May 17 was “Festa” day at Izumi Hall – the semi-final and final rounds of the OSAKA INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION AND FESTA 2023.
Festa, possibly unique in the world, is the competition for anywhere from two to six instrumentalists of any age performing any kind of classical or folkloric music. The jury consists of music lovers living in Japan, and the procedure is a kind of championship contest in which pairs of ensembles are pitted against each other. The ensemble that the jury likes better in each pairing goes on to the next round. For the first time, the first round of Festa was held not in Osaka but in two distant regions, Mie and Toyama, so as to introduce and encourage interest in chamber music to other areas of Japan. Three winners from Mie, and three from Toyama went on to the semi-finals in Osaka.
 
The Mongolian folkloric ensemble Tenger Ayalguu won not only the Menuhin Gold Prize (equivalent to First Prize), but also the Folkloric Special Prize. These five musicians playing eight traditional Mongolian instruments and clad in striking red and black outfits so impressed the jury that it won more votes (107) than the other two finalists combined.
My vote would have gone to the French ensemble Quintette Le Bateau ivre (The Drunken Boat Quintet), which won the Silver Prize (Second). This ensemble consists essentially of a flute quartet (violin, viola, cello,
flute) plus harp to add richness to the sonority. The quintet features a flute player (Samuel Casale) with a tone so gorgeous I would even call it voluptuous. His playing combines flair, panache, and technical wizardry to an extent that any orchestra in the world would be thrilled to have him as its principal flutist, should he choose to go that route.
The disappointing number of votes (61) received by the Bateau ivre may reflect an insufficient number of connoisseurs in the jury, as the Quintet’s repertory came from Jongen, Jolivet, and Cras – hardly crowd pleasers. Be that as it may, it is obvious that the mission of the Japan Chamber Music Foundation, which organizes the Competition and the Festa
– to promote and develop an interest in this kind of music throughout Japan –  has shown considerable success, as the number of jury members for Festa more than doubled since the previous Festa in 2017.
 
The Bronze Prize (Third) went to an American duo, Stas and Tatyana, playing Russian folk instruments, a bayan (a relative of the accordion) and a dulcimer. There was also an Online Audience Award determined by sixty jury members who “attended” the performances from home, a kind of tribute to Japanese music lovers who endured Covid-19 restrictions by listening to music virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. No clear winner emerged from this exercise. Three ensembles won twelve votes
each: Tenger Ayalguu, the Tokyo Reed Quintet, and the Quatuor Aeolina from France (four accordionists).

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