'Grand concours'

The notion of a “prize-winning sonata” may seem bizarre to us now, but in the first decade of the Paris Conservatoire, the confusion would have been unavoidable: which dazzles us more—the polished playing or the difficult composition? During our first Historical Piano Summer Academy (3 - 12 July, 2018), we have rehearsed a repertoire of piano pieces that won a premier prix for students and their teachers between 1797 and 1819.

With our 1803 Erard as its centerpiece, this ten-day workshop has explored what it meant to be a young and ambitious piano student at a new and revolutionary French institution that made professional performance its core business.

Performance videos:

Luca Montebugnoli plays Louis Adam’s Sonata in C Major, Op. 8 No. 2 

Shin Hwang plays Ferdinand Herold’s Sonata in C, Op. 1

Domitille Bès plays Louis Adam’s “Air du bon Roi Dagobert avec douze Variations précédé d’un Prélude ou Introduction”

A GRAND CONCOURS featuring all participants

at the Ceremonial Room of the Hotel D’Hane-Steenhuyse, Veldstraat 55, 9000 Ghent (BE):

Wed, July 11

Session 1, 14:00 Sonata Op. 7 No. 3 – J. B. Cramer & Sonata Op. 33 No. 3 – M. Clementi

Session 2, 15:30 Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 – H. de Montgeroult & Sonata C Op. 8 No. 2 – L. Adam

Session 3, 17:00 Fantasy Op. 18 – J. N. Hummel & Sonata Op. 5 – P. Zimmermann

Session 4, 18:30 Sonata Op. 1 – F. Hérold & “Dagobert” Variations – L. Adam

Distribution des prix, 20:00