R.BLECHACZ (Poland)
The first performer of the final stage was a rising star of Poland, BLECHACZ. His choice of the piece was Concerto No.1 in e minor op. 11 of Polish composer, Chopin. After the performance, he looked like the Little Prince of Saint Exupery with his cheeks blushed. His smile made the interviews smile.
When the comment was asked regarding the performance, he said, "I am still very excited and do not know what to say. I was nervous participating my first international competition, but I think I could perform well with the orchestra. I enjoyed playing with the great conductor and the great orchestra at the great hall. My performance was pretty close to what I imagined in my head."
He said the piece was somewhat similar to him. To him, Chopin pieces are all special; especially nocturnes and concertos can let him play as he is in a dream.
We look forward to enjoying his pure performance again soon.

H.SUZUKI(Japan)
The first thing he said right after the performance was, "It is over!"
"I made some mistakes, but I think I did my best over all. I am satisfied that I could perform my music. I did not get nervous much either because I knew that I won a prize, so I had some room in my heart. All I needed to do was to do my best performance. The orchestra and the conductor helped me a lot, so I am very grateful for them. Coming this far was not something I expected, so I feel like I am in a dream."
An interviewer asked, "What do you think of SEKIMOTO playing the same piece, concerto No.1 in b flat minor op.23 of Tchaikovsky after you?" He said, I have heard his performance before and I think he has great technique. I don't take it as our battle at all. This is a very mellow piece, but I performed with strength from the beginning."
This is a memorable piece for him. He went to a concert with his mother when he was in a kindergarten. The performer was NAKAMURA, the head person of the juries in the competition.
In the last two weeks, he went through emotional ups and downs he has never experienced in his 25-year life. After passing these weeks, he felt something new was attached to his personality and thought his performance would be different. He is very happy that he participated this competition.
He looked the best. Thank you for your effort.


S.SEKIMOTO(Japan)
The interview was held an hour after the performance, so he looked relaxed.
He said, "It was a good performance. I am relieved that it is over now. The orchestra and I created the piece together by listening to each other closely. The Tchaikovsky piece was the one I always wanted to perform, so I enjoyed it very much. To be honest, I did not practice this piece much, so I finished the work in last 2 days. I am tired from these 2 weeks, but I knew after this, it would be all over, so I did not get nervous to perform."
He felt very happy to see many audiences in the hall.
Winning a prize here is just a starting point for him. He knows he needs to work on some points.
"But I don't want to play the piano at least next one week. If I don't play, I will naturally want to playc" he was commenting until his teacher stopping him by saying, "That is not the way it works!"
He is still a high school student and worries about his lack of attendance. He gives impression of being relaxed. It may be due to his stress free personality.
After the interview, he headed to dinner with the family and the teacher.