00:00:18.601 --> 00:00:20.895
Good evening.

00:00:20.979 --> 00:00:22.147
How are you?

00:00:23.148 --> 00:00:24.149
Great.

00:00:29.154 --> 00:00:33.742
Yunchan Lim is just about to come
on stage with Conductor Marin Alsop

00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:35.827
to play with the Fort Worth Symphony,

00:00:35.827 --> 00:00:40.540
the Rachmaninov Concerto
number three in D Minor.

00:00:59.684 --> 00:01:04.522
Here he comes now onto the stage
18 year old Yunchan Lim from South Korea.

00:01:24.626 --> 00:01:29.214
Being a classical pianist is tough in
ways I think people don't ever consider.

00:01:29.923 --> 00:01:33.885
It's really an emotional experience
because you're sharing your art,

00:01:33.885 --> 00:01:36.221
you're giving a lot of who you are.

00:01:36.596 --> 00:01:40.350
Piano is one of the most
transparent instruments.

00:01:40.683 --> 00:01:43.311
If you're scared, you know, the
audience will hear that you're scared.

00:01:43.311 --> 00:01:45.230
Or if you're nervous, the
audience will hear you're nervous.

00:01:46.231 --> 00:01:50.610
A competition brings another
level of stress and pressure.

00:01:50.902 --> 00:01:54.906
Even if you can play every note perfectly,
that's by no means going to advance you.

00:01:55.240 --> 00:01:58.618
There's so much more that the
jury is looking for and expecting.

00:01:59.035 --> 00:02:03.540
Cliburn is the most important
piano competition in the world.

00:02:04.207 --> 00:02:08.086
This particular competition, the Cliburn,
is not a sprint, it's a marathon.

00:02:09.045 --> 00:02:13.424
Here they're playing so much music at a
really high level, and then, you know,

00:02:13.424 --> 00:02:15.885
they get an announcement 11 hours later,

00:02:16.261 --> 00:02:18.429
they are at it again
with all new repertoire.

00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:23.893
It's hard. I mean, you must practice
and think about music every moment.

00:02:24.269 --> 00:02:28.857
You wake up, you practice, and then you
have rests, and then you practice again.

00:02:29.566 --> 00:02:31.901
This is a tour de force
on every single level.

00:02:32.193 --> 00:02:34.028
This is quite a stressful experience.

00:02:34.696 --> 00:02:37.824
The reason we put ourselves through
this is probably not because we like

00:02:37.824 --> 00:02:38.950
competing against each other.

00:02:39.242 --> 00:02:43.913
It's more because of the change in your
life that would happen if you do well.

00:02:44.414 --> 00:02:48.001
It is similar to winning
the gold at the Olympics,

00:02:48.126 --> 00:02:50.420
that's the kind of prestige
we're talking about.

00:02:50.587 --> 00:02:52.964
Classical music is an endangered minority.

00:02:52.964 --> 00:02:56.801
There's no room for 30 players now in
the world to go out and have a career

00:02:56.801 --> 00:02:58.178
playing concerts. There just isn't.

00:02:58.928 --> 00:03:01.973
And that's what this competition,
why it's so renowned,

00:03:02.015 --> 00:03:04.142
why all these kids want to try it,

00:03:04.434 --> 00:03:08.521
it can help open that door
to start a real career.

00:03:29.834 --> 00:03:30.418
Hello.

00:03:30.418 --> 00:03:31.252
Clayton?

00:03:32.045 --> 00:03:32.712
Hi.

00:03:32.712 --> 00:03:34.964
Is this, Jacques at the
Cliburn. How are you?

00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:36.674
Good, how are you?

00:03:36.925 --> 00:03:40.637
I'm very good. I'm happy to say
that you have to come back in June.

00:03:41.638 --> 00:03:42.347
Oh my God, really?

00:03:42.347 --> 00:03:43.556
Yes.

00:03:44.182 --> 00:03:45.767
Oh my God, thank you so much.

00:03:45.975 --> 00:03:46.851
Thank you.

00:03:46.976 --> 00:03:47.810
That's amazing.

00:03:48.228 --> 00:03:50.521
That's fun. And then, yeah.

00:03:50.813 --> 00:03:51.648
I'm so glad.

00:03:51.731 --> 00:03:53.858
We're looking forward to having you back.

00:03:54.734 --> 00:03:58.738
Oh, it's been my dream to attend the real
Cliburn. You know, I can't believe it.

00:03:58.738 --> 00:04:00.490
Thank you.

00:04:01.616 --> 00:04:06.412
My name is Jacques Marquis and I'm
President and CEO of the Cliburn.

00:04:07.163 --> 00:04:08.164
And what do you do?

00:04:08.456 --> 00:04:10.083
Hmm, interesting.

00:04:10.208 --> 00:04:15.088
I mainly work with fantastic people

00:04:15.088 --> 00:04:18.758
to organize a major
international piano competition.

00:04:19.592 --> 00:04:23.763
In 2022, we received 388 applications.

00:04:24.097 --> 00:04:25.807
That's a lot in our world.

00:04:25.974 --> 00:04:30.770
Our job through the
process is to keep the best

00:04:30.979 --> 00:04:34.691
to go on, go on and go
on and not miss any.

00:04:34.691 --> 00:04:38.152
30 at the beginning of the
competition, the first round 30,

00:04:38.152 --> 00:04:42.365
the second round 18 and
third round semi-finals,

00:04:42.448 --> 00:04:46.661
12 pianists, and the final
round, we have six finalists.

00:04:47.495 --> 00:04:52.458
And every round you have to
play repertoire and you have to

00:04:52.625 --> 00:04:56.921
showcase your talent. From that
the more we go deep in the program,

00:04:57.171 --> 00:05:02.093
the more demanding it is for them,
and more information the jury gets.

00:05:02.093 --> 00:05:06.973
The jury vote at the end of the
round to invite the next ones to the

00:05:06.973 --> 00:05:11.894
next round. We have three
medalists every competition, gold,

00:05:12.061 --> 00:05:13.271
silver, and bronze.

00:05:13.354 --> 00:05:17.692
And we manage their career
for the next three years,

00:05:17.817 --> 00:05:20.987
unless they are picked up by an agent.

00:05:22.071 --> 00:05:27.035
But we are happy to stay close to them
and help them to embrace this difficult

00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:27.994
career.

00:05:39.380 --> 00:05:43.718
Competitions in music are
complicated because technically

00:05:43.718 --> 00:05:46.095
you should not have competitions in music.

00:05:46.763 --> 00:05:51.476
But you have to see competition
as being one way to increase your

00:05:51.476 --> 00:05:54.145
awareness in the world.

00:05:54.729 --> 00:05:58.358
Another way is to compare yourself
with the best in the world.

00:05:58.441 --> 00:06:01.652
And in the world of
competitions. It's like tennis.

00:06:02.487 --> 00:06:05.531
There's the Grand Slam. Cliburn
is one of the Grand Slams.

00:06:05.698 --> 00:06:08.326
You win the Cliburn and you're
set for a while.

00:06:09.285 --> 00:06:11.162
We open doors

00:06:11.162 --> 00:06:15.416
as the Cliburn. After that, your
job is to keep the door open.

00:06:16.334 --> 00:06:17.960
Always keep your options open.

00:06:18.211 --> 00:06:23.091
It's why you have a lot of people
here coming from all over the world

00:06:23.132 --> 00:06:25.802
and wanting to meet you and talk with you.

00:06:25.802 --> 00:06:27.929
I think that a young musician today

00:06:27.929 --> 00:06:32.225
has to learn from each experience
in order to get better

00:06:32.225 --> 00:06:37.146
and also to stay open
to any opportunities.

00:06:40.066 --> 00:06:43.236
The Cliburn competition has been a
dream of mine for quite a long time.

00:06:43.653 --> 00:06:45.696
It's just, it's just
legendary. I don't know.

00:06:47.532 --> 00:06:49.784
It's a very exciting
moment for me to be here.

00:06:50.535 --> 00:06:53.871
I'm trying to be as, as calm as possible,

00:06:54.330 --> 00:06:58.126
and not to think too far about what
could happen and what might happen,

00:06:58.126 --> 00:07:02.713
and hope that the work that I put
in comes through in the performance.

00:07:04.757 --> 00:07:07.760
It's not about the competition,
it's just about music, first of all.

00:07:08.177 --> 00:07:12.598
And I'm looking forward to
listening to others and not to think

00:07:13.224 --> 00:07:14.851
who is better, who is worse.

00:07:16.561 --> 00:07:20.731
For me, most important thing was to share,

00:07:21.190 --> 00:07:22.108
to share my vision.

00:07:22.650 --> 00:07:27.697
Not to underline that it's better
or it's more spectacular than others.

00:07:27.697 --> 00:07:30.533
No. I try to look this way.

00:07:32.452 --> 00:07:36.205
The competition is really against
yourself. For me at least,

00:07:36.497 --> 00:07:38.416
it's not really about
competing and winning.

00:07:38.833 --> 00:07:43.379
It's really about me coming here to
show my music, what I want to say.

00:07:43.838 --> 00:07:47.842
And that's enough for me. If I don't win
and I still think I played amazingly,

00:07:48.509 --> 00:07:49.552
I'm content with that.

00:08:13.993 --> 00:08:18.456
It's a very beautiful place. And the
sculpture is very inspiring somehow.

00:08:20.958 --> 00:08:25.838
We meet all the candidates to go
through the process, what we expect,

00:08:25.838 --> 00:08:29.467
timing, work, presence and all that.

00:08:29.467 --> 00:08:34.430
Just to revise the rules
and the expectations and

00:08:34.430 --> 00:08:39.352
answer questions because
they will have, for sure,

00:08:39.393 --> 00:08:42.522
some questions about, “Can I do this?
Can I do that?”

00:08:42.522 --> 00:08:43.689
Are these the same?

00:08:44.524 --> 00:08:47.735
Are these the same chairs.
This one and that one?

00:08:48.486 --> 00:08:50.154
Would I be able to change my mind?
Yes. Yes.

00:08:50.863 --> 00:08:54.158
I don't know if this is a confidential
question or not. Where do the judges sit?

00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:03.918
The fun part of the individual
orientation is just get to know them

00:09:03.918 --> 00:09:07.004
and know, we know them as
performers and they are,

00:09:07.046 --> 00:09:10.758
they are the top of their class. They
are fantastic performers and so focused,

00:09:10.758 --> 00:09:13.219
even though they're 18
to 30, they’re super focused.

00:09:13.636 --> 00:09:18.641
And suddenly we meet young kids of 21
years old and 24 years old who like to be

00:09:18.808 --> 00:09:23.020
sassy and fun, and they
have their own experience.

00:09:23.020 --> 00:09:27.650
And this first half hour is
very nice to just establish a

00:09:27.650 --> 00:09:28.484
contact with them.

00:09:36.033 --> 00:09:38.119
Welcome. We're so pleased to have you.

00:09:38.536 --> 00:09:41.080
First thing that you'll do,

00:09:41.122 --> 00:09:46.002
you'll go after this on the
stage and we have two pianos.

