In many ways the Dublin International Piano Competition has hardly changed in the 30 years since it first took place in 1988. Just four players get into the finals now, to play concertos with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, as opposed to the original six. The competitive profile of those two Asian countries actually encapsulates the biggest changes that have taken place over three decades. The big red line that was regularly crossed in round one of this year’s competition is the dividing line between music and noise. Shaun Choo (27), from Singapore showed sound judgement and wonderful skills of balance in works by Bach, Chopin and Debussy.

Source: The Irish Times May 23, 2018 03:56 UTC