This week, we head back to the 2015 Honens International Piano Competition to a performance from Semifinalist Yoon-Jee Kim. In her Semifinals Solo Round, Yoon-Jee played Charles-Valentin Alkan's arrangement of Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major.

There has been lots of speculation about how this piece got its nickname, "Surprise Symphony." According to one colourful account, it was during a performance when Haydn, serving as conductor, impulsively altered the dynamics in the second movement. "Haydn had already given the downbeat to begin the movement when the gentle snores of a front-row patron piqued his sense of humour. He and his musicians forged ahead with the little theme until reaching its final chord, for which Haydn cued an immense fortissimo (loud tone) bringing the drowsy patron to his feet."

Enjoy, but beware of listening while drowsy!

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

Today, we are pleased to feature 2015 Honens Semifinalist Samson Tsoy's performance of C.P.E. Bach's Sonata in G minor Wq. 65/17. 

Carl Philipp Emmanuel (C.P.E.) Bach and three of this brothers all became professional musicians, each trained almost entirely by their famous father, Johann Sebastian. Like many fathers, J.S. wanted his sons to have careers to fall back on, especially since, at the time, uneducated musicians were often treated as servants. 

Before taking on music full-time, C.P.E. obtained a degree in law. As it turned out, he never needed his law degree as he went on to become a very famous musician in his own right. A well-respected keyboardist and composer, C.P.E. Bach is known for bridging the gap between the Baroque and Classical eras.

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

In this episode of Open Lid, Catherine McClelland, Honens Director, Artistic Planning catches up with  2000 Honens Laureates Katherine Chi and Alessandra Ammara. The three discuss memories from the 2000 Honens International Piano Competition,  adventures from past tours,  how they stayed connected during the pandemic, and their appreciation for each other. Katherine and Alessandra perform a program of Claude Debussy,  Alexina Louie, and Sergei Rachmaninov. 

At the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, Finalist Han Chen performed Roussel's Divertissement Op. 6 with the Azahar Ensemble. Described by AllMusic's Adrian Corleonis as "rhythmically alive with every bar," the piece is "pithy without being complex, harmonically fresh without system, robust but never knockabout, sensuous rather than sensual." 

What a perfect sentiment to carry with us for the remainder of the week.

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

This week, we'll hear 2009 Honens Prize Laureate Georgy Tchaidze perform Haydn's Andante con variazioni in F minor Hob. XVII/6. The two themes in this work—one major, one minor—create a dialogue that BBC Radio 3's Stephen Johnson said alternates "melancholy with joyous exuberance without any real transition."

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

We are thrilled to share this special performance today, recorded by the Chicago-based Canadian pianist and 2003 Honens Laureate, Winston Choi. 

A few months ago, Winston was part of a Laureate Circle Goes Online event, where he shared a thoughtful program with works by Franz Schubert, Amy Beach, and William Grant Still. In this episode, you'll hear two of those pieces, both romantic and lyrical. The first is Schubert's Impromptu No. 3 in B-flat Major Op. 142, which Winston describes as, "perhaps one of the most delightful and positive pieces one can find," and Beach's Ballade Op. 6. Winston describes Beach as "a composer that should be considered one of the greats," whose music is "rich, thick, complex, and yet, speaks organically."

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

Today, we are pleased to share 2006 Honens Laureate Hinrich Alpers performing the third movement of Franz Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor Op. 125, recorded at his summer home in  Berlin. Widely considered the latter's greatest work, ‘Beethoven 9’ was composed between 1822 and 1824 and first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. Liszt's transcription for solo piano is meticulous in its accurate reproduction and requires much from the pianist (technique, stamina, and musicianship) to fully realize an entire orchestra with only 10 fingers.

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

Today, we are pleased to feature part two, the last six miniatures, of 2012 Honens Prize Laureate Pavel Kolesnikov's performance from R. Schumann's Kinderszenen "Scenes from Childhood." 

The work was originally called Leichte Stücke "Easy Pieces." Schumann added the movement titles after he had completed the composition and described them as "nothing more than delicate hints for execution and interpretation."

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.

In this episode of Open Lid, 2009 Honens Laureate Gilles Vonsattel discusses his  preparation to record Sir George Benjamin's  Shadowlines, including working with the composer himself, with Catherine McClelland,  Honens Director, Artistic Planning.

Learn more about Gilles on his website: gillesvonsattel.com

This week, we are pleased to share the first seven minatures of R. Schumann's Kinderszenen "Scenes from Childhood," performed live by 2012 Honens Prize Laureate Pavel Kolesnikov. 

Composed in 1838, this work represents Schumann's interest in the idealism and innocence of childhood. He described the works as "more cheerful, gentler, and more melodic" than his earlier works. 

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Watch the video edition of this excerpt at honens.com/home.