As the competition progresses, the jury gets an increasingly complete picture of a cellist, which also has to do with the different types of music that are performed. From baroque to contemporary. Roel Dieltiens, who is also a member of the competition’s artistic committee, helped broaden the repertoire.
In the first round, for example, the candidates were obliged to play one of Luigi Boccherini’s sonatas, accompanied by a second cellist. Roel Dieltiens: “Nobody knew those sonatas, now everyone loves them.”
In the semi-finals and finals, the candidates play both compulsory works and electives. The latter fit them like a glove; they can show their technical qualities, but above all their temperament and their soul. From a moody sonata by Chopin to a bone-in work by Ligeti, from subdued poetic to explosive.
–
