The postponed 59th annual Beethoven's Hradec in the field of violins will take place on June 12-16, 2024 in Opava. The repertoire of the competition has changed in the program of the final, where there is now a choice of five concerts. At the same time, the prizes for the winners were increased to CZK 80,000 for first place, CZK 40,000 for second and CZK 20,000 for third place.

The application form is opened.

Although the competition program was canceled this year for organizational reasons, the Beethoven Hradec gala concert is taking place. On Wednesday, June 14, at 6 p.m., will perform in the Minorite Monastery Czech Philharmonic Piano Trio members: Jiří Vodička (violin), Václav Petr (cellist), Martin Kasík (piano).

Programme:

Leoš Janáček - Sonata for violin and piano 
Antonín Dvořák - Silent woods and Rodno for violoncello and piano  
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Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio op. 70 no. 2 in Eb-Major 

The concert takes place as part of the subscription of the statutory city of Opava. Last tickets will be sold before the start of the concert.

Despite the efforts of the organizers, the criteria for the implementation of the 59th Beethoven Hradec violin competition could not be met. The number of registered competitors, mainly due to the consequences and fading of the Covid-19 pandemic, did not reach an adequate number for the international level of the competition. The organizers of the competition have therefore decided to postpone the violin year to 2024 and to cancel the Beethoven Hradec competition this year. 

All those registered were contacted by the organizer regarding the next procedure. 

Nevertheless, this year you can enjoy the atmosphere of the Beethoven Hradec festival at the festive concert of the Piano Trio of the Czech Philharmonic, which will feature Jiří Vodička (violin), Václav Petr (cello) and Martin Kasík (piano) with a program including L. Janáček, A. Dvořák and L. van Beethoven. The concert will take place as originally scheduled on Wednesday, June 14 at 6 p.m. in the Minorite Monastery in Opava. During the week of June 12 to 16, the celebratory concert will be complemented by concerts organized by Múza and the Opava Basic Art School and interpretation courses for pedagogues.

The jury of the 59th Beethoven's Hradec in the field of violin, which will take part from 14th to 18th June 2023 in Opava, is finally known.

• Jiří Vodička the chairman of the jury
• Fedor Rudin (France)
• Beata Warykiewicz-Siwy (Poland)
• Petr Maceček
• Jan Fišer

You can read more about members of the jury bellow.

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The reflection of the finalists of the 58th year was prepared by the chair of the jury Eliška Novotná.

Tomáš Vrána was one of the best rated candidates throughout the competition. Given his final participation in the previous year's Beethoven competition, it was clear that he was heading for the highest goals. This was evidenced by the extraordinary repertoire, which he decided to include for his performance at the competition. This is mainly Beethoven's last piano Sonata, Op. 111, which he interpreted in a monumental way in the second round, and which he supplemented with one of Olivier Messiaen's "Views of Jesus". Tomáš Vrána's piano performance was characterized by a clear composition, differentiated sound, interesting interpretive moments in the preference of hidden melodic lines, supporting sound and in the finale flawless cooperation with the orchestra in terms of rhythm and sound and stylistically very convincing performance of L. van Beethoven's Concerto in G major.

Vojtěch Trubač convinced the jury and the students mainly with his performance in the 1st and 2nd round of the competition. Unforgettable will remain his recital, which contained compositions from opus 118 by J. Brahms and Beethoven's Sonata op. 57. Vojtěch was fascinated by the clear drawing of the lines, which was far from obvious in the somewhat noisy acoustics of the Minorite monastery. All the details of his interpretation were set in a whole, it had a color sound and a wide dynamic range from soft pianissimos to full fortissimas. His play was in harmony in terms of the ratio of calm and excitement, which literally drew the audience. His performance in the final was very good, but in a stylish grasp rather somewhat Mozart's (Vojtěch played Beethoven's 4th Concerto in G major). Some disagreements with the orchestra did not contribute to complete persuasiveness either.

Satomi Chihara she was very concentrated and demonic from the beginning of the competition. She addressed the jury and the audience most significantly during her recital in the 2nd round. It began with a very convincing interpretation of a composition by Japanese composer Akira Miyhoshi. Beethoven's Sonata "Les Adieux" op. 81a was tightened in all its details and meanings, and Satomi Chihara was similarly embedded in the composition, also in the interpretation of Liszt's Variations "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen". Her final performance was again very interesting and widely straddled on a dynamic level. Her attempt to dodge the orchestra in the areas where she accompanies the piano, but led to a less interesting performance of these parts, and the fact that this was her first experience of performing with the orchestra also played a role in collaboration with the orchestra.

Beethoven's Hradec ended in a fantastic triumph of Czech pianists. The first and second prizes were won by Tomáš Vrána and Vojtěch Trubač

"Trubač seemed most comfortable during his performance and also managed to enjoy 'his' moment."

„Chihara of the three finalists played the most significantly. With the greatest passion, great concentration, a certain risk and courage, she put everything into her speech. "

"As if breathtakingly into a book from which not a single word can be skipped, Vrána's speech seemed like a narrative that told the whole story with the greatest complexity and truthfulness.„

The 58th Beethoven's International Piano Interpretation Competition knows its winners. This year's prestigious competition took place from 8 to 12 June in Opava and Ostrava. Forty pianists from all over Europe and Asia were proof that this competition has a good sound and attracts attention. The winner of this year's event was the 28-year-old Czech pianist Tomáš Vrána. Vojtěch Trubač, three years younger, also won the second prize from the Czech Republic, and the third prize went to Japanese pianist Satomi Chihara. Both Czech pianists are from the Moravian-Silesian Region, where many significant musical talents come from.

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Finále 58. Beethovenova Hradce proběhlo 12. června 2022 v Domě kultury města Ostravy. Gratulujeme vítězům i všem účastníkům soutěže za jejich skvělé výkony. / 58th Beethoven’s Hradec finals took place on 12 June 2022 in The House of Culture of the City Ostrava. We congratulate to winners and all competitors for their great performances.