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The1
stCompetition.TheDifficultBeginnings
41
Inthespiritofthatage,inwhichremnantsofsociallifefrombefore
WorldWarIwerestillcultivated,on27thJanuarythepresidentoftheWar-
sawMusicSociety,PrinceWłodzimierzCzetwertyński,gave“inhisprivate
apartmentsareceptiontohonourthemembersofthecommittee,thejury
andthe[Competition]participants.[ś]Theoccasionwascelebratedwith
animprovisedconcertbyMsStefaniaMiller(singingtotheaccompaniment
ofMrRozenbaum[onthepiano])andbythefamousGermanpianistHöhn,
whocame[toWarsaw]toplayatthePhilharmonic.Thepartywentontill
lateinthenight,inapleasantatmosphere.”54
AlreadythefirstChCeditionwasbroadcastontheradio,though(aswe
knowfromJerzyWaldorff,whowasthenateenagerandlistenedtothe
Competitionbroadcastswhilestayingathisfamilyestate)thesoundquality
wasverypoor55.TheradiocoverageisalsomentionedbyMariaDąbrowska
inherJournals:“30thJan.[1927]Sunday.I’mwritingatnoon,listeningto
thefinalsoftheChopincompetition.”56However,despitebeingpromoted
andbroadcastthroughoutthecountry,theeventhadthestrongestimpact
ontheimaginationofaudiencespresentattheauditions,aswellasonmany
oftheinhabitantsofWarsaw.Kaden-Bandrowski,whoevenafterthewin-
nershadbeenannounced,stilldefendedhisthesisconcerningtheimmanent
Polish-nessofChopin’smusic,reportedin“Świat”:
Everyoneistalkingaboutthecompetition,aboutthevirtuesandvicesofthe
pianistswhoGwrestled’onthePhilharmonicstage.It’snotonlythetalkofthe
Gsociety’andofsalons,butofthestreet.Onehearsaboutitontrams,atnews
stalls,atthecoffeeshops.Editorsreceivelettersfullofpraiseorcriticism;music
commentatorsarecalledtoanswerphonecallsfromunknownlaymenwhoobsti-
natelyargueaboutthecompetitionresults,thefairnessofthejury’sverdicts,etc.57
ForKaden,whostressedhowlittleinteresttheWarsawaudiencetook
inGordinary’musicevents(thehalf-emptyconcerthallsatperformancesby
ClaudioArrauandStefanAskenaseshortlybeforetheCompetitionserved
asexamples)58,believedthattheconclusionsconcerningpeople’sexcitement
54[N.N.],“Epoka”,31stJanuary1927,No.30,p.3.
55J.Waldorff,Wielkagra,op.cit.,pp.65–66.
56QuotedafterthecompleteeditionofDąbrowska’sJournals(the1927volume,p.3).
FromtheentryforthepreviousdaywealsoknowthatshehadlistenedtotheCompetition
auditionsliveatthePhilharmonic.
57J.Kaden-Bandrowski,Wyjśćnaulicę![TakeItOutintotheStreets!],“Świat”1927,
No.7,p.14.
58TheleitmotifofGtheemptyPhilharmonic’recursinWarsaw’sinterwarmusicpress.If
wecompareitwithNiewiadomski’sandStromenger’sclaimsthattheWarsawaudiencewas
notmerelyinterestedintheCompetitionasakindofGsportcontest’,butthattheaudience’s
expertisewasevidentinitsjudgments,measuredbytheforceoftheapplausethefollowing