00:09:46.002 --> 00:09:48.879
Mm-hmm.
One Hamburg, one New York.

00:09:49.630 --> 00:09:52.550
And you have 15 minutes to choose.

00:09:52.717 --> 00:09:54.427
Uh, sorry. Just in case. One question.

00:09:54.427 --> 00:09:59.807
So this is my only chance to
touch the concert piano before the round?

00:09:59.807 --> 00:10:01.142
In the hall.

00:10:01.142 --> 00:10:01.934
Yeah, in the hall.

00:10:01.934 --> 00:10:02.768
Yes, in the hall.

00:10:02.768 --> 00:10:04.312
Yeah, like one of these pianos.

00:10:04.312 --> 00:10:05.229
Yes, one of these pianos.

00:10:05.229 --> 00:10:06.147
That’s my rehearsal.

00:10:06.147 --> 00:10:07.732
That's your 15 minutes of glory.

00:10:07.732 --> 00:10:09.442
My name is Denis Linnik.

00:10:09.734 --> 00:10:14.488
I come from Belarus. I live and study
in Switzerland. I'm 26 years old.

00:10:15.156 --> 00:10:15.990
I play piano.

00:10:19.619 --> 00:10:22.747
I was brought to musical school. I
started doing things, playing piano,

00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:27.460
playing exams, small competitions,
and then it went quite successful.

00:10:27.460 --> 00:10:31.005
So then I was brought to

00:10:31.922 --> 00:10:36.552
a school for talented kids of arts.

00:10:37.595 --> 00:10:39.972
I liked it, but I was not aware.

00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:45.102
I was not aware of if it was my
decision or my mom's decision.

00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:49.023
So yeah, that's the story.

00:10:55.821 --> 00:10:56.238
I'm sorry.

00:10:56.238 --> 00:10:56.864
Not yet?

00:10:57.573 --> 00:10:57.990
What?

00:10:58.366 --> 00:10:58.783
You can’t...

00:10:58.783 --> 00:10:59.575
I cannot play.

00:10:59.575 --> 00:11:00.284
It’s okay.

00:11:00.284 --> 00:11:00.826
Sorry.

00:11:00.826 --> 00:11:02.411
I'll start the timer.

00:11:02.495 --> 00:11:05.081
And we figured you all
would want to play first.

00:11:05.081 --> 00:11:05.665
Yes.

00:11:05.665 --> 00:11:06.457
I can't keep this on.

00:11:07.375 --> 00:11:10.336
Um, so you get 15 minutes.

00:11:10.336 --> 00:11:11.170
15 minutes from now on.

00:11:11.337 --> 00:11:15.675
And then we'll chat and go over what you
want and don't want and all that stuff.

00:11:15.675 --> 00:11:15.966
Yeah.

00:11:15.966 --> 00:11:16.384
Okay?

00:11:16.384 --> 00:11:17.551
Okay. 15 minutes.

00:11:17.551 --> 00:11:19.428
I'll start when you start.

00:11:19.887 --> 00:11:20.304
Yeah.

00:11:20.763 --> 00:11:22.348
So let's get ready.

00:11:24.975 --> 00:11:25.393
Okay.

00:11:25.935 --> 00:11:26.727
I started.
Have at it.

00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:27.937
That was the start.

00:11:46.872 --> 00:11:47.331
Bye.

00:11:49.959 --> 00:11:51.127
So I think it's this one.

00:12:02.805 --> 00:12:06.976
It actually took me one scale to realize

00:12:06.976 --> 00:12:08.561
which piano I'm more comfortable with

00:12:08.561 --> 00:12:12.690
because it just felt immediately
not as natural.

00:12:34.211 --> 00:12:38.466
I didn't have the intention of doing
music as a profession when I started.

00:12:38.966 --> 00:12:43.637
My mom was kind of thinking of getting me
a babysitter because I was just so rowdy

00:12:43.637 --> 00:12:44.805
and running around all the time.

00:12:44.847 --> 00:12:49.393
And so she was looking at prices
and she was like a babysitter's

00:12:49.393 --> 00:12:54.356
$30 an hour and a piano teacher is
$35 an hour. And so for an extra $5,

00:12:54.356 --> 00:12:56.692
I'm learning a craft. And
so she was like, yeah,

00:12:56.692 --> 00:13:01.280
I'll just throw you into
this basement music school in

00:13:01.280 --> 00:13:03.407
Chinatown. And so that's
where I started to play.

00:13:22.384 --> 00:13:23.219
This sounds better. Right?

00:13:26.764 --> 00:13:28.766
After I think a couple years,

00:13:28.766 --> 00:13:31.060
I really wanted to kind of
take it to the next level.

00:13:31.060 --> 00:13:35.815
Our family didn't have that many
financial resources and doing classical

00:13:35.815 --> 00:13:37.608
piano requires a lot of money.

00:13:37.608 --> 00:13:39.109
We never had a piano.

00:13:39.109 --> 00:13:42.822
I kind of started out with
like a 50 key synthesizer.

00:13:43.197 --> 00:13:47.743
And there was one year that
we had a summer camp.

00:13:47.743 --> 00:13:51.872
I did a summer camp in a public school and
they were renovating the public school.

00:13:51.872 --> 00:13:56.794
And we were walking and we see in the
dumpster they threw out two of their old

00:13:56.836 --> 00:14:01.966
upright pianos. And so yeah, my dad
called my mom. She was like, you know,

00:14:01.966 --> 00:14:03.717
why don't we like move one of these home?

00:14:04.051 --> 00:14:08.722
And so we kind of got the movers to get
that piano and that became my practice piano

00:14:08.722 --> 00:14:10.266
for, you know, the
next six, seven years.

00:14:11.725 --> 00:14:15.020
You can't hear it, I'm
vibrating. It’s time.

00:14:15.020 --> 00:14:16.313
Alright. I choose this one.

00:14:16.647 --> 00:14:19.316
Okay. Thank you. Good luck on the draw.

00:14:30.786 --> 00:14:35.332
My name is Anna Geniushene,
I'm from Russia and I'm 31.

00:14:43.716 --> 00:14:48.429
I was attending some
lessons with my teacher in

00:14:48.596 --> 00:14:52.057
music school with great
pleasure. Always.

00:14:52.057 --> 00:14:55.060
Of course there were quite, uh,

00:14:55.102 --> 00:14:57.521
quite challenging moments for me.

00:14:58.856 --> 00:15:03.027
And actually I was kind of
hesitant on the subject.

00:15:03.027 --> 00:15:08.032
Whether I should continue
practicing and maybe make

00:15:08.032 --> 00:15:09.825
music as a career.

00:15:11.201 --> 00:15:15.789
I feel pretty much lucky to have a
lot of people around me who really

00:15:15.789 --> 00:15:16.665
supported me,

00:15:16.665 --> 00:15:21.545
who really convinced me that maybe
I should continue practicing,

00:15:21.545 --> 00:15:25.925
practicing. And it would definitely pay off

00:15:27.301 --> 00:15:28.802
sometime in the future.

00:15:29.011 --> 00:15:30.930
And actually they were quite right.

00:15:38.187 --> 00:15:43.067
Of course, it's quite a
challenge to take part in the

00:15:43.067 --> 00:15:48.030
competition when you are
already 31 years old

00:15:48.030 --> 00:15:52.910
and you have one baby
waiting for you at home

00:15:52.910 --> 00:15:55.079
and one baby is still on the way.

00:15:55.079 --> 00:15:57.539
You know, my due time
is in September already,

00:15:58.207 --> 00:15:59.875
so it's six months already.

00:16:01.251 --> 00:16:04.004
My first child's name is Thomas,

00:16:04.004 --> 00:16:07.800
and actually when we conceived
that we're expecting the second

00:16:07.841 --> 00:16:12.554
boy we decided why not

00:16:12.596 --> 00:16:17.309
call him Jerry. So it would
be Tom and Jerry at home.

00:16:25.526 --> 00:16:26.944
Sorry, just a joke.

00:16:31.991 --> 00:16:32.658
Oh sh...

00:16:33.158 --> 00:16:33.993
Oh sh...

00:16:34.535 --> 00:16:36.245
Oh, okay. This is,

00:16:37.079 --> 00:16:38.706
oh, that's excellent skin.

00:16:42.876 --> 00:16:46.922
First try to figure out how to,

00:16:47.047 --> 00:16:49.091
how to put this on.

00:16:51.427 --> 00:16:55.305
It’s not matched with these pants but

00:16:56.849 --> 00:16:57.683
whatever.

00:16:58.100 --> 00:16:58.934
Yeehaw!

00:17:06.066 --> 00:17:09.695
Well, it's not too comfortable
for a pedalling, but, okay.

00:17:10.571 --> 00:17:14.908
Because I cannot feel
the pedal enough. Yeah.

00:17:15.576 --> 00:17:17.327
Because it is, it is thick.

00:17:30.257 --> 00:17:31.258
When I was born,

00:17:31.258 --> 00:17:36.180
my grandfather played
different vinyls with classical

00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:39.808
music, or maybe not only classical music,

00:17:39.808 --> 00:17:42.644
maybe Beatles or Elvis.

00:17:42.686 --> 00:17:47.566
And one of those vinyls was

00:17:47.608 --> 00:17:50.194
Robertino Loreti’s vinyl.

00:17:50.194 --> 00:17:54.239
I still remember how he sang Jamaica.

00:17:54.907 --> 00:17:57.326
♪ Jamaica.

00:17:58.077 --> 00:18:00.496
♪ Jamaica.

00:18:01.163 --> 00:18:05.709
My mom told me about that.
I was jumping on the bed

00:18:05.751 --> 00:18:09.880
singing Jamaica and she
did not know what to do.

00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:14.676
So she called her friends, all
her girlfriends and was like,

00:18:14.968 --> 00:18:18.847
what should I do, this
is so strange?

00:18:18.847 --> 00:18:24.520
What's wrong with this guy? And
some of her friends told her,

00:18:24.728 --> 00:18:28.982
okay, there is admissions
in the local music school.

00:18:29.233 --> 00:18:31.485
So yeah, that's how everything started.

00:18:31.485 --> 00:18:42.329
♪ Jamaica.

00:18:44.790 --> 00:18:49.628
I had lessons with piano professor
and I remember he shouted at me

00:18:49.628 --> 00:18:53.423
and said, you should practice
much more. Look around,

00:18:53.423 --> 00:18:58.053
people are practicing about six
hours per day. What are you doing?

00:18:58.303 --> 00:19:01.390
I decided to change my life by myself.

00:19:01.849 --> 00:19:03.976
And that's how I started

00:19:04.935 --> 00:19:08.438
thinking in a music way.

00:19:10.232 --> 00:19:13.485
And then did you start
practicing six hours a day?

00:19:13.485 --> 00:19:16.446
No. Not six hours a day. I'm lazy person.

00:19:25.539 --> 00:19:30.335
The perfect situation is when
everything depends only on you.

00:19:30.836 --> 00:19:33.130
It's almost impossible situation.

00:19:33.130 --> 00:19:37.509
But sometimes it's there.

00:19:37.634 --> 00:19:41.847
The sounds is beginning of everything
and it was always important

00:19:41.847 --> 00:19:47.477
to achieve sound wise what I want.

