Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
The1
stCompetition.TheDifficultBeginnings
39
ThechoiceofwinnersinthisandthenexttwoChCeditionsclearly
showedthatthejurors,evendespitethosesemi-publicquarrels,werepre-
paredtoadmitthattheirconvictionconcerningthePolishpianists’natural
superiorityinChopininterpretationshadbeendisproved.However,not
everyonewasreadytotakesuchanunbiasedstance.Twodaysafterthe
Competitionended,Cracow’sdaily“IlustrowanyKurierCodzienny”[“Illus-
tratedDailyCourier”](whichotherwisedidnotreportontheChCinthe
courseoftheauditionsatall)50printedabriefarticleentitledZakończenie
międzynarodowegokonkursuim.Szopena[TheInternationalChopinCom-
petitionHasCometoItsClose],whichIwillquoteherenearlyinfull:
(A.)reportsfromWarsaw:TheChopininternationalpianists’competitioninWar-
sawcametoitscloseonSunday,the30thofthismonth.Thefirstprize,amounting
to5,000zlotys,waspresentedtoamusicianfromtheSovietRussia–Oborin[ś].
Asaformofprotestagainstthewaythesaidcompetitionwasorganised,the
eminentpianistMrŚliwińskihadresignedfromtheorganisationalCommittee
atonepoint.AneventthatcausedagreatsensationinWarsaw’smusiccircles
shortlybeforethepresentationoftheprizeswasaletterfromanotherexcellent
pianist,ProfessorMichałowski,whoinformedtheothermembersthathewas
leavingthecompetitionjury.Whenaskedaboutthereasonsforhisdecision,Pro-
fessorMichałowskistatedthat,thoughthelevelofthecompetitionishighindeed,
itsideaispointless.Thejurydistinguishesexcellentvirtuosopianists,butleaves
outthoseartistswhoplayChopininthebestandmostappropriatemanner.There
weremoreexcellentChopininterpreters–who,moreover,werePoles–thanthe
juryhasbeenwillingtoacknowledge.Thequalifyingprocedurewasglaringly
faulty,too.ChopinwasundoubtedlyplayedbestbythePolesandtheRussians.All
wecanaddtoProfessorMichałowski’swordsquotedaboveisthatthePoles
indeedplayedlikeartists,buthavebeenpushedasidebythejuryinfavouroffor-
eignvirtuosopianists,sothatthecompetitiondidnotachieveitsaim51.
ThesplitintheCompetitionjurymentionedbythe“IKC”reporterhasbeen
poorlydocumentedinthesurvivingsources.Judgingbyhiswords,itmust
havebeenaseriousrift,sincethepersonwhowithdrewfromthejurywas
theteacheroftheChC’smaininitiator.Weknowfromothersourcesthat
thebondbetweenŻurawlewandMichałowskiwasstrongandhevalued
histeacherandmasterveryhighly.Michałowskiprobablyremainedfaithful
50“IlustrowanyKurierCodzienny”,commonlyknowninPolandas“Ikac”,wasone
ofthemostinfluentialpresstitlesintheinterwarPolandandhadagreatopinion-forming
power.Thedailyoweditsimpactlargelytoitsprofile,whichsituateditclosetomodern-day
tabloids.“IKC”shunnedneithersensationalnewsnorgossip,presentedtheinformation
instronglyexaggeratedways,anddidnotcaretoretainjournalisticobjectivism.
51Zakończeniemiędzynarodowegokonkursuim.Szopena[TheInternationalChopin
CompetitionHasCometoItsClose],“IlustrowanyKurierCodzienny”,1stFebruary1927,
No.31,p.6.
