Well, it’s over! The eight-day OSAKA INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION AND FESTA drew to a close on Thursday evening. At 7 p.m. the jury decisions for Section I (string quartets) and Section II (piano trios and quartets) were announced by the competition’s chairman, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. In his emotionally-charged opening remarks, Tsutsumi-san expressed his profound respect for the extraordinarily high standard that marked this competition. First Prize for Section I went to the Italian Indaco Quartet, and First Prize for Section II went to the German-based Capybara Piano Quartet. Both richly deserved the honor, but the Second- and Third-Prize winners might just as easily have won by a hair, so well did all six ensembles play during their final rounds. I would not have wanted to be a jury member who had to make those tough choices. Second Prizes went to the Hono Quartet (Japan) and Pantoum Trio (France), and third Prizes to the Terra Quartet (USA) and Michelangeli Trio (Germany). The two First-Prize winners (Indaco Quartet and Capybara Piano Quartet) also received MK Memorial Awards worth a very generous 500,000 yen each.
In the Special Awards category, the Thaleia Quartet (Japan) won two awards: the Bordeaux String Quartet Festival Award, and, along with the Hono Quartet and Malion Quartet (Germany), the Ambassador Ensemble Award. The Indaco Quartet also received the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam Award. Each of these special awards provides financial assistance for the quartets to gain additional experience at leading European musical venues.
It has been an intense but wonderfully fulfilling and musically enriching eight days in Osaka. What this observer will remember most about the competition echoes what Tsutsumi-san said: that the level was extraordinarily high, significantly more so than at any previous Osaka competition. There were 77 applicants from 18 countries for Sections i and II, and for Festa 84 applications from 30 countries. Many of those not accepted this year might easily have been accepted in previous years, so great was the competition for those few coveted spots. The process of elimination during the competition itself left some extremely fine ensembles disappointed. These include, to my mind, the Moser Quartet (Switzerland), the Vivace Quartet (China), the Albeniz Trio (The Netherlands), and the E.T.A. Trio (Germany). Many of the pianists were stunning by themselves, and could well develop solo careers. One further quality marked this year’s competition: the spirit of camaraderie among the competitors, most of whom cheered each other on, and warmly congratulated those who advanced, It all seemed like one big happy family.

WRITTEN BY Robert Markow