Published: February 21st, 2021.
Last update: August 24th, 2021.
Before applying, please carefully study the competition rules. In some categories changes have been made for 2021.
§1 Organizer
Johannes-Brahms-Gesellschaft Pörtschach
Seeuferstraße 129
A-9210 Pörtschach
Phone +43/(0)664/286 49 12
http://www.brahmscompetition.org/
info@brahmscompetition.org
§2 Venue, Time
Pörtschach and Velden am Wörthersee, Carinthia, Austria.
Registration: Saturday, September 4th, 2021 for Cello and Viola, Sunday, September 5th, 2021 for chamber music and Voice
Start of the competition: Sunday, September 5th, 2021
Prize winners’ concert: Sunday, September 12th, 2020 – 5 pm for all prize-winners
No prize can be awarded without participating in the prize winners’ concert.
Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert following the common theme folk music (dance music), if possible in connection with your home.
Due to the tight time schedule for the prize winners’ concert, only the winners of the first and second prizes will be entitled to perform.
If you cannot think of any „genuine“ folk song of your home country, the following suggestions of compositions and composers may help you along. We, however, look forward to hearing your own choices!
F. Chopin (Mazurkas), A. Dvorak (Slavonic Dances), G. Kreisler, P. de Sarasate, H. Sitt, A. Borodin, J. Hubay, M. Ravel, A. Glazunov. H. Wieniawski, J. Achron, O. Musin, S. Rachmaninoff, etc.
Of course you may also choose from the competition programme, e.g. a folk song from your home, Brahms Volkslieder, Brahms Hungarian Dances, Zimbalist Sarasateana or similar.
§3 Registration
You may register online via our website
https://www.brahmscompetition.org/en/anmeldung/
Together with your registration, please forward:
• a portrait photo or artistic portrait of professional quality to be used in our catalogue (will be published),
• your curriculum vitae (CV).
Registration fee – to be paid before July 15th, 2021:
Solo instruments: 130,00 Euro
Ensembles: 100,00 Euro per member
Lied: 130,00 Euro plus 130,00 Euro if you bring your own accompanist, as there is a prize to be won for the best lied accompanist.
All accompanists provided by the Johannes Brahms Society are free of charge for the participants.
The registration fee can be paid with common credit cards via our website.
If you wish to make the payment by bank transfer, please contact our competition office: info@brahmscompetition.org
Registration deadline: July 15th, 2021.
The registration fee cannot be refunded in the event of withdrawal from the competition.
Should, on account of an unforeseen event, we would have to cancel the competition the registration fee will be refunded.
Changes of the works selected and entered on the application form must reach us by July 31st, 2021.
§4 Entry qualifications
Musicians from any country who have reached international competition standard are welcome.
Age limit: Participants must reach the age of 14 in the course of the competition year (year of birth 2007).
Applications that do not meet the requirements of the competition can be rejected. These decisions are final and incontestable. No explanations will be provided.
§5a Piano
There is no piano competition in 2021.
§5b Violin
There is no piano competition in 2021.
§5c Viola
General Information:
- The chairman will terminate any presentation excessivly exceeding the given time frame.
- Please choose repeats in your own responsibility. The maximum duration of each round must not be exceeded.
- Good pianists are made available by the organizer but can also be brought along by the candidate (at their own cost).
- Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.
A) First round:
- Two movements (slow – fast) from the cello suites by J. S. Bach (BWV 1007 – 1012),
or
two movements (slow – fast) from the Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo by J. S. Bach (BWV 1001-1006),
or
two movements (slow – fast) from the Suites for viola solo by M. Reger (op. 131d). - One Caprice for viola solo of your choice from H. Vieuxtemps, F. Herrmann, B. Campagnoli, M. Vieux or from the 24 Caprices by N. Paganini.
- J. Kropfitsch, Sonata for viola and piano: 1st, 2nd and 3rd movement or 3rd, 4th and 5th movement
Duration: 15 minutes.
All pieces of the first round have to be performed from memory, except the sonata by Kropfitsch.
B) Second Round:
- One of the sonatas by J. Brahms, op. 120/1 f-Minor or op.120/2 E flat Major.
