Missed the Preliminaries? It's not too late!

Interested in seeing what the Cliburn has in store this year? You've come to the right place. Watch our reel featuring moments from the Preliminary Round that had us awestruck and will leave you wanting to hear more from our masterful pianists! This article also features a short listening guide, but if you want to cut straight to the action, check out the reel below!

Not a pianist? No problem. Here are a few key things to listen for in the reel: style, tempo, and dynamics. Is the piece bright and lively, or does it unfold slowly with deep emotion? Does the player push and pull the sense of time? Are loud passages transformed effortlessly into quiet ones before your very ears? These are all nuances in playing style that are difficult to master, but the breadth of the repertoire allows pianists to create their own interpretations. Whether based on interpretations by famous pianists such as Martha Argerich, or the composers themselves, such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, each player must decide on what they want to convey in their performance and how they can best do that, usually through aspects such as the aforementioned style, tempo, and dynamics.

Some of the pieces performed are prominent staples in the piano repertoire, such as works by Franz Liszt (who was a virtuoso pianist himself!), Ludwig van Beethoven, and Alexander Scriabin. Others are more contemporary and lesser-known works, such as David Önaç's Five Etudes for Solo Piano (performed by Jonathan Mamora) and Gabriela Montero's Rachtime. These pieces play with contemporary conventions such as abandoning a home key or relying more on rhythm rather than melody as the main focal point. Magdalene Ho performs Camille Saint-Saëns' tone poem Danse Macabre, a work you might recognize from popular culture. A tone poem is a work of a single movement that is meant to convey a specific scene or narrative, such as a dance of dark spirits in this case. Mikhail Kambarov's rendition of Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Corelli is a testament to not only Kambarov's rhythmic proficiency, but also to Rachmaninoff's wide piano oeuvre. One of his most famous works is a series of 24 Preludes that span all the major and minor keys. Aside from being a great workout in music theory, it further established Rachmaninoff as a canonic figure for pianists. If you're unfamiliar with arguably his most famous work, do yourself a favor and check out his Prelude in C-sharp minor. You'll thank us later.