00:19:47.477 --> 00:19:50.939
And this guy really
helps me to do it.

00:19:50.939 --> 00:19:51.440
So,

00:19:52.357 --> 00:19:53.192
yeah.

00:19:58.697 --> 00:20:00.866
Can I walk a little bit before I start?

00:20:00.866 --> 00:20:01.533
Yeah. Yeah.

00:20:12.211 --> 00:20:13.045
Uhhuh.

00:20:14.546 --> 00:20:15.380
Uhhuh.

00:20:19.426 --> 00:20:20.219
What do you think?

00:20:20.594 --> 00:20:23.889
I am thinking, I'm in the
process of understanding,

00:20:24.514 --> 00:20:28.894
but it's quite different in different
spots. I would say very different.

00:20:32.856 --> 00:20:36.902
The beauty of our profession is that
we must search for the inspiration.

00:20:37.027 --> 00:20:41.782
And you can sometimes be inspired
by just looking at a flower.

00:20:42.199 --> 00:20:46.453
Sometimes you're getting inspired by
a nice chat. This is why I think,

00:20:46.912 --> 00:20:50.999
in life, artists have to
be curious all the time.

00:20:50.999 --> 00:20:52.376
I also am curious,

00:20:52.376 --> 00:20:57.130
I'm curious to listen to some of the
other contestants because maybe I will

00:20:57.130 --> 00:21:00.467
find something new for
myself. I will learn from them.

00:21:00.467 --> 00:21:03.553
So you must be all the time open minded I think.

00:21:06.265 --> 00:21:08.642
Have you found any inspiration in Texas?

00:21:09.309 --> 00:21:13.188
I would say that being able to

00:21:13.897 --> 00:21:16.525
touch the spirit of Van Cliburn,

00:21:17.651 --> 00:21:19.403
this is the huge inspiration.

00:21:25.575 --> 00:21:31.623
I remember when I was listening to the
Tchaikovsky competition in 2011.

00:21:31.623 --> 00:21:34.710
I was far, far away, in the balcony.

00:21:35.419 --> 00:21:39.381
And he came to the balcony and the whole

00:21:39.673 --> 00:21:44.970
audience stood up and they
were applauding him for 15 minutes

00:21:44.970 --> 00:21:46.763
in a row before the
performance of the contestant.

00:21:46.805 --> 00:21:48.932
It was a very special moment.

00:21:49.975 --> 00:21:50.809
Van Cliburn.

00:21:51.018 --> 00:21:55.814
This name means a lot
for people of culture

00:21:56.023 --> 00:21:58.317
of Soviet Union. And, uh,

00:21:58.358 --> 00:22:03.113
this story of Van Cliburn coming to
Soviet Union in the beginning of,

00:22:03.196 --> 00:22:04.448
almost in the center,

00:22:05.032 --> 00:22:09.494
three years before the Crimean
crisis of Cold War and winning it.

00:22:10.120 --> 00:22:13.081
And doing it in such a charming,

00:22:13.081 --> 00:22:17.961
shining way that people still, after 50
years, people were speaking about that.

00:22:39.107 --> 00:22:43.653
I was actually lucky to
have been studying with one

00:22:43.653 --> 00:22:48.283
professor who attended this first

00:22:48.283 --> 00:22:50.243
edition of the Tchaikovsky competition.

00:22:50.410 --> 00:22:54.831
She heard Van taking part.

00:22:54.831 --> 00:22:58.043
She actually remembered
an absolute standing

00:22:58.043 --> 00:23:01.922
ovation that happened after
his Tchaikovsky piano concerto.

00:23:04.132 --> 00:23:06.551
A worldwide crescendo of
applause for Van Cliburn,

00:23:06.885 --> 00:23:10.847
the young American who won Moscow's
international Tchaikovsky piano competition.

00:23:11.598 --> 00:23:16.186
The 23 year old Texan who conquered
Russia musically received the ticker tape

00:23:16.186 --> 00:23:19.314
parade of Broadway. That is the
city's unique triumphal march.

00:23:19.731 --> 00:23:23.276
A hero's procession rarely if
ever recorded any musician.

00:23:24.611 --> 00:23:29.574
I owe him a lot because I think
there was a certain boom in

00:23:29.574 --> 00:23:34.329
Soviet Union when all the parents were
giving their children to the music

00:23:34.329 --> 00:23:35.831
schools and to piano playing.

00:23:37.165 --> 00:23:39.793
I started to play piano
because of my parents.

00:23:39.793 --> 00:23:43.505
My parents started to play piano because
of Van Cliburn. Here is the connection.

00:23:43.505 --> 00:23:48.468
And I'm happy that I'm able
to breathe and to touch,

00:23:48.510 --> 00:23:51.638
in a philosophical way,
the spirit of Van Cliburn.

00:24:03.316 --> 00:24:08.280
The Cliburn was born from
the legacy of Van Cliburn in

00:24:08.280 --> 00:24:13.118
1958 who won the Tchaikovsky
competition in the Cold War.

00:24:13.201 --> 00:24:16.705
It was the first Russian
competition at the Tchaikovsky.

00:24:17.247 --> 00:24:20.792
And the American won against all odds.

00:24:21.626 --> 00:24:26.381
Van Cliburn himself was talking

00:24:26.381 --> 00:24:30.844
about bringing people
together through music

00:24:31.052 --> 00:24:32.929
and across all boundaries.

00:24:33.513 --> 00:24:37.476
I think Van managed to win
that competition because

00:24:38.143 --> 00:24:42.355
people were not full of hate

00:24:43.523 --> 00:24:48.737
and they were open for kindness
because Van was a very kind man.

00:24:48.945 --> 00:24:52.449
It's a beautiful analogy to think
of Van Cliburn winning then. And now.

00:24:53.492 --> 00:24:54.784
You look at Van Cliburn,

00:24:54.784 --> 00:24:58.371
who was such a beacon of
inspiration during the Cold War,

00:24:58.580 --> 00:25:04.127
winning the Tchaikovsky competition when
tensions were so high between the two countries.

00:25:04.127 --> 00:25:08.173
And I feel his
spirit over this competition.

00:25:08.215 --> 00:25:10.383
I think that he is hovering,

00:25:10.800 --> 00:25:13.553
looking at what's going on.

00:25:13.929 --> 00:25:16.973
And I think that that is
a beautiful representation

00:25:16.973 --> 00:25:21.978
of transcending whatever

00:25:21.978 --> 00:25:24.689
conflicts there may be
in the real world today.

00:25:25.774 --> 00:25:28.985
For the first time in recent memory,
we are seeing the likes of FIFA,

00:25:29.069 --> 00:25:33.657
UEFA and other giants crumble under
global pressure to take a united front.

00:25:33.823 --> 00:25:38.161
The US Olympic and Paralympic committee
is now joining the IOC and Global

00:25:38.161 --> 00:25:42.958
Olympic community in calling for a
complete ban on all Russian athletes

00:25:42.958 --> 00:25:45.293
competing because of
the invasion in Ukraine.

00:25:45.627 --> 00:25:50.799
New calls tonight for the Cliburn piano
competition to ban participants from Russia.

00:26:01.560 --> 00:26:05.313
When the invasion of Ukraine happened,

00:26:05.397 --> 00:26:10.318
it happened a few days prior to our
screening editions here in Fort Worth,

00:26:10.902 --> 00:26:15.865
where we had 15 Russians flying in to come

00:26:16.533 --> 00:26:17.367
to play.

00:26:17.951 --> 00:26:18.660
First of all,

00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:23.748
I just need to say that I love my homeland.

00:26:48.064 --> 00:26:50.567
When the first one played,

00:26:51.067 --> 00:26:55.155
it was Elizaveta on the stage that day,

00:26:55.155 --> 00:26:59.743
that first day I was
so happy to give her a

00:26:59.784 --> 00:27:03.955
platform that she can express
her talent, her artistry,

00:27:04.122 --> 00:27:04.956
her musicianship.

00:27:05.624 --> 00:27:10.545
I'm very excited that I came here
finally because, for example, last week,

00:27:10.545 --> 00:27:14.924
I didn't know, will I come here
or no. So I was, really nervous.

00:27:14.924 --> 00:27:18.386
But when I knew that I'm coming, I'm
really excited and happy to be here.

00:27:19.846 --> 00:27:23.350
We're going through a difficult period
politically in the world at the moment.

00:27:23.350 --> 00:27:26.895
And music is one of the few
things that we can all share.

00:27:27.479 --> 00:27:31.816
Words get in the way so often.
Music just enables us to rise above that.

00:27:32.567 --> 00:27:36.196
Finally, I think that young musicians,

00:27:37.781 --> 00:27:43.495
you don't mute people who
can have a voice for the future.

00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.998
Then I think we
did what we had to do.

00:28:02.222 --> 00:28:06.726
Tomorrow we'll have the opening and
draw party. The way it works,

00:28:06.810 --> 00:28:11.272
this is the grid, the famous grid
that you have here at the Cliburn.

00:28:11.773 --> 00:28:15.068
We take the name, Kate Liu,

00:28:15.443 --> 00:28:20.156
and Kate can choose wherever she wants
to play. When you pick first, it's fun.

00:28:20.865 --> 00:28:23.993
When you pick at the middle, it's
not bad. When you pick at last,

00:28:25.245 --> 00:28:27.455
your choices are limited.

00:28:35.922 --> 00:28:40.635
So the former winner comes back
to draw the numbers for the

00:28:40.635 --> 00:28:43.680
contestants, which I'm not
so looking forward to it.

00:28:44.264 --> 00:28:47.434
Nobody wants to be the first to play.

00:28:49.477 --> 00:28:50.603
First name.

00:28:54.107 --> 00:28:55.442
Francesco Granata.

00:29:03.199 --> 00:29:04.868
Albert Cano Smit.

00:29:09.372 --> 00:29:10.498
Kate Liu

00:29:19.090 --> 00:29:20.759
Ilya Shmukler.

00:29:30.769 --> 00:29:32.437
Yunchan Lim.

00:29:34.481 --> 00:29:36.483
Dmytro Choni.

00:29:40.570 --> 00:29:42.572
Yutong Sun.

00:29:43.782 --> 00:29:44.449
Twenty.

00:29:44.616 --> 00:29:44.949
Yeah.

00:29:47.827 --> 00:29:49.204
Denis Linnik.

00:29:52.624 --> 00:29:54.083
Anna Geniushene.

00:30:00.548 --> 00:30:01.508
Clayton Stephenson.

00:30:07.013 --> 00:30:11.267
I wouldn't say that last is trickier.
If you would give me the choice,

00:30:11.267 --> 00:30:14.479
of course, definitely I will choose
to play last. The first is,

00:30:14.479 --> 00:30:17.190
is quite stressful because
you will give the premier.

00:30:17.190 --> 00:30:19.526
So it has a lot of pluses and minuses.

00:30:20.109 --> 00:30:22.445
Elizaveta Kliuchereva.

00:30:30.245 --> 00:30:31.079
Big choice.

