The 19th International Chopin Piano Competition is about to begin - Inaugural Concert October 2nd 2025
'There are the notes, there is what is behind the notes and there is what is between the notes'
Ignaz Friedman
Inaugural Concert October 2nd 2025
The inauguration of the Competition (October 2nd 2025) is a special event – solemn and ceremonial, filled with a whole range of emotions heralding this unique and noble competition, which will captivate the entire music world for the next three weeks.
In the past, this unique evening has been an opportunity to present outstanding works of Polish and world music literature interpreted by such great artists as Artur Rubinstein, Henryk Szeryng, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Nelson Freire, with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Witold Rowicki, Stanisław Wisłocki, Jerzy Katlewicz, Kazimierz Kord, Antoni Wit and Jacek Kaspszyk (only once did the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra perform, conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk). The inaugural concerts featuring Martha Argerich, the winner of the 1965 competition, have become legendary.
The 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition will be inaugurated by four of its winners, who will perform with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrzej Boreyko. Bruce Liu will perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, while Yulianna Avdeeva and Garrick Ohlsson will perform Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. Yulianna Avdeeva, Bruce Liu, Garrick Ohlsson and Dang Thai Son will meet in the Concerto for 4 Pianos by Johann Sebastian Bach. The opening gala will begin with Fryderyk Chopin's Polonaise in A major in an orchestral version.
The preliminary rounds of the 19th Chopin Competition concluded on 4 May at the Warsaw Philharmonic after 12 days of daily auditions. The jury, chaired by Professor Piotr Paleczny, selected 66 pianists, who will return to Warsaw in less than five months for the 19th Chopin Competition.
Additionally, 19 performers have been admitted directly to Stage I of the Competition without going through the preliminaries. These are laureates of selected piano competitions such as competitions in Leeds, Tel Aviv, Miami, Bolzano, Hamamatsu, the Paderewski International Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, as well as the Fryderyk Chopin National Piano Competition in Warsaw.
In the first stage of the 19th Chopin Competition, we will hear 85 participants from 20 countries. The most represented countries are China, Japan, and Poland.
The Competition repertoire includes solely works by Fryderyk Chopin. Competitors may play pieces they presented on the video recording enclosed with the application. They can also play pieces they performed in the Preliminary Round ‒ except for the Etudes. However, the same piece cannot be played in the different rounds of the Competition.
in C major, Op. 10 No. 1
in A minor, Op. 10 No. 2
in G sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 6
in B minor, Op. 25 No. 10
in A minor, Op. 25 No. 11
• one of the following pieces:
Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3
Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1
Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2
Nocturne in G major, Op. 37 No. 2
Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1
Nocturne in F sharp minor, Op. 48 No. 2
Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2
Nocturne in B major, Op. 62 No. 1
Nocturne in E major, Op. 62 No. 2
Etude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3
Etude in E flat minor, Op. 10 No. 6
Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 7
• one of the following Waltzes:
in E flat major, Op. 18
in A flat major, Op. 34 No. 1
in A flat major, Op. 42
• one of the following pieces:
Ballade in G minor, Op. 23
Ballade in F major, Op. 38
Ballade in A flat major, Op. 47
Ballade in F minor, Op. 52
Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60
Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49
The pieces may be performed in any order.
19–24
• one of the following Polonaises:
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat major, Op. 22
Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op. 44
Polonaise in A flat major, Op. 53
or both Polonaises from Op. 26
• any other solo piece or pieces by Fryderyk Chopin (the full Op. 28 is allowed).
Performance time in the second round: 40–50 minutes.
The pieces may be performed in any order (except Op. 26).
Should the contestant overrun the time limit, the Jury may stop his/her performance.
The exposition in the first movement of both Sonatas should not be repeated.
• a full set of Mazurkas from the following opuses:
17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59
The Mazurkas must be played in the order in which they are numbered in the opus. In the case of Opuses 33 and 41, the following numbering applies:
Op. 33 No. 1 in G sharp minor Op. 41 No. 1 in E minor
No. 2 in C major No. 2 in B major
No. 3 in D major No. 3 in A flat major
No. 4 in B minor No. 4 in C sharp minor
• any other solo piece or pieces by Fryderyk Chopin (if the hitherto performed repertoire does not achieve the minimum performance time indicated below).