- First movement of one of the sonatas by F. Schubert, D 821, “Arpeggione Sonata”; Rebecca Clarke, Viola Sonata; P. Hindemith, op. 11/4. (including theme of the 2nd movement)
- A concert piece of your choice from the following list: N. Paganini: “La Campanella” (transcription by W. Primrose), E. Zimbalist: Tango from “Sarasateana” (transcription by W. Primrose); M. Bruch: Romance, op. 85; C.M. von Weber: Andante and Rondo Ungarese; G. Enescu: concert piece
For participants with their own piano accompanist, other concert pieces of comparable difficulty are also permitted
Duration: about 35 minutes
Concert pieces have to be performed from memory, sonatas can be performed with notes.
C) Final with full orchestra:
Choose one of the following
- First movement of the viola concerto by B. Bartok (including the lento parlando of the 2nd movement)
- First movement of the viola concerto in D-major by J.M. Sperger (cadenza by Vidor Nagy)
- First movement and cadenza of the viola concerto by C. Stamitz (D-Major)
- Sonata per la Grand Viola by N. Paganini
In the final round, concerts have to be performed from memory.
§5d Cello
General Information:
- The chairman will terminate any presentation excessivly exceeding the given time frame.
- Please choose repeats in your own responsibility. The maximum duration of each round must not be exceeded.
- Please bring copies of the contemporary work selected in the first round for the jury.
- Good pianists are made available by the organizer but can also be brought along by the candidate (at their own cost).
- Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.
A) First round:
- Prelude from one of the suites no. 4, 5 or 6 by J. S. Bach.
- A Caprice by A. Piatti or an etude by D. Popper „Hohe Schule des Violoncellospiels”.
- A short contemporary work for violoncello solo (or parts of it) of a duration not exceeding 6 minutes, e.g.:
Luciano Berio, Les mots sont allés
Henri Dutilleux, aus 3 Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Krzysztof Penderecki, Per Slava
or another contemporary work of comparable difficulty (The composer must live or have lived in the 21st century.).
Duration: 15 minutes.
All pieces of the first round have to be performed from memory.
B) Second Round:
- One of the sonatas by J. Brahms:
(op. 38, e-Minor or op. 99, F-Major, or sonata in D-Major (transciption of op. 78 no.1 in G-Major which was composed at Poertschach) - Choose one of the sonatas by the following composers:
– L. v. Beethoven, Sonata No. 3, A major, op.69
– L. Boccherini, Cello Sonata in A major, G. 4
– A. Dvořák, Rondo in G minor, op. 94
– F. Schubert, “Arpeggione Sonata”
Duration: max. 40 minutes
Sonatas can be performed with notes. A Brahms sonata is to be performed in its entirety, as well as the work of one of the other composers to be chosen in its entirety.
At the end of the 1st round, the candidates advancing to the semifinals will be informed which/how many movements of the 2nd composer the jury wishes to be presented.
C) Final with full orchestra:
Choose one of the following
- J. Haydn, Cello concerto D-Major, Ho. VII:2, 1st movement
- A. Dvořák, Cello concerto, b-Minor, op. 104, 1st movement
- P. I. Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo theme, A-Major op.33
In the final round, concerts have to be performed from memory.
§5e Voice
General Information:
- All lieder must be sung from memory in their original language.
- The songs selected by the participants can only be performed once throughout their entire programme. Repetitions in other rounds are not allowed.
- Transpositions are allowed.
- The chairman will terminate any presentation excessivly exceeding the given time frame.
- Experienced accompanists are available free of charge. Participants who prefer to travel with their own accompanists are welcome to do so, but please note that this will entail an additional registration fee, because prizes will also be awarded for the best song accompaniment.
- Please prepare an attractive lied with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.
A) First round:
In total, 3 lieder have to be prepared:
- Two lieder by J. Brahms: Choose one kunstlied and one volkslied (from Deutsche Volkslieder WoO)
- Choose ONE lied from the following selection of composers:
a) Josef Matthias Hauer (only lieder after op. 4)
b) Arnold Schönberg (only lieder after op. 2)
c) Anton von Webern (only lieder after op. 3)
d) Robert Schollum („Alltag der Augen“; „Lieder aus dem Wunderhorn“, „Kinderreime“ – available from Doblinger Music Publishers, Vienna)
Duration: max. 10 minutes
B) Second Round:
- Choose two lieder by Johannes Brahms
- Choose lieder from the following composers:
L.v. Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Gustav Mahler, Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, Hugo Wolf - One folk song in your mother tongue (In this case no song of the composers mentioned in the program is allowed).