00:30:32.872 --> 00:30:37.418
I'm not, um, taking this
as, um, sports event.

00:30:37.877 --> 00:30:40.213
I think art has nothing to do with sports.

00:30:40.755 --> 00:30:43.883
And thank you for his patience.
Georgijs Osokins.

00:30:47.262 --> 00:30:52.100
For me, the most important thing is to have
pleasure and to try to stay truthful to

00:30:52.183 --> 00:30:54.602
myself, to the art, to my values.

00:30:54.811 --> 00:30:59.482
And here competition is
completely out of my pitch.

00:31:00.233 --> 00:31:05.113
They have this perception that
beginning is difficult because nobody

00:31:05.113 --> 00:31:08.241
knows the level of the
competition. You know,

00:31:08.241 --> 00:31:12.620
I did some trends over the years and it
has nothing to do with if you play in

00:31:12.829 --> 00:31:15.915
the first day or the last day. If
you get picked for the next round,

00:31:16.082 --> 00:31:19.252
it's all about how you play. Actually,

00:31:19.252 --> 00:31:22.881
I don't dislike to be at the beginning
because if, if I was a competitor,

00:31:22.922 --> 00:31:27.260
you set up the bar and you
say, okay, this is where I am.

00:31:27.594 --> 00:31:28.428
Come and reach me.

00:31:45.528 --> 00:31:47.739
Good morning from Fort Worth, Texas.

00:31:47.739 --> 00:31:53.286
We're so glad you've joined us for the
16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

00:31:53.828 --> 00:31:58.833
We're coming to you live from Van
Cliburn Concert Hall at Texas Christian University.

00:32:04.464 --> 00:32:07.967
And we are just moments away from the
first performance of this competition.

00:32:08.217 --> 00:32:15.266
Leading us off in this first round is
the 27 year old Latvian pianist Georgijs Osokins.

00:32:55.848 --> 00:32:59.894
When you start the competition, they
say that you have more pressure

00:32:59.936 --> 00:33:01.437
because paying first is not so comfortable,

00:33:02.563 --> 00:33:05.566
especially having this
world's premier of this piece,

00:33:05.733 --> 00:33:09.362
which each of us is playing.

00:33:17.870 --> 00:33:22.500
So one of the elements of the Cliburn
competition is they commission a

00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:27.296
solo piano work and they have every
single one of the 30 competitors

00:33:27.296 --> 00:33:28.798
perform it in their first round.

00:33:28.881 --> 00:33:33.386
It's a whole different experience to
play a premiere of a piece of music.

00:33:33.511 --> 00:33:37.265
You can't go and listen to a recording
of it to get an understanding of how the

00:33:37.265 --> 00:33:38.516
piece sounds or feels.

00:33:48.276 --> 00:33:52.655
Everything is fine until the first
big mistake. At least for me.

00:33:52.989 --> 00:33:57.994
Which makes you aware of today being
not the perfect day for you to play.

00:33:58.369 --> 00:34:01.831
You have to keep controlling that
because the mistake happened really,

00:34:02.123 --> 00:34:04.792
and you don't want them to
repeat. But in other hand,

00:34:05.043 --> 00:34:10.006
you'll try to relax again because if
you're not relaxed, you'll play worse.

00:34:11.299 --> 00:34:15.303
So then the second part of the
program turned into this fight.

00:34:25.438 --> 00:34:27.982
Right at the moment I'm
kind of under control,

00:34:28.274 --> 00:34:30.359
so I can feel that I'm, uh,

00:34:30.651 --> 00:34:35.031
deeply bracing and I'm still here
existing, uh, in this moment.

00:34:35.615 --> 00:34:40.036
And, uh, you know, hopefully I
will come back to my house, uh,

00:34:40.036 --> 00:34:43.331
with my host family and continue
practicing because you know,

00:34:43.331 --> 00:34:46.626
we don't have any options to
stop. We need to continue working.

00:34:56.010 --> 00:34:58.596
Something could be better, you know,

00:34:58.596 --> 00:35:02.225
I always feel like this and I'm
always very critical also to myself,

00:35:02.225 --> 00:35:06.771
so I cannot understand
how it was on stage.

00:35:11.025 --> 00:35:13.319
I think it's a mixed bag for me.
Always in general in performances

00:35:13.319 --> 00:35:16.614
there's things that go better than
expected and things that go probably worse

00:35:16.614 --> 00:35:19.575
than expected. You try not to anticipate
too much and just to be in the moment.

00:35:19.867 --> 00:35:23.496
It's not always, it's not easy to always
be in the moment, obviously. But yeah.

00:35:23.496 --> 00:35:26.999
Like for example now I hear the next
contestant playing the exact same piece

00:35:26.999 --> 00:35:32.880
that I finished with. It's
always like a, it's a mind thing,

00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:33.422
yeah.

00:35:37.635 --> 00:35:39.929
You know, I made a few
mistakes here and there.

00:35:39.971 --> 00:35:42.515
I feel a connection with the
piece. You know, some pieces I,

00:35:42.515 --> 00:35:45.476
I really just don't get no matter
how hard I try. But this piece,

00:35:45.476 --> 00:35:49.605
I feel like it's kind of youthful.
It's kind of very bombastic out there.

00:35:49.605 --> 00:35:52.066
It's outgoing, just kind
of like my personality.

00:35:52.066 --> 00:35:54.402
So I'm very glad that I got to play it.

00:36:44.493 --> 00:36:45.786
Oh, man.

00:36:49.123 --> 00:36:52.585
Most of the time I feel that
the young musician, they know,

00:36:52.585 --> 00:36:56.047
when they hear other
colleagues of very high level,

00:36:56.130 --> 00:37:00.426
they know exactly when they
meet greatness as well.

00:37:03.471 --> 00:37:08.434
Yunchan's Mozart Sonata was one of the most
beautiful things I've ever heard in my life.

00:37:09.101 --> 00:37:12.355
I was backstage and like...

00:37:12.730 --> 00:37:16.484
I didn't know how to like handle myself.
And then he's 18 years old, like,

00:37:16.484 --> 00:37:21.030
that's not fair. And I asked him, you
know, what are you thinking when you play,

00:37:21.697 --> 00:37:23.199
uh, play Mozart?

00:37:23.324 --> 00:37:27.078
Uh, I'm trying to think about nothing.

00:37:27.411 --> 00:37:30.873
You think about nothing? It’s working
out really well for you.

00:37:32.917 --> 00:37:37.505
I don't know how he got from
thinking about nothing to this

00:37:38.297 --> 00:37:43.010
insanely refined, beautiful,
heartfelt Mozart sonata. I just,

00:37:43.010 --> 00:37:43.844
I don't know how he did it.

00:38:19.297 --> 00:38:24.135
I think Yunchan is the total
package because he brings artistry,

00:38:24.135 --> 00:38:28.723
fearsome technique, virtuosity,
drama, color, imagination,

00:38:28.723 --> 00:38:33.644
excitement. I thought it was a
staggering display of pianism.

00:38:45.573 --> 00:38:49.243
He is such a mystery to me.
And, but I'm fine with that.

00:38:49.243 --> 00:38:52.163
As long as he keeps playing the
piano and I get to listen to it.

00:39:01.130 --> 00:39:02.506
As a jury member,

00:39:02.506 --> 00:39:06.761
especially for a competition
of this magnitude,

00:39:06.844 --> 00:39:09.597
it's very difficult deciding
who you're gonna pass

00:39:09.597 --> 00:39:11.390
from one round to the next.

00:39:11.599 --> 00:39:15.561
It's a yes - no process. It's
actually, it's a very boring process.

00:39:15.895 --> 00:39:19.899
I give sheets to them. They have the
names of all the candidates and they go,

00:39:20.149 --> 00:39:24.278
yes, no. And we choose
from there and we go on.

00:39:24.904 --> 00:39:28.616
It's my pleasure to announce the 18

00:39:28.616 --> 00:39:29.825
quarter-finalists.

00:39:31.744 --> 00:39:35.164
It's a really stressful and terrible feeling.

00:39:35.289 --> 00:39:40.044
You just sit and I don't
know, you cannot sit calm,

00:39:40.044 --> 00:39:42.880
but you have to like, I don't like it.

00:39:43.672 --> 00:39:47.259
This order is random. But of course,

00:39:47.259 --> 00:39:50.346
tomorrow you will play in
the order of the first round.

00:39:51.055 --> 00:39:53.557
Competitions are always like,

00:39:53.557 --> 00:39:56.811
you never know what is going on.

00:39:56.894 --> 00:40:01.399
And especially during the announcement,
you feel, okay, I did my best,

00:40:01.399 --> 00:40:06.195
but now it is not up to me.
The jury members decide.

00:40:06.737 --> 00:40:10.074
When I announce your name, please come
forward to join us on the stage.

00:40:10.324 --> 00:40:11.492
Ilya Shmukler.

00:40:17.998 --> 00:40:19.166
Changyong Shin.

00:40:21.669 --> 00:40:23.087
Andrew Li.

00:40:26.549 --> 00:40:28.342
Uladzislau Khandohi.

00:40:30.553 --> 00:40:32.346
Anna Geniushene.

00:40:34.682 --> 00:40:36.475
Federico Gad Crema.

00:40:39.186 --> 00:40:44.608
What I am looking for is not necessarily
now to choose people who are potential medalists.

00:40:44.817 --> 00:40:49.780
We want to choose people who we want
to hear again and people who we think

00:40:50.156 --> 00:40:54.034
have the potential to follow through
in this, I would say Olympian event.

00:40:54.618 --> 00:40:55.703
Dmytro Choni.

00:40:58.914 --> 00:41:02.376
It's funny, I was talking to my mother,
she said, you put yourself through this.

00:41:02.376 --> 00:41:04.962
No one forced you to enter this
competition, right? You just did it.

00:41:04.962 --> 00:41:05.880
So now you just have to...

00:41:05.963 --> 00:41:07.840
You knew this in advance and
now you just deal with it.

00:41:08.132 --> 00:41:10.551
It is not like your life will end if
you don't make it to the next round.

00:41:10.759 --> 00:41:11.594
Kate Liu

00:41:15.181 --> 00:41:18.184
Albert Cano-Smit

00:41:19.894 --> 00:41:21.353
Yutong Sun.

00:41:23.147 --> 00:41:25.191
Clayton Stephenson.

00:41:27.776 --> 00:41:28.736
Denis Linnik

00:41:30.946 --> 00:41:31.906
Yunchan Lim.

00:41:36.869 --> 00:41:38.704
and Jinhyung Park.

00:41:41.207 --> 00:41:46.378
Congratulations to everyone and we
look forward to seeing you in a few hours.

00:41:46.378 --> 00:41:49.048
So get some rest
and see you very soon.

00:41:59.558 --> 00:42:04.313
A competition is a moment in time.
And at this moment, the jury members,

00:42:04.313 --> 00:42:05.940
which I have complete faith,

00:42:06.023 --> 00:42:08.984
decided to listen to some
candidates in the next round.

00:42:09.860 --> 00:42:14.365
And I feel sad for some
of them who will not pass

00:42:14.615 --> 00:42:19.620
that I felt connected with them but at
the same time. I say, let's move on.

