GREAT PROMISE

MALCOLM MILLER reports from the 2008
Beethoven Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition

There was a sizeable large audience to support the young participants at the 2008 Beethoven Junior Intercollegiate Piano Competition, presented by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe at the Blüthner Piano Centre, 1 Davies Street, London W1, UK, on 16 March 2008. The jury comprised Professor Sulamit Aronowksy, Stephen Savage and Angela Brownridge.

In my capacity as Editor of the BPSE journal Arietta, I welcomed the audience and thanked Roger Willson of Blüthner Piano Centre, for their generosity in hosting this event, and also the recent BPSE Senior Competition (held in December). I also underlined the BPSE's gratitude to patrons of the competition: Mrs Eugenie Maxwell, FIOD (Vice President BPSE), W C L Brown CBE and Nachiko Brown, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP and Leslie East, Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Alberto Portugheis, BPSE Vice-Chairman UK introduced the five candidates in turn, drawn from junior departments of music colleges and specialist music schools, all of whom showed great promise. Each of the participants played the compulsory Bagatelle, Op 33 No 4, as well as a sonata of their choice: in the event the programme was framed by two Appassionata sonatas, with a selection of middle period works, Op 31 No 2, Op 27 No 1 and the less often performed Op 78.

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