Yuri Temirkanov (l) and Victor Tretyakov after another
brilliant performance
St Petersburg is hosting 33 of the world's finest baton-wavers as they compete in the second International Prokofyev Competition for young conductors.
Renowned maestro Yuri Temirkanov kicked off the event in fine style last Tuesday in the Grand Hall of the Shostakovich Philharmonia with a concert featuring Tchaikovsky and Prokofyev.
The hall was decked with a portrait of the great conductor and composer and flags from each country represented by competitors.
The conductor's competition is in fact the second half of the full competition. Two Russian pianists from the first, piano, section held last December, will act as musical "guinea pigs" for the third round of the conductors' competition, performing selections from Prokofyev's first, third, and fifth piano concertos.
Temirkanov and world-famous conductors Francesco Mander of Italy, Roman Matsov of Estonia, Poland's Karol Stryja and Andre Neve of Belgium make up part of the jury for the event.
Although the competition program is quite difficult, it is realistic, remarked Neve, in terms of the level of achievement -- many participants already conduct orchestras full-time.
The 33 aspiring conductors will conduct three of St Petersburg's orchestras in various orchestral selections, culminating in the third (highest and most difficult) round with selections from one of Prokofyev's symphonies and piano concertos.
Stryja said the integrity of the competition is on a level with other international competitions of this kind. He remarked that the winner of the first competition in 1993, Victoria Zhadko of the Ukraine, also received first prize at the First International Competition in Amsterdam (1994).
Prokofyev's son Oleg -- a sculptor of some note -- was in town for the competition. While he goes to Moscow quite frequently from his home in England, he considers the competition to be unique in the musical world.
He was more than happy to be present at the competition honoring his father "in my father's favorite city," he said.