00:42:19.620 --> 00:42:20.996
We have, we have a job to do.

00:42:23.457 --> 00:42:25.125
Given what you just went through,

00:42:25.125 --> 00:42:28.170
are you gonna go celebrate right now or
are you gonna run back to the practice

00:42:28.170 --> 00:42:29.463
room to prepare for the next round?

00:42:29.755 --> 00:42:31.215
I'm running back to the piano.

00:42:32.299 --> 00:42:32.925
Practice.

00:42:33.050 --> 00:42:33.425
Practice.

00:42:33.676 --> 00:42:34.385
Practicing.

00:42:34.552 --> 00:42:35.219
Practice a bit.

00:42:35.386 --> 00:42:36.929
I will practice.

00:42:38.847 --> 00:42:43.060
We're looking for future
performers in this endeavor.

00:42:43.352 --> 00:42:46.438
So I so often recommend to young artists,

00:42:46.730 --> 00:42:48.357
you can over practice.

00:42:48.899 --> 00:42:52.486
I think the importance of
walking away from that piano,

00:42:52.736 --> 00:42:57.366
going for a walk. Fort Worth is like
such a charming city. I love Fort Worth.

00:42:57.741 --> 00:43:00.494
It, it kind of can help
alleviate the pressure.

00:43:15.050 --> 00:43:18.387
I don't have money. I have money. Actually
I do have, I do have, it's all right.

00:43:18.470 --> 00:43:18.971
It's all right.

00:43:33.319 --> 00:43:33.861
Wait!

00:43:33.861 --> 00:43:34.903
Wait, what? What I do?

00:43:35.404 --> 00:43:36.071
Better hold on.

00:43:36.071 --> 00:43:36.947
Hold on to that strap.

00:43:36.947 --> 00:43:37.698
What, what hand?

00:43:38.949 --> 00:43:40.159
Now scoot your feet forward.

00:43:40.701 --> 00:43:41.285
What?

00:43:41.285 --> 00:43:42.077
There you go.

00:43:42.911 --> 00:43:43.329
What?

00:43:44.163 --> 00:43:45.331
Now hold on tight.

00:43:47.041 --> 00:43:47.666
There you go.

00:43:47.666 --> 00:43:48.834
Keep your feet forward.

00:43:49.168 --> 00:43:49.835
Woo!

00:43:50.044 --> 00:43:50.711
Keep your feet forward.

00:43:52.546 --> 00:43:53.380
Yeehaw.

00:43:58.302 --> 00:43:58.802
Oh.

00:44:00.346 --> 00:44:01.597
Okay.

00:44:08.562 --> 00:44:10.022
All right, so you're gonna back it out.

00:44:10.439 --> 00:44:11.357
Should I let her go?

00:44:11.357 --> 00:44:11.899
No.

00:44:13.734 --> 00:44:14.860
Look at her face.

00:44:23.702 --> 00:44:24.453
Are you ready?

00:44:24.453 --> 00:44:25.829
Yeah, of course, of course.

00:44:27.831 --> 00:44:29.375
Have you ever driven before?

00:44:34.588 --> 00:44:35.130
So where.

00:44:35.130 --> 00:44:35.714
Keep going straight.

00:44:35.714 --> 00:44:36.548
You're going to a straight.

00:44:36.799 --> 00:44:37.049
Okay.

00:44:40.803 --> 00:44:42.346
I'll tell you before the turns.

00:44:47.351 --> 00:44:49.812
Nice. And then this is
really tight right here.

00:44:50.354 --> 00:44:52.356
This is tight. This is
really tight actually.

00:44:52.439 --> 00:44:53.565
Okay. Slow down, slow down, slow down.

00:44:53.816 --> 00:44:54.650
I see I see.

00:44:56.360 --> 00:44:58.987
You're doing a great Vlad. Great job.

00:45:07.788 --> 00:45:12.876
I cannot show my emotions like
I'm going on the street or I'm

00:45:12.876 --> 00:45:17.506
talking to my friends and I think
I can do everything on the piano.

00:45:19.758 --> 00:45:20.926
Uladzislau, yeah.

00:45:21.260 --> 00:45:21.844
Uladzis...

00:45:21.844 --> 00:45:22.678
Ulad...

00:45:23.303 --> 00:45:24.138
Uladzis...

00:45:25.389 --> 00:45:26.473
But he goes by Vlad.

00:45:26.724 --> 00:45:28.559
Is it “Oo” or “U”...

00:45:28.559 --> 00:45:30.185
Just call him Vlad. Okay.

00:45:30.185 --> 00:45:31.687
He's a very unique,

00:45:31.729 --> 00:45:36.024
almost eccentric player that
you expect this, you know,

00:45:36.024 --> 00:45:39.611
very quirky person off stage. But
he's very chill, actually.

00:45:40.195 --> 00:45:43.657
We'll talk to him and he'll just be
like, yeah, like, I just did that. And he,

00:45:43.657 --> 00:45:45.159
you know, and it's kind of funny, like,

00:45:45.200 --> 00:45:49.246
I don't know if he's aware of
how gifted he is, but he's just,

00:45:49.246 --> 00:45:54.877
he seems kind of like this normal young
guy that's just happens to be doing a competition.

00:46:36.376 --> 00:46:39.880
She's here. I mean, she's
really, I mean, she's listening.

00:46:41.215 --> 00:46:42.966
Can you tell us about your squirrel?

00:46:43.383 --> 00:46:48.138
She is amazing. Cause you know, she's,
uh, with me while I'm practicing.

00:46:48.555 --> 00:46:50.516
This is something special. Like I'm,

00:46:50.557 --> 00:46:54.436
I'm having kind of collaboration
between me and nature,

00:46:54.728 --> 00:46:58.482
and she's also always
here just to support me.

00:46:58.857 --> 00:47:03.111
Or maybe she really likes
music. Well, that's,

00:47:03.111 --> 00:47:06.990
that would be absolutely grateful
if we can just meet and, you know,

00:47:07.366 --> 00:47:10.619
have a proper conversation
on this subject.

00:47:14.248 --> 00:47:19.211
Um, so there is some squirrels
coming down the tree and

00:47:19.545 --> 00:47:24.424
sometimes they're gathering around here.
I think there was three of them. And,

00:47:24.466 --> 00:47:28.762
uh, today I saw one squirrel. I was
practicing before my performance,

00:47:28.762 --> 00:47:33.308
and there was one which came quite
close to the window and kind of

00:47:33.308 --> 00:47:34.393
stared at me.

00:47:35.018 --> 00:47:37.646
Do you think it was
responding to the music?

00:47:37.729 --> 00:47:39.523
Maybe. I don't know.

00:47:40.482 --> 00:47:41.900
My name is Dmytro Choni.

00:47:42.025 --> 00:47:44.987
I'm 28 years old and I come from Ukraine.

00:47:45.529 --> 00:47:48.740
So I was born in Kyiv in
the capital of Ukraine.

00:47:49.032 --> 00:47:51.869
I took part in quite many
competitions when I was young.

00:47:52.452 --> 00:47:57.374
I got prizes at quite many, mostly
Ukraine, but also in Poland.

00:47:57.541 --> 00:48:01.712
So that was my first
victories at the competitions.

00:48:13.056 --> 00:48:16.518
I might have been a prodigy
when I was a small kid,

00:48:17.019 --> 00:48:21.773
but then I think it all went
through a very hard work through

00:48:21.773 --> 00:48:25.527
a lot of difficulties in my way. You know,

00:48:25.527 --> 00:48:28.780
I'm 28 and I've gained quite
a lot of experience already,

00:48:29.323 --> 00:48:33.535
but there are some people
who are 20, 21, 22,

00:48:33.952 --> 00:48:37.831
or even less years old.
This is just incredible.

00:48:37.915 --> 00:48:40.667
So I'm still searching for something,

00:48:40.834 --> 00:48:45.339
still experiencing certain
difficulties, but, um,

00:48:45.923 --> 00:48:50.427
trying to develop myself
and enjoy the music.

00:49:05.233 --> 00:49:07.569
You made the quarter
final round in 2017.

00:49:07.569 --> 00:49:08.236
Yes.

00:49:08.362 --> 00:49:10.530
But you didn't think
you deserved to move on?

00:49:10.739 --> 00:49:12.950
No, no, no. I played awful.

00:49:21.625 --> 00:49:27.756
Because the Cliburn was the first
biggest competition in my

00:49:27.756 --> 00:49:32.636
life. And, you know, I
watched videos from Cliburn,

00:49:32.636 --> 00:49:35.847
I watched how people play there,

00:49:35.931 --> 00:49:40.686
and when they announced
my name as a preliminary

00:49:40.686 --> 00:49:43.689
round performer, I thought, oh wow,

00:49:43.814 --> 00:49:48.735
I should prepare like nobody
else because I need to be at

00:49:48.735 --> 00:49:51.947
least at the same level
with other competitors.

00:49:52.239 --> 00:49:56.994
So I practiced the preliminary
rounds and not other

00:49:56.994 --> 00:50:00.539
rounds. So that was my biggest mistake.

00:50:00.998 --> 00:50:04.668
It doesn't make sense to play
the preliminary round very good

00:50:04.793 --> 00:50:09.798
and then not to be prepared for
the following rounds. So that was,

00:50:09.881 --> 00:50:13.593
um, part of a strategy
for this competition.

00:50:13.593 --> 00:50:17.389
So I just tried to prepare every round,

00:50:17.472 --> 00:50:20.350
all the program completely so that if,

00:50:20.517 --> 00:50:23.645
if I advance to the next round, um,

00:50:23.812 --> 00:50:27.024
I can at least try to show my best.

00:50:33.613 --> 00:50:35.073
A pleasant good morning to you

00:50:35.365 --> 00:50:39.453
from the Van Cliburn concert hall at
Texas Christian University in Fort Worth,

00:50:39.453 --> 00:50:43.707
Texas. We will begin this quarter
final round of the Cliburn,

00:50:43.707 --> 00:50:48.295
just momentarily. Does the pressure ramp
up a little bit on these people now?

00:50:48.837 --> 00:50:52.090
I think so. You know, because
instead of having, what,

00:50:52.090 --> 00:50:55.677
two and a half months to prepare for that
first round, you had two days,

00:50:56.261 --> 00:51:00.891
or maybe three. Um, yeah, yeah,
it does ramp up, of course.

00:51:07.272 --> 00:51:12.069
I cannot play in the mornings.
I'm not physically capable

00:51:12.069 --> 00:51:12.903
I think.

00:51:14.362 --> 00:51:16.490
What are you doing out of your cage?

00:51:16.490 --> 00:51:16.948
Hm?

00:51:17.074 --> 00:51:18.909
What are you doing out of your cage?

00:51:18.909 --> 00:51:20.744
Trying to not fall asleep.

00:51:22.621 --> 00:51:27.209
Also that's a part of the game in case
that I'm not experienced in competitions

00:51:27.542 --> 00:51:30.295
and now I see why it's important, right?

