Less than a week after the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition ended in Fort Worth, it was surprising to see another piano competition — this time in Dallas — on the schedule.
The annual Dallas International Piano Competition came to its conclusion Friday night at Moody Performance Hall, as three young pianists played concertos with the Dallas Chamber Symphony. A jury of piano professors and performers awarded the $2,500 first prize to 27-year-old American pianist Jonathan Mamora, the $1,500 second to Narae Lee, 31, from South Korea, and $1,000 third to Alexander Agate, 27, from the U.S.
A $500 audience award was given to Lee. Mamora will play a concerto with the DCS next concert season.
Founded in 2013, but on hiatus since 2018, this competition doesn’t have nearly the cachet or financial rewards of the Cliburn, nor is it nearly as long and demanding. But it still draws considerable interest. One hundred and twenty five pianists, no older than 35, applied from 19 countries, and 12 were selected for the competition. Two rounds in May — a concerto with piano accompaniment and a solo recital — led to Friday’s performances with the three finalists.
I didn’t hear the prior rounds, but even before the awards ceremony, my vote would have gone to Mamora, who showed the most assured pianism of the finalists in Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto.
Mamora rippled through virtuosic passagework, and there was plenty to enjoy in his shaping of melodies. But in music already full of sentiment, his playing occasionally felt indulgent. And parts of the cadenza sounded more hammered out than played. Rachmaninoff’s own recordings of his concertos exude refined elegance.
Tong Chen, assistant conductor at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, led the DCS in a sympathetic collaboration, skillfully balancing the orchestra with the soloist.
After being announced as the winner, Mamora offered the Liszt arrangement of Schumann’s Widmung as an encore, with natural, songful lyricism.
In Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto, Alexander Agate brought out the music’s youthful charm, paying scrupulous attention to differences in articulation. But lyrical sections in the slow movement called for more expressive shapings.
In forte passages with the orchestra, Agate tended to be swamped in the balances, particularly in the beginning and end. At times, he apparently tried to project over the orchestra, but instead produced clangorous tones.
Narae Lee’s performance of Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto needed more thought and seasoning.
A limited tonal palette created an impression of sameness. Phrasing frequently lacked shape and direction, and she didn’t seem to have a clear conception of the work. I kept wondering if it was a good idea to pick this concerto — one of the most daunting in the repertoire — for the competition.
The DCS, on the other hand, provided stylish contributions, keeping the textures moving and showing a strong grasp of musical structure. At a time when so many performances of Brahms feel stodgy, the orchestra’s playing was a breath of free air. It probably helped to have reduced orchestral forces, closer to what Brahms often worked with.
Still, chords didn’t always sound together and intonation issues affected the woodwinds. Cello and horn solos wanted more polish.
The DCS consistently attracts young people to the concert hall, partly because they can sip alcoholic drinks while listening. But beer bottles clinking on the floor of the hall were distracting, and the smell of beer in the air didn’t feel conducive to a rewarding musical experience.
