Last update - 00:00 20/03/2008
Rubinstein international piano competition / Cause for vexation
By Haggai Hitron, Haaretz Correspondent
Eyebrows were raised over the judgment at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Master Piano Competition when Ukrainian pianist Sashsa Grynuk failed to make it through to the third round of the contest. Among the critics of the odd decision was Israeli composer Avia Kopelman, who wrote one of the pieces performed in the competition.
Though musicians generally refrain from openly criticizing their peers, Kopelman, who could not restrain her vexation, did just that when she said that the decision over Grynuk's performance was completely unacceptable.
Among the musicians who made it through to the next round of the competition was Israeli Roman Rabinovich, who performed the central piece in Wednesday's recital - a banal and dreary rendition of Beethoven's Appassionata.
Inesa Sinkevych of Israel, who may sound like she has promise, but is far from being an accomplished musician, also made it through, as did Australian David Fung, who has no message to convey.
Even if the three pianists had no worthy substitutes in the competition, the judges can only blame themselves, for they selected the second round contestants, and, by doing so, dug their own grave.
And now for the enlightened part of the judges' decision: Taiwan's Ching Yun Hu is a flawless pianist who gave a competition-winning performance; Georgian Khatia Buniatishvili is wonderful; Irina Zahharenkova of Estonia is an interesting musician.