00:51:30.545 --> 00:51:33.507
Because it's not only amount
of program you can play,

00:51:33.590 --> 00:51:37.886
but it's also first knowing
yourself, knowing the routine,

00:51:37.886 --> 00:51:40.222
what would you do if
you play in the morning?

00:51:41.765 --> 00:51:43.266
I want to sleep.

00:51:45.894 --> 00:51:47.187
I have

00:51:47.187 --> 00:51:51.733
immense respect for people who can
play any state any time of the day

00:51:51.733 --> 00:51:53.902
because it’s super hard.

00:52:20.137 --> 00:52:24.933
I couldn't concentrate because
I was not able to imagine

00:52:24.933 --> 00:52:29.521
myself being on the stage now
because I was trying to focus, okay,

00:52:29.563 --> 00:52:32.858
how I'm gonna play the
very beginning of the program.

00:52:45.704 --> 00:52:49.082
I try to think, and I dunno,
if you don't sleep well,

00:52:49.249 --> 00:52:52.669
sometimes you have this monkey
clapping hands in your head,

00:52:53.336 --> 00:52:56.131
you should play this piece, which is like,

00:52:56.298 --> 00:53:00.010
if you are 1% of concentration
off. And then I think, okay,

00:53:00.010 --> 00:53:03.930
it's a quarter final of Cliburn
and with this stupid state,

00:53:04.014 --> 00:53:07.184
I now have to go there, which I
cannot imagine me being there now.

00:53:17.527 --> 00:53:22.115
Even for just little bit of the
one percentage of, you know,

00:53:22.115 --> 00:53:26.745
having this fraction of thought could

00:53:27.245 --> 00:53:32.250
affect how you might play or something
might happen actually because

00:53:32.250 --> 00:53:34.961
of that thought in the performance.

00:53:35.587 --> 00:53:40.467
So therefore you try to
get rid of any element that

00:53:40.467 --> 00:53:44.971
might make you screw up or, you know,

00:53:45.722 --> 00:53:46.932
something going wrong.

00:54:01.696 --> 00:54:04.699
It's hard to tell right after. I think
it was a very, very intense program.

00:54:04.783 --> 00:54:07.244
So it's quite tiring. I'm mentally
a little bit exhausted. It was,

00:54:07.244 --> 00:54:08.662
it was a quick turnaround also.

00:54:08.662 --> 00:54:11.164
I only found out last night
that I would be playing and,

00:54:12.165 --> 00:54:17.087
and I'm happy that it's,
you know, I just did it and,

00:54:17.545 --> 00:54:22.217
and that's that. Yeah, I mean, there
were special moments I felt in it,

00:54:22.842 --> 00:54:26.554
but it's always very critical when you
play, so it's hard to assess right after.

00:54:26.680 --> 00:54:27.514
Yeah.

00:54:42.070 --> 00:54:45.949
I feel energized and I feel very
positive because you know,

00:54:45.949 --> 00:54:49.452
actually yesterday was kind of
stressful moment for everyone, I think.

00:54:49.995 --> 00:54:52.872
And I had like, less than, I dunno,

00:54:52.872 --> 00:54:57.210
10 and 11 hours for preparation
I mean, inner preparation,

00:54:58.086 --> 00:54:59.254
mental preparation,

00:54:59.504 --> 00:55:04.092
but I'm quite I'm quite
happy with what happened.

00:55:04.092 --> 00:55:07.804
And I hope that everyone
enjoyed this moment.

00:55:13.226 --> 00:55:17.731
I don’t know. In this program. I
felt very comfortable playing it.

00:55:18.356 --> 00:55:20.775
I have a personal connection
with every piece I play,

00:55:20.775 --> 00:55:23.737
so it all feels differently.

00:55:24.237 --> 00:55:28.116
Let's say today I played two of my
favorite composers, Prokofiev and Debussy.

00:55:28.450 --> 00:55:33.038
Maybe that's why I felt good. But
of course I like every piece I play,

00:55:33.038 --> 00:55:37.167
it's just, you know, every time being
on stage feels differently for me.

00:55:42.380 --> 00:55:44.924
I felt like, you know, there was
so much energy from the audience,

00:55:44.924 --> 00:55:47.427
and usually I don't really
know how I play.

00:55:47.427 --> 00:55:48.511
I just, like,

00:55:48.511 --> 00:55:52.223
I'm so focused on telling the story,
kind of conveying what I feel.

00:55:52.682 --> 00:55:57.312
So I just hope that that kind
of was received across to the

00:55:57.312 --> 00:55:58.146
audience.

00:56:10.116 --> 00:56:15.121
How does someone your age come up with
all these beautiful emotions to give to

00:56:15.121 --> 00:56:15.955
the audience?

00:56:21.586 --> 00:56:22.754
Uh, I don't know.

00:56:27.801 --> 00:56:30.887
It's my first time seriously
playing in the States,

00:56:31.054 --> 00:56:35.392
so I don't really know
the culture of going to

00:56:35.392 --> 00:56:37.310
concerts. How people react here,

00:56:37.310 --> 00:56:41.773
how they respond, if they clap if
it’s good or are they're supposed to

00:56:41.981 --> 00:56:44.692
dance a Rumba if it's good, I don’t know.

00:56:56.454 --> 00:57:01.042
Oh, people write, they
liked it. Wow. So many. Wow.

00:57:04.129 --> 00:57:06.714
I've just followed your
stunning performance.

00:57:10.468 --> 00:57:11.511
Oh wow. Now I feel better.

00:57:12.470 --> 00:57:17.350
The Clibur 60 years ago was
based on two main objectives.

00:57:17.600 --> 00:57:20.687
The first one was to help young
musicians to embrace a career,

00:57:20.812 --> 00:57:25.066
and the second one was to share
classical music with a large audience.

00:57:25.191 --> 00:57:26.025
Today,

00:57:26.443 --> 00:57:30.363
how you share is through social media.

00:57:31.156 --> 00:57:33.950
The online audience is enormous,

00:57:34.284 --> 00:57:37.829
and as the rounds progress,
the audience starts to grow.

00:57:37.912 --> 00:57:42.125
And I think everything around it
just starts to have more excitement.

00:57:42.917 --> 00:57:46.588
These past two performances at the Cliburn
have definitely been one of my high points,

00:57:46.588 --> 00:57:51.426
just because I've never felt so much
love and energy from an audience

00:57:51.426 --> 00:57:54.429
before. It's something
I'll definitely remember.

00:57:55.847 --> 00:58:00.560
How nervous are you when you're
waiting and sitting for your name to be

00:58:00.560 --> 00:58:01.394
called?

00:58:01.853 --> 00:58:05.148
I'm actually not nervous
for the announcement part,

00:58:05.440 --> 00:58:07.567
I'm more nervous for for the
playing part.

00:58:08.860 --> 00:58:10.028
For me, I think, you know,

00:58:10.028 --> 00:58:12.739
if I played and I gave it my all,

00:58:12.739 --> 00:58:15.200
I think the result for me doesn't matter.

00:58:15.617 --> 00:58:19.370
Just knowing that I
kind of did all I could,

00:58:19.370 --> 00:58:22.874
and if they didn't choose me,
that's their decision and

00:58:22.874 --> 00:58:26.211
I'm totally fine with it. So,
when the announcement comes,

00:58:26.211 --> 00:58:27.670
I'm not really that nervous.

00:58:28.254 --> 00:58:29.964
On behalf of the entire jury,

00:58:30.215 --> 00:58:35.011
please know how deeply impressed we
all are and what a difficult decision

00:58:35.011 --> 00:58:39.140
this was. In random order
here are the names of the 12

00:58:39.140 --> 00:58:40.266
semi-finalists.

00:58:43.811 --> 00:58:45.313
Jinhyung Park.

00:58:48.566 --> 00:58:50.068
Dmytro Choni.

00:58:54.072 --> 00:58:55.823
Yunchan Lim.

00:59:01.037 --> 00:59:02.789
Anna Geniushene.

00:59:08.878 --> 00:59:10.380
Honggi Kim.

00:59:13.633 --> 00:59:15.385
Uladzislau Khandohi.

00:59:17.887 --> 00:59:19.639
Yutong Sun.

00:59:26.771 --> 00:59:31.359
I was more nervous this quarter final
round than five years ago because I

00:59:31.359 --> 00:59:36.364
thought that this quarter final
round I did much better than five

00:59:36.364 --> 00:59:37.198
years ago.

00:59:39.784 --> 00:59:40.618
Ilya Shmukler,

00:59:45.039 --> 00:59:46.249
Masaya Kamei,

00:59:49.335 --> 00:59:50.753
Clayton Stephenson,

00:59:56.593 --> 00:59:57.927
Changyong Shin.

00:59:59.637 --> 01:00:01.723
And Marcel Tadokoro.

01:00:07.312 --> 01:00:08.313
Congratulations.

01:00:08.396 --> 01:00:11.274
And we look forward to
seeing everyone. Thank you.

01:00:26.205 --> 01:00:30.835
So I think the competitors that didn't
advance are going through a whole

01:00:30.918 --> 01:00:33.046
panoply of emotions. I think first of all,

01:00:33.046 --> 01:00:36.424
you're so disappointed because you're
so invested. You got to that point,

01:00:36.591 --> 01:00:41.220
and especially to the ones who've
played really well and then didn't

01:00:41.220 --> 01:00:43.973
advance, they're probably crushed.

01:00:47.101 --> 01:00:47.310
You know,

01:00:47.310 --> 01:00:50.980
other people might just be exhausted and
there might be a level of relief with that.

01:00:52.690 --> 01:00:53.316
Some of the competitors,

01:00:53.399 --> 01:00:56.861
they just wanted to go into their
host family's pool and just chill.

01:00:56.861 --> 01:00:57.487
You know what I mean?

01:00:57.487 --> 01:01:02.867
So I think some people now can actually
maybe enjoy their vacation here, you know?

01:01:11.292 --> 01:01:12.126
Oh God.

01:01:15.213 --> 01:01:18.549
He's gonna untie my shoes, and then
I'll be ready to go into the pool.

01:01:20.343 --> 01:01:21.302
Oh my God.

01:01:23.012 --> 01:01:24.555
I'll bring you your drink.
No, no, no, no, no, no.

01:01:24.555 --> 01:01:25.765
Don't drink the margarita.

01:01:27.016 --> 01:01:28.601
The dog wants it. Okay. This is good.

01:01:28.768 --> 01:01:30.061
It's good. Excellent.

01:01:32.355 --> 01:01:35.274
This is fantastic.

01:01:35.274 --> 01:01:40.196
I'm taking a few days
off enjoying myself and

01:01:40.655 --> 01:01:44.617
getting to know this beautiful
land and these beautiful people here.

01:01:44.951 --> 01:01:49.122
I'm a little sad that I
do not get to play more,

01:01:49.122 --> 01:01:52.250
not that I didn't advance in the
semi-finals of the competitions,

01:01:52.417 --> 01:01:54.419
because in any case we have to be grateful.

01:01:54.627 --> 01:01:58.256
I have to grateful to be
in the best 18 people,

01:01:58.840 --> 01:01:59.716
musicians of the world.

01:02:00.091 --> 01:02:04.637
But I'm a little sad I
didn't get to perform more so

01:02:04.637 --> 01:02:06.139
that's what I'm missing a little bit.

