Well there you have it. In a flurry of trills, runs, and knuckle-busting chords, the winners of the 2014 Montreal International Music Competition are:

1: Jayson Gillham – (Australia/UK) –  28 years old. L.V.Beethoven : Concerto No. 4  in G major, Op. 58.

Prize:$30, 000

2: Charles Richard-Hamelin (Canada) – 25 years old. S.Rachmaninov: Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.

Prize:$15, 000

3: Annika Treutler (Germany) – 24 years old. S.Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26.

Prize: $10, 000.

Before the start of last night’s final round, people were found milling about the lobby, voicing opinions about personal favourites, and how so-and-so butchered this-and-that. Like a scene from the Kentucky Derby, the liqueur was in high demand, and all bets were off.

After the first round of finals on Tuesday, which featured Alexander Ullman (United Kingdom), Charles Richard-Hamelin (Canada) and Kate Liu (United States), tonight was the most coveted spot in the finals.

Playing was Canadian Xiaoyu Liu (Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.), Australian/Brit Jayson Gillham (L.V. Beethoven : Concerto No. 4  in G major, Op. 58 and Germany’s Annika  Treutler (S. Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26).

Xiaoyo Liu, a 17 year-old studying at The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal with Richard Raymond, was fast out the gate with a careful performance of Rachmaninov’s No. 2. The gentle lilt in his arpeggios were delightful, and the lyrical 2^nd movement was wonderfully still and serene.

Incidentally Liu, will be on tour with the China NCPA Orchestra, and they will be stopping by Toronto to make their debut at Koerner Hall, in November 2014. A concert well worth seeing.

I can’t say enough about how strong the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal was under guest conductor, Giancarlo Guerrero. This isn’t always the case for competitions, where all to many times the orchestras are found merely going through the motions. On the contrary, the OSM were present in every way – inspired by the monstrous talents riding the pianos into the ground.

By the time Jayson Gillham started his Beethoven’s 4^th Concerto, the piano tuning started going slightly askew, but he played with abandon, and whipped and stirred the piano in submission. Concerto is a form of theatre, and its drama begins with a solo piano, something that Gillham played with a compellingly theatrical tone.

My personal favourite of the night was Annika Treutler. As the piece began, she looked up towards the ceiling, gently rocking back and forth with the undulating orchestra. Hers was a more natural and less generic style. Hunched over the piano, she dug deep into the keys with an intense physicality beyond her years.

In contrast to Kate Liu’s Prokovfiev concerto No. 2 the night before, who was also one of my favourites, Treutler’s playing had more essence and personality. Though I felt she should have placed higher in the final standings, she was an obvious contender and her performance was well above the others.

The MIMC Gala concert, which includes the audience choice award, takes place on Friday, June 6^th, at 7:30 p.m. at Maison symphonique. Information at www.concoursmontreal.ca

Michael Vincent

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Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent is the Editor-in-chief Ludwig Van and CEO of Museland Media. He publishes regularly and writes occasionally. A specialist in digital media for over 15 years, he has worked as a senior editor and is a former freelance classical music critic for the Toronto Star. Michael holds a Doctorate in Music from the University of Toronto.

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