Int'l Tchaikovsky Competition opens in Moscow

MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - The 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition has opened in Moscow, with 236 participants from 23 countries and two special prizes to be awarded this year in honor of two recently deceased members of its jury.

"We are very glad that the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition is starting in our country, Russia [...] We received 742 applications from 41 countries and selected 236 performers from 23 countries, [including] from Europe, Asia, [and] the United States, and that means only one thing: music knows no boundaries, and the arts are above politics," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova told journalists before the competition's opening on Monday.

For her part, Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said that an important task for the ministry and the organizers was to make sure "young performers come from a wide range of countries, [and] create conditions to allow beginners and successful musicians to perform, if they wish to participate."

This year, as on the previous occasion, all tournaments will be broadcast online, the minister said. "This time around, we decided to begin [online broadcasts] a little earlier. We have a project called The Land of Tchaikovsky, and three million people have already watched what is happening," Lyubimova said.

Valery Gergiev, who co-chairs the competition's organizing committee, paid tribute to two late colleagues, piano players Nelson Freire (Brazil) and Alexander Toradze (Georgia).

The event has been held among academic musicians every four years since 1958. This year, the dates are June 19 to July 1. Gala concerts will be held at the Zaryadye concert hall in Moscow and at Mariinsky II. There are six nominations for piano, violin, cello, solo singing, woodwind and brass.

This year brings together players from Russia, Italy, the U.S., Serbia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Japan, China, France, Britain, Georgia, Moldova, Germany, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Slovenia, Venezuela, Canada, Costa Rica and Australia.