01:02:06.264 --> 01:02:09.726
But thankfully I have
so many things going on.

01:02:09.726 --> 01:02:11.310
And right now I'm literally taking two,

01:02:11.310 --> 01:02:14.856
three days off completely

01:02:14.856 --> 01:02:16.524
to just enjoy and relax.

01:02:24.699 --> 01:02:28.870
The first two rounds at Van Cliburn Concert
Hall were really great for recitals,

01:02:28.870 --> 01:02:32.290
but now we are moving to
Bass Hall for the semi-final.

01:02:33.541 --> 01:02:34.375
And once again,

01:02:34.375 --> 01:02:38.504
it gives information to the jury members
because now they can hear them in

01:02:38.504 --> 01:02:42.842
another hall and they can see
how they manage the sound,

01:02:42.842 --> 01:02:47.013
the piano, the projection, the
voicing in a different hall.

01:02:47.597 --> 01:02:52.185
That's what they're going to do in their
future life of playing in different

01:02:52.185 --> 01:02:53.853
halls. And you have to adapt.

01:03:00.234 --> 01:03:03.196
Welcome to the semi-final round.

01:03:03.946 --> 01:03:08.534
And it promises to be a lot
of really great music making.

01:03:49.784 --> 01:03:54.705
Even one minute before going on stage
when you are just backstage and you are

01:03:54.705 --> 01:03:57.124
very close to that.

01:03:57.124 --> 01:04:02.088
I try to play the first pitch of the

01:04:02.088 --> 01:04:03.923
piece, which I'm going to perform.

01:04:04.841 --> 01:04:09.679
I need to be in the mood. I
need to go inside the piece.

01:04:09.679 --> 01:04:12.223
I need to become the piece.

01:04:15.059 --> 01:04:19.313
No looking at the cell phones,
no Instagram, no Facebook,

01:04:19.313 --> 01:04:23.359
you're just meditating.
Meditating and playing again,

01:04:23.651 --> 01:04:27.446
and meditating. And that's
how you go inside the music.

01:04:28.155 --> 01:04:31.659
And that's my thing,

01:04:31.659 --> 01:04:34.871
which I found inside of
me, which helps me a lot.

01:04:35.997 --> 01:04:40.376
Going on for the semi-final round at The
Van Cliburn piano competition here is

01:04:40.376 --> 01:04:41.586
Ilya Shmukler.

01:05:33.596 --> 01:05:37.224
My blood is so hot right now.

01:05:38.017 --> 01:05:39.727
I played for me,

01:05:39.727 --> 01:05:42.396
for the music, but also for the audience.

01:05:42.813 --> 01:05:47.234
And so if they
like my performance

01:05:47.568 --> 01:05:48.903
I'm so happy about that.

01:06:05.878 --> 01:06:10.216
You know I went on stage thinking
that I want to give everything

01:06:10.800 --> 01:06:15.846
for the audience, and to

01:06:15.846 --> 01:06:20.101
give all my emotions to the public.

01:06:20.101 --> 01:06:21.310
I think I did it.

01:06:31.946 --> 01:06:34.115
It’s the last recital in Fort Worth.

01:06:34.156 --> 01:06:38.536
So that's why I try to
say goodbye to all great

01:06:38.536 --> 01:06:42.456
audience. Oh, I had a little
mistake in few moments, but

01:06:44.458 --> 01:06:46.377
anyway, I feel really free.

01:06:59.807 --> 01:07:01.058
I made some mistakes.

01:07:01.100 --> 01:07:05.187
This was also not my most prepped round.

01:07:05.312 --> 01:07:09.400
But I still had a lot of fun on
stage and lived in the moment.

01:07:09.400 --> 01:07:13.404
So I'm just very happy to be
able to play in Bass Hall.

01:07:13.404 --> 01:07:14.488
It's such a beautiful hall.

01:07:14.572 --> 01:07:19.493
The audience is so nice and I'm just
very happy that I have this experience

01:07:19.493 --> 01:07:24.415
now in my memory banks that I'll Ipull
out whenever I need a good memory.

01:07:38.304 --> 01:07:39.889
Well, I try to deliver my best.

01:07:39.889 --> 01:07:45.978
It’s just as with every round. So it doesn't
matter if it's first round,

01:07:45.978 --> 01:07:49.899
second or semi-final.
I try to play my best.

01:07:50.441 --> 01:07:51.275
And that's it.

01:08:01.285 --> 01:08:05.748
The most difficult thing is how to

01:08:05.748 --> 01:08:10.586
transmit some fun and
share with this fun with

01:08:10.586 --> 01:08:15.549
the audience. And actually,
I think I had this chance.

01:08:26.977 --> 01:08:28.771
I would say in every round,

01:08:29.230 --> 01:08:33.776
there are probably a handful
of performances that are truly

01:08:33.776 --> 01:08:34.610
astounding.

01:08:35.611 --> 01:08:40.157
One was when I first heard
Yunchan Lim play Liszt

01:08:40.157 --> 01:08:44.995
Etudes. He made me sit back and say,

01:08:45.079 --> 01:08:47.957
Ooh, those are some
really interesting ideas.

01:08:54.505 --> 01:08:59.135
Yunchan Lim played the 12 Transcendental
Etudes by Liszt in the semi-final round

01:08:59.135 --> 01:09:02.054
and they were the most
mind boggling display of

01:09:02.179 --> 01:09:06.851
virtuosity, of imagination, of stage
presence. He brought so much drama.

01:09:07.476 --> 01:09:09.770
We spoke with him and he works very hard,

01:09:10.396 --> 01:09:15.151
and he also gave such a charming
answer about who he's playing for.

01:09:15.276 --> 01:09:18.237
I played my heart out.

01:09:18.237 --> 01:09:19.071
Yes.

01:09:19.071 --> 01:09:23.868
And I played for artists in the

01:09:23.868 --> 01:09:24.702
sky.

01:09:24.785 --> 01:09:30.541
He was basically talking about departed
artists who have been his sources of inspiration.

01:09:30.541 --> 01:09:32.668
There's been this confidence,

01:09:32.668 --> 01:09:36.589
but also just this completeness
to the performances.

01:09:36.630 --> 01:09:40.467
And I had no doubt after watching that
performance that he would make it to the

01:09:40.467 --> 01:09:41.302
final.

01:09:57.985 --> 01:10:02.698
To have an 18 year old show up and from

01:10:02.740 --> 01:10:06.452
round to round of the
competition over three weeks

01:10:06.994 --> 01:10:10.873
continue to astound and mesmerize,

01:10:11.332 --> 01:10:15.669
this jury of nine performing pianists is

01:10:16.378 --> 01:10:18.380
really just out of this world.

01:10:27.723 --> 01:10:30.726
It is time for the
announcement of the finalists.

01:10:35.105 --> 01:10:40.110
It's not a good feeling to go through
every round and each time you wait

01:10:40.110 --> 01:10:44.323
for the announcement, which is,
I cannot even think about this.

01:10:44.823 --> 01:10:49.286
It's not a pleasant feeling.

01:10:49.286 --> 01:10:52.957
But also there's nothing you
can do about it. So I just,

01:10:53.040 --> 01:10:54.416
I guess we have to live with it.

01:10:54.750 --> 01:10:57.336
Competitors please stand
so we can thank you again.

01:11:10.432 --> 01:11:14.436
As I announce the names of the six finalists for the

01:11:14.561 --> 01:11:18.357
2022 Van Cliburn International
Piano Competition,

01:11:18.816 --> 01:11:20.526
please join us on stage.

01:11:23.320 --> 01:11:25.030
Ilya Shmukler.

01:11:31.912 --> 01:11:32.871
Congratulations.

01:11:40.004 --> 01:11:42.131
Uladizslau Khandohi.

01:11:49.513 --> 01:11:53.976
It's of course a very stressful moment
cuz if you advance, you're happy.

01:11:53.976 --> 01:11:58.188
If not, of course there
is a great disappointment.

01:11:59.231 --> 01:12:00.816
But I like that at the Cliburn,

01:12:00.816 --> 01:12:05.529
they chose to announce
the pianist who advance in

01:12:05.529 --> 01:12:07.906
random order, because it
kind of gives you hope

01:12:08.073 --> 01:12:10.284
until the very last name.

01:12:11.660 --> 01:12:12.828
Clayton Stephenson,

01:12:22.504 --> 01:12:23.547
Anna Geniushene.

01:12:34.058 --> 01:12:35.100
Dmytro Choni.

01:12:41.190 --> 01:12:43.108
and Yunchan Lim.

01:12:55.704 --> 01:12:59.500
Please, everyone, join me in
congratulating all of the candidates.

01:13:02.836 --> 01:13:06.006
We all are wonderful musicians,

01:13:06.006 --> 01:13:10.511
and I have to say the
level of art artistry is

01:13:11.095 --> 01:13:13.931
beyond even my expectation.

01:13:14.264 --> 01:13:15.724
They're all great.

01:13:42.876 --> 01:13:45.754
I mean, we all are winners already.

01:13:46.463 --> 01:13:51.802
Even to be invited to play for
the first round of the quarter final.

01:13:51.802 --> 01:13:52.594
No matter.

01:14:04.022 --> 01:14:08.819
It was like a dream. It's just
unbelievable that I'm in the final now.

01:14:08.819 --> 01:14:11.113
I cannot imagine.

01:14:11.905 --> 01:14:16.702
When I got into the
final round, I thought, wow,

01:14:17.161 --> 01:14:21.707
I don't have to change
the tickets to go back home.

01:14:22.040 --> 01:14:25.669
So that was quite a feeling.

01:14:26.211 --> 01:14:27.921
And I mean, wow.

01:14:30.424 --> 01:14:34.303
The next phase of the competition,
they play with the orchestra.

01:14:34.845 --> 01:14:39.475
And that can be a really
challenging part of the

01:14:39.475 --> 01:14:40.225
competition.

01:14:41.268 --> 01:14:44.271
The orchestra could
play things in a way you don't want.

01:14:44.271 --> 01:14:48.859
And so it's now your job to engage
with that in a beautiful way.

01:14:49.443 --> 01:14:52.821
I would say that playing with an orchestra
is a totally different experience

01:14:52.821 --> 01:14:57.576
than playing solo because one has to
make an ensemble with the orchestra to

01:14:57.576 --> 01:15:02.539
make unified performance, which
is not easy, not always easy.

01:15:03.248 --> 01:15:08.212
You have to be that chamber partner.
You have to react to what is going on,

01:15:08.212 --> 01:15:10.339
which instruments are playing right now.

01:15:10.631 --> 01:15:15.135
Probably you should play softer to
accompany them to show that we are

01:15:15.135 --> 01:15:19.139
together, where we make
a hug to each other.

01:15:20.140 --> 01:15:21.350
It's my job,

01:15:21.683 --> 01:15:26.146
really my responsibility
to create the atmosphere,

01:15:26.271 --> 01:15:30.150
the environment, the tempo,
you know, everything about it.

01:15:30.359 --> 01:15:34.696
So if for some reason they're not
connected, I take full responsibility.

