JURY TALK: MARIN ALSOP

Do you like the idea of giving every finalist the chance to perform two concertos?

I think it’s great to have two different choices. It provides a much more comprehensive view. If Yunchan had played only Beethoven, for example, I am not sure it would have been such a clear result. Having both Beethoven and Rachmaninov made things very clear and showed his authentic musicianship.

But it makes the job also very hard for the orchestra, having to play so many different concertos in a short amount of time. Orchestra musicians sometimes do not appreciate competitions as much as we think they should; and schedules, repertoire and union rules make things more difficult than they should be.

I think the Cliburn was a real happening for the orchestra. And I tried to work them hard. For me, the atmosphere felt a bit like at the Queen Elisabeth. The Cliburn had a great priority, people were committed, and it was not “just some contest”. Back in the days, Van Cliburn played two concertos (Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov); after that there was an intermission, followed by two more concertos….

That was completely crazy!

But at the Chopin, the orchestra also has to play four concertos in one evening, and sometimes its always the same concerto…

That makes it very hard. Chopin is different- there is not so much to play for the orchestra, many long notes, slow passages… a bit of variety makes things much easier.

Jacques Marquis was talking about a “Tunnel Vision” of each juror and asked you not to discuss any competitor within the jury- period. Do you think this worked well?

Yes, I think it worked well. You know, I try not to serve on juries, but I think this particular jury was very special. They were all incredibly high-level performers. They listened with incredible devotion and attention, it was really wonderful. Besides, we really enjoyed each other’s company. We talked about food, wine, music…. As a chair, I was kind of “the jury police”, but I can assure you we never talked about the candidates. We had a joke going that we should call ourselves The Jury and sell ourselves to all the competitions. We all became very close, spent so much time together, and even had a group chat (that most of us are still using). It sounds funny, but in a way it really felt like “the ideal jury”. People really voted their conscience. They were not necessarily always in agreement, of course there were different opinions. But because of the clarity in the voting process, it was not a problem. And there was no “in the middle” voting. Did you do any conducting competitions yourself? What are your memories?

I did a couple as a jury… as a candidate, only one: the Stokovsky Competition in New York. It was a wonderful experience, even though I didn’t win. I came close, though…. For me the best thing about competitions is: you meet a lot of people, great musicians, great artists. Usually everyone is really appreciative. After the Stokovsky, even though I didn’t win, many people remembered me. That seemed so much more important and valuable.