2 Korean pianists win prizes at Busoni Competition

Korean pianists Park Jae-hong and Kim Do-hyun won prizes at the 63rd Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, taking first and second places, respectively.

The biennial Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, organized by the Ferruccio Busoni -- Gustav Mahler Foundation, wrapped up Friday, announcing the three winners among 33 semifinalists.

For this year’s hybrid competition held in Bolzano, Italy, a total of 506 pianists went through online screening. Thirty-three semifinalists were selected, including 10 Korean performers.

Park, who won the first prize, also won the special prize for the best performance of a piece by Busoni, special prize for the best performance of chamber music, Alice Tartarotti Prize and Keyboard Career Development Prize.

As the top prize winner, Park will hold performances with the Haydn Orchestra. He will also perform with the Schumann Quartet in February 2023, having won the chamber music award.

Park made his debut through the Kumho Progidy Concert in 2014. He currently studies at the Korea National University of Arts under pianist Kim Dae-jin.

Kim, who came in second, studied at The Juilliard School under pianist Sergei Babayan. He is currently studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music for a Professional Studies Diploma. He had his first solo recital in Korea in February at the Kumho Art Hall. He also won the special prize for the best performance of contemporary piano music at the competition.

For the final round, Park played Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30 and Kim played Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 16 with the Haydn Orchestra under the baton of conductor Arvo Volmer at the Teatro Comunale Stadttheater in the northern Italian city of Bolzano.

At the competition, Austrian pianist Lukas Sternath won third place. He performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73.

The Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition was launched in 1949 to commemorate the Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924). Prize winners of the past competitions include Alfred Brendel, Martha Argerich and Garrick Ohlsson as well as Korean pianists such as Sohn Min-soo, Lim Dong-min, Won Jae-yeon and more.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)