Performance time in the third round: 45–55 minutes.
The pieces may be performed in any order (except the Mazurkas). Should the contestant overrun the time limit, the Jury may stop his/her performance.
• One of the Piano Concertos: in E minor, Op. 11 or in F minor, Op. 21
- The Competition repertoire must be shown in the candidate’s Competition application.
- The Competition repertoire must be played from memory.
- The Competition Office should be notified in writing of any changes to the Competition repertoire no later than 21 August 2025.
Prizes
- The following main prizes will be awarded to the top six finalists:
- 1st prize - € 60 000 and a gold medal
2nd prize - € 40 000 and a silver medal
3rd prize - € 35 000 and a bronze medal
4th prize - € 30 000
5th prize - € 25 000
6th prize - € 20 000
The main prize-winners will be given the title ‘Laureate of the Nineteenth International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition’. - The remaining finalists will receive equal distinctions of € 8 000 each.
- Independently of the prizes listed above, the following special prizes may be awarded:
• for the best performance of a Concerto
• for the best performance of Mazurkas
• for the best performance of a Polonaise
• for the best performance of a Sonata
• for the best performance of a Ballade - Participants in the second or third round who failed to qualify for the next round will receive participation diplomas.
A record number of 642 pianists from around the world applied for the musical competition held at the turn of 2024 and 2025. Out of them, 171 were admitted to the Preliminary Round based on submitted recordings. Ultimately, 162 participants from 28 countries took part in the Preliminaries.
The official inauguration of the 19th Chopin Competition is scheduled for 2 October. The competition auditions will begin the following day and continue until 20 October. The competition will culminate in an awards gala and a concert by the laureates, which will take place on 21 October at the Teatr Wielkie—Polish National Opera. The winner of the Competition will receive a gold medal and a First Prize of 60,000 euros.
After the Chopin Competition concludes, a months-long concert tour will begin, during which the laureates will perform in prestigious concert halls across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The tour will be organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in collaboration with the Liu Kotow agency.
I am also not sure of the continued usefulness of my written commentaries, apart from being an historical record. Even then with YouTube, the original performances are easily accessible once again. I feel my observations have become rather redundant. Also, there is now a huge amount of technological coverage and musical analysis in print and on air by musically sensitive and vastly knowledgeable radio and TV presenters, music professors, established pianists, critics both domestic and international, musicologists and pure melomanes. One is in danger of being 'Chopined out', to invent an appropriate phrasal verb. After all I am not employed to write my personal impressions and have little idea of the readership outreach.
Also, online, real time, transmissions are now available to hear for listeners both at home and abroad. They can come to their own personal judgments without reference to me.
We all have our own Chopin
Some years ago when I began writing my assessments, it was rather different. I was one of the only detailed critical outlets in English of music in Poland. The usefulness of this activity has diminished if not passed. Now instant translations are available on mobile phones for criticism, even those written in perceptive Polish.
A journey of rewarding even exciting discovery lies in store during this 2025 competition for the interpretatively adventurous and perceptive pianist and listener. Those pianists are significant who search for their own true voice and what they consider to be that of the composer. Intuition and knowledge working as one! Heart, intelligence and technique as Horowitz observed.
