2011 Heinsberg Guitar Competition Winners
The Heinsberg Festival & Competition was held May 31 – June 4, 2011. The competition itself was one recording submission and three rounds of free choice music. Each round was 15, 20, and 35 minutes respectively, and competitors could not repeat pieces from round to round.
The 2011 Heinsberg Winners
First Prize: Ian Watt (Scotland)
Second Prize: Chia-Wei Lin (Taiwan)
Third Prize: Noriyuki Masuda (Japan)
Ian won 4,000 Euro, a concert guitar valued at 6,000 euro, a carbon fiber guitar case, and several concert engagements.
Paul
Ian is great. What were the three pieces he played?
Christopher Davis
Not sure what he played. Email him?
PaulusDeutschinger
HOW TO WIN 1ST PRIZE AT A CLASSICAL GUITAR COMPETITION
Here’s the recipe->
Assumption: you can really play well.
So can others!
So you’ll need a program that’ll guarantee that you’ll win.
THE PROGRAM
1. cross-string trills
include some baroque works with good cross-string trilling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMGs38xux1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANcC5sCCVEc&feature=player_embedded#at=355
2. fast scale passages
Find some hard Rodrigo or Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Or arrangements of Paganini, or Manuel de Falla.
3. fast arpeggios
Again: find some hard Rodrigo or Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Or arrangements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhW6eO-U3cc (try find something similar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54txdiTofxs (try find something similar)
4. modern works (you really need to play some modern works – look for something really extreme and difficult!)
Sequenza XI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequenza_XI#Sequenza_XI_performances_.28mp3.2C_etc..29
or
http://www.youtube.com/user/TrustNooooo1#p/u/0/r-wwFH2BrSk
or
one of Arthur Kampela’s percussion studies
or
studies (e.g. no 2) from Maurizio Pisati’s Sette Studi
or
Petrassi’s Nunc
or if you’re more conservative…
movement from Ginastera’s sonata
or
a Walton Bagatelle
5. 19th century
Play those extremely virtuose Regondi works, than no one else manages.
What not to play: Sor, Giuliani, also try avoid Villa-Lobos and “Invocation et Danse”, Koyunbaba.
In a nutshell: play things that are seldom heard, and that have plenty of technical difficulties and effects. The cleaner and more precise you play the better.
If you follow this recipe, I guarantee you’ll win where-ever you go.
Greg
Another good tip is to NOT use reststroke.
Or use it very sparingly.
USE FREESTOKE! Winners are freestroke players!
Since I have converted to playing tirando (free-stroke), my tone has improved by miles. I have much better control on my dynamics and tone now.
In fact… I now immediately notice when someone plays that heavy reststroke that was being propagated by poor-minded guitarists. It sounds horrible and uncontrolled. Oh and there’s ugly clicking noises there as well.
PaulusDeutschinger
Oh and seldom-heard (hard) works by Brouwer always work!
Think… La Espiral Eterna, or Parábola, or Tarantos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KrI8xchkBg
You may also want to play hard latin-american works…
something like this sweet but *incredibly hard* work
http://www.myspace.com/borisgaquere/videos/video/102196343
Kazorro
If you want to win 1st prize at a composition, you must play extremely energetic modern works. Always be on the lookout for new works that nobody else knows.
Here are some recommendations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuGD_J94n-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA2WhVfLpLU
Kazorro
Oh and one last tip for winning a competition. If you’re really good, you can even play pieces which would normally bore everyone… but give them a new twist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA59STg9Coo
-> Here’s “Villa-Lobos Etude 7” in a revolutionary interpretation!
Biff
Check out this fantastic playing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI3fYMqB1bA
(she won the 2010 competition at the “Adelaide International Guitar Festival”)
Floricel
Congratulations to Ian!
Wow! That was really superb! One young pro player he is. The music brings so much good memories, when my cousin plays his classical guitar and we sing from his tunes. *touching*
Love the picture you used there! 🙂
Milan
In case someone else is researching on how to get to Heinsberg…
which airports are closeby, what’s the train website etc.
you can find these details here in this link
Robert Manuel
Congratulations to Ian. He did an amazing job! Young guitar students should see this video so they can be inspired to make the most of their lessons and avail of the best guitar lessons. Thank you for sharing this video and this news. 🙂
Luke
The results of the 2011 GFA competition are out!
It looks like there’ll be some good players competing in 2012
Peter Hughes
Fantastic playing. I’ll have a few listens to that
Darmelan
Exceptionel Ian, what more can there be said than congratulations. Marvelous performance and thanks for tips Paulus.
Darmelan
Vintageandrare.com