Duration: max. 15 minutes
C) Final:
- Choose three lieder by J. Brahms.
- Choose your own composer(s).
Duration: max. 20 minutes
§5f Chamber Music
A) First Round:
- One movement of the work by Johannes Brahms
- A contemporary piece (from the second half of the 20th century or after) of maximum 4-5 minutes duration of your own choice (can also be part of a larger work)
- A musical work (or parts thereof) of a composer of your choice. Please note: no additions or completions to point 1 or 2 above.
Duration: max. 25 minutes.
B) Second Round:
A representative work of the Viennese Classical period (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven), but also Schubert, Hummel, Weber or Boccherini.
Duration: max. 30 minutes.
C) Final:
A programme of maximum 45 minutes length (must include one complete work by J. Brahms which can also be the work from which a movement was presented in the 1st round).
§6 Assessment
All performances are open to the public. The order of performance is drawn before each round.
The judging members of the jury are excellent musicians, teachers or concert organizers themselves.
The jury assessment is given in public in the presence of the audience and the participant. Each juror will submit his evaluation immediately after each competitor’s performance, showing the points awarded on a scorecard. The candidates can see the score immediately after their performance.
Points from 0–6, to one decimal, will be awarded separately for technical mastery of the instrument and for artistic expression, and then be added together.
If the score given by one member of the jury differs from the next higher or lower score by one or more than one point then this score is eliminated by the chairman.
The score of the first round (A) is only used to establish the participants of the second round (B) and is then discarded.
The score of the second round (B) is added to the score of the final round (C). The competitions are decided by the sum of the points gained in the second round (B) and in the final (C).
The jury may determine by unanimous decision that no first prize will be awarded. The second prize will be granted to the top ranking participant instead. The runner-up will then receive the third prize, etc. The chairman has to justify such a decision publicly.
The decisions of the jury are final. No appeals are permitted.
Members of the Jury who still have or used to have a continuous teaching relationship of any kind (public or private) during the last two years or who have kinship or affinity with a competitor have to specify her/his name. In this case, the juror must refrain from participating in any discussion or assessment of the person(s) in qustion.
§7 Miscellaneous
Each participant is responsible for making sure that his or her competition programme conforms to the rules and regulations.
During each round candidates may choose the order in which they wish to perform their programme.
We kindly ask you to wear appropriate attire for all competition rounds (please keep in mind that some of the competition venues are churches).
Participation is understood at the participant’s own cost and risk.
With their application, all participants enter into an obligation to keep the period of the competition free of all engagements or concerts.
The organizer of the competition is authorized to photograph, film and make sound recordings and/or digital/electronic recordings at all concerts or events within the period of the competition and to use these recordings for publicity purposes. In particular the organizer reserves the right to authorize radio and TV stations to record and broadcast (e.g. via radio and television, including on-line) all events of the competition. No claims for reimbursement for participants may arise from this.
The competition organizer reserves the right to use selections from the competitions and prize winners’ concerts on a CD and/or DVD, which will serve to publicize the participants and document the competition. Beyond this, the competition organizer reserves the right to release and distribute or permit the distribution on its own or through third parties of contributions to the competition in sound form, on analogue and/or digital sound or data media in any format or process (including as digital downloads via online distributors), either commercially or non-commercially.
The declaration of understanding on the part of the competition participants shall be considered given with the registration to participate in the competition: the same applies to transfer of broadcast rights in keeping with the afore mentioned conditions. The prize winners have no claim to additional compensation.
Prize winners are obliged to perform at the Prize Winner Concert without a fee.
The organizer cannot accept any responsibility for the competitors’ instruments and their personal property.
By sending in the application form, the participants consent to the above competition guidelines.
In case of discrepancies in the interpretation of the Competition Guidelines, the German text will be binding.