 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: K. Krzyzanowski
Date: 2004-05-18 15:24
This e-mail is a result of my participation in clarinet competition organized in Bucharest by Jeunesses Musicales Romania last week (9-15 May 2004). After some time spent on thinking about it, I'm sure that it's time to share my opinions with other musicians and other clarinet players. Somebody has to do that, otherwise everything will remain exactly the same during next editions of that event...
I'd like to say that organization of that competition was scandalous. Participants had to pay for listening to other people playing and for other things like entering gala opening concert. There should be drawing of playing order during that last thing, so we thought that it's necessary to be there. In fact, the only one thing that was drawn was letter, from which starting list began. We had to pay also for piano accompanist (both rehearsals and playing during competition) - it's first competition I know where something like that happens. In competition regulations it was written, that "A list of official first-class accompanists will be provided to those participants who will have requested them on their application form. Private accompanists may however be brought at the participants' own expense." Indeed, they provided a LIST (only the list...), and that thing about "first-class" was simply a lie. During semifinal and final round (Mozart Concerto played with piano!!!), piano player was making so many huge faults, that it forced some of participants to "catch" her - I understand that contestants may make some faults, but piano player at the international competition must not do that...
Clarinet competition Jeunesses Musicales was held in quite nice room with good acoustics, but piano tuning was horrible. Somebody tried to do something with that - I've seen him twice, first time some twenty minutes before competition started, second time during lunch break - just before it has finished. However those actions didn't affect piano at all - while we were tuning, each one of three "a" strings had different pitch...
Another "nice" thing - some of participants (including myself) were forced to pay a penalty fee for canceling hotel reservation made by organizers. I could accept that (although I never heard about paying for that and I didn't confirm that reservation - so I think that it shouldn't be done without sending me some information...), we were not able to get receipt from hotel for that. Organizers gave me only piece of paper with my name, Jeunesses Musicales Romania stamp, signature and "100 Euro - administrative fee" (whatever that means...). When I tried to ask some questions about that hotel - what's it's name and where it is, I was told that they are not going to tell me that, because it's thing between them and hotel, and all details are confident (sic!). Then I was asked to leave organizers office - that was usual way how most of my discussions with Jeunesses Musicales Romania director (that means also competition director) Luigi Gageos finished. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one - everyone who wanted to talk about some organizational problems was asked to leave in not very kind way. "I'm very busy, my boy, I have to do other things now, leave" - that was usual method of cutting any discussion....
I cannot understand also how it's possible that jury composition was changing during competition - that also happened in Bucharest this year - but the biggest problem was organization. There was huge difference between young volunteers making theirs best and trying to help contestants as it only was possible, and "official" organization office that decided about everything and didn't want to listen to anybody. I feel like the only thing they were interested in, was participants money - and this feeling isn't nice at all...
Sincerely Yours
Krzysztof Krzyzanowski
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