01:15:34.696 --> 01:15:39.243
So I'm hoping that with the finalist
round, you won't feel that ever.

01:15:52.089 --> 01:15:54.007
This is the ultimate round.

01:15:54.132 --> 01:15:58.428
The six finalists are gonna be performing
two concertos each with the Fort Worth

01:15:58.428 --> 01:16:02.432
Symphony Orchestra conducted
by the jury chair Marin Alsop.

01:16:02.808 --> 01:16:04.142
Six of them left now.

01:16:04.393 --> 01:16:08.480
Six. We've started with 30 and we've gone
through several rounds of competition.

01:16:08.480 --> 01:16:12.568
They've played a whole bunch of solo
repertoire and now we're down to six.

01:16:19.866 --> 01:16:22.202
We are now ready for our first performer.

01:16:28.166 --> 01:16:29.835
Please welcome her to the stage.

01:17:04.536 --> 01:17:06.872
I think all of us have anxiety,

01:17:07.039 --> 01:17:11.376
however many times we've played a piece
in opening of what we call the tutti.

01:17:11.585 --> 01:17:13.920
You know, when the orchestra
plays before the pianst comes in,

01:17:14.630 --> 01:17:18.508
of course it's a time to get into
the zone of the piece. But yeah,

01:17:18.508 --> 01:17:21.928
you can be sitting there thinking,
gosh, where do I, how do I come in here?

01:17:21.928 --> 01:17:25.140
Even if you know the piece very well,
because the mind plays games all the time.

01:17:25.432 --> 01:17:29.936
And one of the keys to learning
how to pay them in concert is

01:17:29.936 --> 01:17:32.481
precisely how you learn
to control your mind.

01:18:11.937 --> 01:18:13.522
I am completely drained,

01:18:15.565 --> 01:18:16.983
although it was an enjoyable moment.

01:18:18.026 --> 01:18:20.737
I'm really honored to play and to

01:18:20.737 --> 01:18:25.617
present the whole amount of pieces
that I brought here

01:18:25.617 --> 01:18:27.869
to Fort Worth to the audience.

01:18:27.869 --> 01:18:31.832
And I think I could not be
grateful enough for this option.

01:18:31.915 --> 01:18:36.169
So this is the only
thing I can add.

01:18:39.840 --> 01:18:41.591
You ready?

01:18:44.970 --> 01:18:49.725
Dmytro Choni now comes to Fort Worth
here in the finals of the Cliburn.

01:18:49.725 --> 01:18:54.146
He calls his participation
in the Cliburn quote

01:18:54.479 --> 01:18:56.648
"Nothing else, but in my dream".

01:19:26.136 --> 01:19:28.513
We had a good end for the first movement,

01:19:28.972 --> 01:19:33.226
so it worked exactly as we discussed. So I

01:19:33.226 --> 01:19:34.978
am just happy it worked out.

01:19:39.065 --> 01:19:43.695
Our next performer is Uladzislau
Khandohi from Belarus.

01:19:44.404 --> 01:19:46.156
Please welcome him to the stage.

01:20:06.760 --> 01:20:11.515
I am full of emotions and at
the same time empty of emotions.

01:20:11.515 --> 01:20:16.061
Because I gave everything to the music.

01:20:16.061 --> 01:20:18.438
I feel I must practice again.

01:20:43.505 --> 01:20:44.339
How did you feel?

01:20:44.673 --> 01:20:45.590
Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

01:20:45.590 --> 01:20:46.800
Okay? Okay, good.

01:20:48.009 --> 01:20:48.844
Thank you very much.

01:20:48.844 --> 01:20:51.137
You're a very understated human being.

01:21:10.824 --> 01:21:12.868
Let's talk about that Rachmaninov third.

01:21:13.201 --> 01:21:16.830
Whew. Rach three is going to be
making its appearance several times.

01:21:16.830 --> 01:21:22.085
And it is just one of those epic pieces
that really tests the endurance of the perfomer.

01:21:22.085 --> 01:21:24.379
And of course, you know,
without the Rachmaninov third,

01:21:24.379 --> 01:21:27.299
we probably wouldn't have a Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition.

01:21:27.340 --> 01:21:31.720
Because of course he played it in
the Tchaikovsky competition in 1958.

01:21:31.803 --> 01:21:33.430
And that's the whole reason we have this.

01:22:00.332 --> 01:22:05.253
Rachmaninov, well it is
about how to overcome

01:22:05.921 --> 01:22:10.425
yourself. I mean, not a musical material,

01:22:10.425 --> 01:22:12.969
but as also a human being,

01:22:13.053 --> 01:22:16.389
how to be even more than a human being.

01:22:16.681 --> 01:22:19.267
And that's what it is about.

01:22:37.452 --> 01:22:39.537
I am really humbled by this experience.

01:22:39.621 --> 01:22:44.542
I think I'm so lucky to be able to
be part of this amazing organization.

01:22:44.542 --> 01:22:49.297
I feel like Cliburn first and
foremost is about building and

01:22:49.297 --> 01:22:52.300
improving the artists. It's
not really, for me at least,

01:22:52.300 --> 01:22:53.510
it's never a competition. You know,

01:22:53.510 --> 01:22:58.098
even when meeting Ilya in the practice
rooms or in the dressing rooms

01:22:58.098 --> 01:23:02.143
there's never really a feeling of rivalry.

01:23:02.143 --> 01:23:03.770
I feel like it's more of a camaraderie.

01:23:03.770 --> 01:23:08.566
He was actually showing me how he
practices Rach three and parts where I

01:23:08.566 --> 01:23:11.027
struggle, he struggles
too. And so it feels like,

01:23:11.027 --> 01:23:15.907
the greatest kind of part of
being a pianist is getting to know

01:23:15.907 --> 01:23:20.662
other pianists and seeing the
music that you love in a different

01:23:20.662 --> 01:23:23.289
light and that changing your
perception of it as well.

01:26:46.701 --> 01:26:51.456
The joyful experience that we've had
over these two weeks is turning to one of

01:26:51.831 --> 01:26:54.000
great anticipation.

01:26:55.251 --> 01:26:58.588
We've seen such brilliant
personalities here.

01:26:59.214 --> 01:27:03.509
I would happily go to the recitals or
their concerto appearances in the future

01:27:03.509 --> 01:27:07.055
because they've really made a mark on
me and I'm already starting to miss everybody.

01:27:09.515 --> 01:27:14.312
What the winning would kind of
entail for me to start my career in

01:27:14.395 --> 01:27:17.732
performing and playing around the
world and visiting different people and

01:27:17.732 --> 01:27:19.234
bringing my music to different people.

01:27:19.984 --> 01:27:21.986
Oh, it will change a lot.

01:27:22.403 --> 01:27:26.950
Lots of opportunities to give
recitals and appearances with

01:27:26.950 --> 01:27:27.825
orchestras.

01:27:29.035 --> 01:27:33.623
Career opportunities. The performances,
this is the most important, I would say.

01:27:34.707 --> 01:27:39.295
All of these finalists are winners in many

01:27:39.295 --> 01:27:43.341
ways. I mean, you don't get to this
level without being phenomenal,

01:27:44.133 --> 01:27:46.177
but the person that walks
away with a gold medal,

01:27:46.302 --> 01:27:48.972
you know there is only one winner.

01:27:56.187 --> 01:28:00.441
The 2022 Van Cliburn
International Piano competition

01:28:00.608 --> 01:28:01.442
medalists.

01:28:02.068 --> 01:28:04.070
The bronze medal goes to

01:28:07.282 --> 01:28:08.116
Dmytro Choni.

01:28:25.508 --> 01:28:30.221
These were exciting moments because in
the end I would say that competition has

01:28:30.221 --> 01:28:34.392
changed my life. And I gained a lot
of experience by playing this concert.

01:28:34.851 --> 01:28:36.394
And maybe this is, uh,

01:28:37.478 --> 01:28:39.897
one of the reasons why I'm here now.

01:28:40.648 --> 01:28:44.652
The silver medal goes to Anna Geniushene.

01:28:58.082 --> 01:29:03.087
I thought that my aim is just
to get gold and come back

01:29:03.254 --> 01:29:07.884
to my homeland and celebrate
it for the rest of my

01:29:07.884 --> 01:29:09.802
life. That wasn't my aim.

01:29:09.927 --> 01:29:14.891
I was actually trying to get as much
as possible from this experience

01:29:14.891 --> 01:29:15.975
being on stage,

01:29:15.975 --> 01:29:19.896
being encircled with fantastic musicians.

01:29:20.730 --> 01:29:25.318
To see a young Ukrainian
pianist in the same

01:29:25.318 --> 01:29:29.906
competition on the same stage as a young
Russian pianist hugging each other,

01:29:30.615 --> 01:29:34.869
that.. that is what this world needs.

01:29:39.248 --> 01:29:43.544
The Nancy Lee and Perry R Bass
Gold Medal for the 16th

01:29:43.544 --> 01:29:47.215
Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition goes to

01:29:47.215 --> 01:29:49.008
Yunchan Lim.

01:31:30.818 --> 01:31:35.364
Instantly. It really changes
when you become a Cliburn gold medalist.

01:31:43.539 --> 01:31:45.333
I have some shoes for you to try on.

01:31:45.333 --> 01:31:48.294
So you have these huge amount of

01:31:48.377 --> 01:31:52.131
concerts that you have to
play, almost right away.

01:31:58.804 --> 01:32:03.684
You really have not much time to think
about anything else and just enjoy

01:32:03.684 --> 01:32:05.228
playing, traveling,

01:32:05.394 --> 01:32:09.941
and getting to meet new people
and share your choice of music

01:32:10.316 --> 01:32:11.359
all over the world.

01:32:17.865 --> 01:32:19.450
Will you hold it and I can take your picture?

01:32:19.450 --> 01:32:20.326
Oh, yes.

01:32:20.326 --> 01:32:21.035
Yeah. Okay.

01:32:21.536 --> 01:32:23.162
It's for a hundred thousand.

01:32:25.915 --> 01:32:26.749
It’s cool, right?

01:32:26.749 --> 01:32:27.333
Yes.

01:32:27.333 --> 01:32:27.917
Thank you.

01:32:33.339 --> 01:32:35.841
How has your life changed
since winning the Gold Medal?

01:32:36.467 --> 01:32:41.222
I have been practicing and working hard,

01:32:47.186 --> 01:32:49.939
so nothing has changed.

01:33:03.327 --> 01:33:08.207
There is great nature in America,

01:33:08.874 --> 01:33:12.587
but I don't have much time because

01:33:13.921 --> 01:33:18.134
I just want to keep practicing

01:33:18.175 --> 01:33:23.556
and keep learning the great piano works.

01:33:28.853 --> 01:33:31.439
My teacher always told me,

01:33:32.273 --> 01:33:35.484
if you became a great

01:33:35.985 --> 01:33:39.697
person you have to speak out

01:33:41.282 --> 01:33:44.535
to people. This is, I think,

01:33:45.077 --> 01:33:47.747
sense of duty, not for me.

01:33:48.080 --> 01:33:52.376
This is for every great artist.