The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Finals of the Leeds Piano Competition take place this weekend. Here is some background by a judge from the solo semi-finals and an Internet portal to hear the concerto finalists.

By Jacob Stockinger

Since 1963, the Leeds International Piano Competition in England has brought us such keyboard luminaries as Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, Christopher O’Riley and Andras Schiff as well as Alessio Bax, who will perform in Madison on Sunday, afternoon, Jan. 17, this season with his wife Lucille Chung at Farley’s House of Pianos.

The competition, held every three years, has been taking place over the past two weeks. (You can hear the 2012 winner Federico Colli discuss why the Leeds is important and has helped his own career in a YouTube video at the bottom.)

This weekend you can take in the finalists in their concerto performances.

Here is a link to the competition home page:

http://www.leedspiano.com

Here is a link with an Internet portal.

But it also features some fascinating background and commentary from a judge or juror about the solo semi-finals.

http://www.classical-music.com/blog/leeds-piano-competition-2015-semi-finals

Happy listening.