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Chopin's autograph of Prelude No: VI in B Minor Op. 28. [Biblioteka Narodowa, Warszawa] Profile of the Reviewer Michael Moran : https://en.gravatar.c atom/mjcmoran#pic-0 The nature of my criticism after long experience I am not in the business of writing brief and comfortable comment. Some Facebook and Twitter comments, although an expression of the genuine enthusiasm of the moment, are rather fatuous and contribute little to our understanding of Chopin or the interpretation of his music. Especially when you consider the years of work, analysis, stress and sacrifice that has gone into each and every performance, each and every piece, bar by bar by bar. The competitors deserve more than three words. I stand in awe of all the competitors having studied music seriously and tried myself to excel as a pianist and harpsichordist. Not at this level of accomplishment! I have always believed together with Joseph Addison, the distinguished and influential 17th century English essayist, that : 'A true critic ought to dwell rather upon excellencies than imperfections, to discover the concealed beauties of a writer [read 'musician'], and communicate to the world such things as are worth their observation' Reviewer's unabridged Notebook for XVI, XVII, XVIII International Fryderyk Chopin Competitions from October 2010 - October 2021
The music of Chopin enters chambers of the heart and soul no other composer touches In the horrifying conflagration that approaches, faith, spiritual nourishment and emotional consolation is of utmost importance The music of Chopin has become once again profoundly meaningful for humanity (Michael Moran) * * * * * * * * * * The XVI International Fryderyk Chopin Competition Warsaw, October 2010 XVII International Fryderyk Chopin Competition Warsaw, October 2015 XVIII International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Preliminary Round Warsaw, 12-23 July 2021 XVIII International Fryderyk Chopin Competition Warsaw, October 2021 |
On 19 September 2025, the global premiere of immersive exhibition “Romantic Chopin” took place at Fabryka Norblina in Warsaw. This was the first multimedia project in Poland of this scale dedicated to Fryderyk Chopin, produced by Art Box Experience in cooperation with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. The project blends cutting edge technologies with classical artistic techniques, creating an extraordinary experience combining art, music, history and modern storytelling.
Romantic Chopin is a unique exhibition dedicated to Fryderyk Chopin, one of the most outstanding composers of all times.
Based on the composer's biography, work, and correspondence, the exhibition takes visitors through eight thematic spaces – from his childhood in Żelazowa Wola, through the salons of Warsaw and the turmoil of his life in Vienna, to the artistic bohemia of Paris, where Chopin created his most important works. Visitors will learn not only about his life and work, but also about the world that surrounded him – George Sand, Ferenc Liszt, Adam Mickiewicz, Eugène Delacroix, and Honoré de Balzac.
The exhibition does not leave viewers indifferent. It touches the soul, reveals fears, uncovers secrets, and points to the composer's musical inspirations. Not only those from the world of high art, but also those stemming from folk art. “Romantic Chopin” is music and at the same time a picture of a man thrown into the whirlwind of history, feeling the consequences of the November Uprising and the loss of his homeland. A man who absorbed his surroundings and poured his feelings into immortal works. A man who was loving yet restrained, consumed by his passion for composing and at the same time shining in Parisian salons.
The main part of the exhibition is an immersive space – a 30-minute show based on Chopin's letters and compositions, in which images and sounds guide the viewer through the emotional and artistic turning points in the composer's life. Modern technologies also allow for a deeper immersion into his world – through an interactive musical sculpture, virtual reality created by the Platige Image studio, and a unique interactive tree with Chopin's mentors and inspirations, which uses artificial intelligence to enable personal contact with figures from Chopin's inner circle.
The exhibition ends in a space dedicated to the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, which has been promoting his work around the world for decades. It presents the history of the competition, profiles of the winners, and the impact of the event on the global classical music scene.
Work on the exhibition lasted nearly two years. Artists, programmers, scenarists, interaction specialists and new technology experts took part. The project merges painting and the newest animation technologies with interactive techniques, placing it among the most advanced productions of its kind in Europe. The concept and implementation are led by Piotr Sikora — artistic director of “Romantic Chopin”, founder of Art Box Experience and co-founder of Platige Image; the substantive side is overseen by a team of experts from the Fryderyk Chopin Institute and Jakub Puchalski, a music critic and publicist, author among others of the small monograph “Chopin” (PWM Edition) and the texts for the exhibition.
Work on the exhibition lasted two years and was an interesting professional adventure for the employees of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum, as we used a completely new language of expression and a new way of building emotions. Our contribution concerned the substantive content of the script, the selection of iconography, and the creation of the musical path. We invite all viewers to the world of Chopin, shown through means of expression other than strictly museum-related ones.
Seweryn Kuter, curator of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum
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