020
PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT
Official piano accompanists are available at no charge on request in the application form. Participants may bring along their personal accompanist at their own expense.
FINALS in collaboration with Haydn Ensemble conducted by Martin Petrák 1. Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in G minor RV 496 „per Marchese de Morzin“ – finalists shall study and perform this piece without a conductor
- Jean Françaix Concerto for Bassoon and 11 Strings
CLARINET
PRELIMINARY ROUND A video recording with the following repertoire:
- Igor Stravinsky Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet – 2nd and 3rd movement 2. Carl Maria von Weber Concerto No. 1 in F minor Op. 73 – 3rd movement
Candidates who shall provide a proof that they have won the 1st prize in one of the following competitions, need not submit a recording:
2018 Geneva International Music Competition
2019 ARD International Music Competition
2019 Carl Nielsen International Competition
ROUND I (to be memorized)
- Igor Stravinsky Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet
- Carl Maria von Weber Concerto No. 1 in F minor Op. 73 – 2nd and 3rd movement
ROUND II
- Johannes Brahms One of the following sonatas
- a) Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F minor Op. 120/1
- b) Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major Op. 120/2 10
- A piece of the candidate´s choice (to be memorized)
- a) Leonard Bernstein Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
- b) Paul Hindemith Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B flat major
- c) Bohuslav Martinů Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano H 356
- d) Josef Páleníček Partita piccola for Clarinet and Piano
- e) Francis Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Piano FP 184
- f) Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat major Op. 167
- Jan Dušek Composition commissioned for the IMC Prague Spring 2020
PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT Official piano accompanists are available at no charge on request in the application form. Participants may bring along their personal accompanist at their own expense.
FINALS in cooperation with PKF — Prague Philharmonia conducted by Chuhei Iwasaki
- Claude Debussy Première rhapsodie (to be memorized)
- Rudolf Kubín Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra