In 2023, the Eurasian Stars International Piano Competition made a triumphant return to its place of origin in Astana, Kazakhstan, as it celebrated its fifth edition. From April 25th to April 28th, talented pianists from around the globe gathered to showcase their skills in this prestigious event. Not only did they have the opportunity to compete for a substantial prize fund of €15,000, but they also vied for a chance to participate in the exclusive Classic Piano International Competition in Dubai in 2024.
The competition was held at the Kazakh National University of Arts, the same venue that witnessed the birth of the Eurasian Stars contest in 2017. As in previous years, the participants presented a diverse repertoire from the classical genre, which included a contemporary piece from the pen of Alexey Shor, the Composer-In-Residence. The performances throughout the two rounds were evaluated by a distinguished jury panel consisting of Gülsin Onay from Turkey, Sara Assabayeva and Gulzhamilya Kadyrbekova from Kazakhstan, and Nikita Mndoyants from France.
The jury members were impressed by the exceptional talent displayed by the participants, and they highlighted the significance of the mandatory contemporary composition. As Onay noted, «it’s a very good idea to have contemporary pieces included, both for the composers, who need to get their works to different people with different voices, and also for, the competition participants, the pianists, who get to show their creativity with a relatively new piece like this because they’ve never heard it before so it’s all themselves and that’s very important, it makes a big difference. And this work by Shor was a great choice I think, it is like a bridge from the classical to the contemporary. It has very very rich colours and is very beautiful, I really like it very much».
Kadyrbekova, meanwhile, remarked that «the programme was assembled in such a way as to reveal different sides of the competitors’ creative individuality as well as personality, and it also included a contemporary piece with a lot of interesting aspects. It is not an easy work, but one that needs to be understood, disclosed and conveyed. The sound palette is richly coloured, and it forces one to listen. It’s amazing, like a reflection of the human soul, and it requires a mature attitude to life. It was an excellent choice for such a competition, and I believe it deserves to be performed on a world stage and deserves a place within the piano repertoire.»
These sentiments were shared by Assabayeva, who praised «the high level of participants, many of whom are laureates of international piano competitions and quite mature established musicians with extensive experience and rich concert activities», while adding that «the use of a specially written composition as a mandatory work allowed the performers to offer their own individual interpretations, which is always very informative. The music of Alexey Shor’s sonata is permeated with melodism; it is a single harmonious canvas, revelling in a grandiose culmination and with a poetry of musical thought that is favourable for the perception of listeners, as the composer speaks deeply and sensitively to the human soul.»
After an intense competition, the final round featured eight outstanding finalists. The jury panel delivered their verdict, awarding Salih Can Gevrek with the First Prize, Mark Vaza with the Second Prize, and Mikhail Kan with the Third Prize. The prize fund of €15,000 was divided among the top three winners, while all three prize winners, along with the fourth and fifth ranked contestants, also secured their spots in the Classic Piano International Competition. This opportunity arose due to the Eurasian Stars 2023 event being part of ‘14 Ways to Dubai‘, which is a global project featuring 14 preliminary piano competitions held in different countries, with the top five pianists from each contest earning the privilege to participate in the Grand Finale during the renowned InClassica International Music Festival in Dubai, with an impressive total prize fund of €250,000.
Salih Can Gevrek expressed his gratitude for the recognition he received, and highlighted his admiration for Shor’s composition, declaring that «I am extremely grateful to receive the First Prize which gave me confidence that there are audiences that like to listen to my performances! I put a lot of thought into my programme choices as I wanted to show many different facets of my personality and give the listener a structured programme. I really liked the Shor piece because I very much appreciate it when I hear new music written with a tonal, melodic approach. I think there are infinite possibilities to discover as a composer regarding tonal music. It only depends on one’s creativity, and I very much enjoyed this new work; I think it has a great range of expressions, characters and connections between those elements which unifies the sonata in a very unique way, and is extremely well written for the instrument, always conveying different stories, pictures and characters. It is wonderful to perform on stage and the audience also never loses interest, so I will perform it in my concerts for sure!»
As the 2023 Eurasian Stars International Piano Competition came to a close, Aiman Mussakhajayeva, the Rector of the Kazakh National University of Arts, expressed her satisfaction with the event’s success. She emphasised the platform it provided for young pianists worldwide to display their talents, make professional debuts, and forge connections, declaring that «as with every iteration, I am sure that this 2023 edition has been the source of unforgettable memories, invaluable professional advice, and new friends and colleagues, and it is my sincere hope that this event may continue to return again and again for countless years to come, for the benefit of all our young pianists as well as our art form itself».
