48 Israeli composers have written works under the “Call for Submission” of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the Israel Music Institute.
The two pieces selected as compulsory pieces for competitors in the Rubinstein Competition 2020 are:
Toccata Caprice, by Yoram Meyouhas
Walk in the Shadow of Giants, by Alon Nehushtan
The winning works will be published by the Israel Music Institute and the two composers will also receive a monetary reward.
The two works which came in third and fourth place will be published by the Israel Music Institute:
Points in its Chamber, by David Montsarsh
Tel Aviv Toccata, by Uri Rom
Since its inception, contestants in the Rubinstein Piano Competition have been required to perform an “obligatory Israeli piece”. So far, the organizers have proactively approached Israeli composers and commissioned works written specifically for the competition.
“This year we decided to give equal opportunity to all Israeli composers who aspire their work to be premiered at the competition.” explained Idith Zvi, the Artistic Director of the Rubinstein Competition.
This year, for the first time, the Rubinstein Piano Competition and the Israel Music Institute have “called upon” Israeli composers, to compose an original piece for solo piano. Five senior musicians were selected as the judging team, without them knowing who their fellow judges are. In order to avoid external influences, the judges received the works without the composer’s name, thus allowing them to judge solely on the quality, originality and the degree of suitability of the work to the level of the Rubinstein competition.
The jury members were: Michal Tal, Ofra Itzhaki, Josef Bardanashvili, Oded Zehavi and Moshe Zorman.
“Thanks to this competition, Israeli composers were given the opportunity to present new works. We hoped for a positive response, but we were surprised when we received 48 (!) works, from both young and senior composers, all with the hope of being the choice of the judging committee” added Idith Zvi.
