The 1st stage has finally entered into the interesting part, which is the middle of the 1st stage (the third day).  Although the performer changes, when many a times a piece is played, there are times when one feels the beauty incorporated in that music which comes before the quality of either the good or bad performance.

The 3 contestants in the first block all played Chopin’s Scherzo, creating a program which seemed to be too well prepared.  The first performance was by Kuan Sheng-Yuan (Taiwan: age 27).  She played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue from WTC II in c sharp minor and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in c minor 1st movement followed by Scherzo No. 2.

The next performer was An Jong-Do (Korea: age 23) and like a student of Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg, he played Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 16 1st movement and later Scherzo No. 1.  And the 3rd person who played Scherzo was Han Sang-Il (Korea: age 25)   The performers who continuously played Scherzo seemed to be aware of this and An who played first went to the hall to listen to the performance right after his performance.

There were also continuous performances of Chopin’s Barcarolle in F sharp major by two contestants.  First was Sean Chen (U.S.A:  age 21) who relaxingly played the piece.  Next was Ana Kipiani (Georgia:  age 15).  Although they are both the same piece, it seemed as if one can enjoy the comparison of performance between man and woman.

The first contestant of the 3rd block (16:10~17:10) was Ivan Alexandrov (Russia: age 22) who played Liszt’s Etude d’execution transcendante No. 10 in f minor and last Chen Cheng (China: age 26) playing Haydn’s Piano Sonata in D major.  We were able to enjoy listening to both of their performances.

44 Kuan Sheng-Yuan (Taiwan: age 27)
－ The overttime bell rang, didn’t it?
   I thought it was okay. Probably I took too much time in between the pieces. But I
am not too worried.
－ How did you choose your pieces for the 1st stage?
   It thought that Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 would serve as a contrast with the previous
 2 pieces so I choose these pieces.
－ You were the only contestant from Taiwan.
   I thought there would be more.
－ How was your performance?
   I wanted to play more clearly.  I wonder how the Jury members will evaluate the
   performance.

3 An Jong-Do (Korea; age 23)
－ What is your impression about the Hamamatsu competition?
   I think this is one the important competitions.  The reason why I decided to enter
   into the competition is because my teacher’s wife was a Japanese who was from
 Hamamatsu.  She recommended the competition to me.
－ How was your performance today?
   (laughing) I was nervous.  I flew into Japan from Vienna via Frankfurt and I was
 very tired.
－ You are a student of Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg, right?
   In school I practice a lot of pieces by Mozart.  I think there is a lot of dream and
   fantasy in Mozart’s pieces. There is a power to heal and it is good to listen when you
   are tired.

65 Park Jong-Hai  (Korea: age 19)
－ (after finishing the performance and at the back stage) You seemed to be sighing
   many times but how was your performance?
   The performance was not my best, I could have done better…
   (The picture is Jong responding to the telephone from a friend who is also
   participating in the Competition)
 

9 Sean Chen (U.S.A: age 21)
－ How was your performance?
   I practiced a lot and I think I played well.
－ I think it was a very good Barcarolle.
   I thought that in the 1st stage, there too should be something appealing so I chose
   Barcarolle.
－ You are playing E. Carter’s piece in the3rd stage.
   I thought about playing some new pieces so I decided to challenge playing Carter
and Ligeti, the modern music.  Modern pieces are quite difficult but I think the
audience and the Jury members will like this song (Catenaires) .

78 Michal Szymanowski  (Poland: age 21)
－ How was your performance?
  Not good.  I kept in mind a performance making use of the melody but the bass may
  have been too loud.  I couldn’t sleep well so I was tired.
－ Are you related to the composer Szymanowski?
   If my memory is correct, Szymanowski did not get married so I think he didn’t have
   any children. I don’t think we’re related (laugh).  If I go to the 3rd stage, I will be
   playing Szymanowski’s Variations in b flat minor.

2 Ivan Alexandrov (Russia: age 22)
 － It was a delicate touch but at the same time firm performance.
    Well, the performance was so so (laugh).  I cannot speak English so well so next
    time I will bring a Russian interpreter and talk.
 － Yes, I will be looking forward to it.

8 Chen Cheng (China: age 26)
 － The bell rang and it was unfortunate you were not able to finish the Polonaise.
    I first could not hear and I didn’t know what was happening.  In the past, I didn’t realize what was happening when the partition screen fell (laugh).
－ Haydn was good.
   I get nervous when I play Bach because there are a lot of rules but Haydn is fresh and humorous.  I like his pieces since it is full of variety.  Compared to
Beethoven and Mozart, he was not so popular but recently it seems that his works are being reexamined.

After the 80 minute break in the latter half of the program, the first contestant was James Jae-Won Moon (Australia: age 23) who entered this competition as last time.  Since the broad smile when he appeared on stage was impressive, I was looking forward to that smile and he appeared on the stage without disappointing my expectation!  He softly played Bach and joyfully went on to play Mozart Piano Sonata No. 9.  The rhythmical and beautiful sound was attractive.  The last piece was Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12.  With a mild and voluminous sound, the listeners were absorbed into this piece.

Nazareno Ferruggio (Italy: age 28) played Bach, sonata of Mozart, and Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise.  All the pieces were played with abundant use of the pedal.  Without playing till the very end, the bell rang.  Looking at the performance list, what attracted attention was the free choice of the series of sonatas of Beethoven, Chopin, and Skryabin in the 3rd stage, a recital form.  If we are able to hear all these sonatas, it would be interesting what kind of 50 minutes it would be.

The next performer was Moon Hyun-Jee (Korea: age 26).  Bach is a clear cut beautiful keystroke.  ‘Danza Festiva from “Forgotten melodies Book 1”’ was selected from the Romantic pieces.  We were able to hear beautiful sound with the movement of dexterous fingers.

 With the break in between, it was time for the last block of the day.  With the appearance of Mr. Cho who won the 1st prize of the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy this spring and local contestant from Hamamatsu, there seemed to be more audience than usual.

The first contestant appeared on the stage was Cho Seong-Jin (Korea: age 15), a winner of the above mentioned Academy. His performance began with gracious and assertive Bach with a clear keying, continued on to Beethoven's “Appassionata” with an adeptly-modulated sound of mellow part and sharp part. This piece was played passionately with such a strong impact that I felt as if my heart missed a beat. He completed his last piece, Chopin's Polonaise Heroique, energetically with a powerful sound.

Today's last contestant was Shinnosuke Inugai (Japan: age 27) who was from the city of Hamamatsu. Applause for him upon his stage appearance was somewhat bigger than the ones for other contestants. His Beethoven was powerful and dynamic with a playful touch.  His playing gesture left an impression that he gave himself up to his music, making sure the resonance in the hall. He played his last piece of Mephisto Watlz in a slow tempo with a comfortable inflection which was not too exaggerated. His performance was beautiful and energetic with a clear sound in high tone as well as in quite part.

55　James Jae-Won Moon  (Australia: age 23)
 ─ How did you feel on the stage?
I became much more nervous than I had thought. I was perfectly all right when I participated 3 years ago, so I thought it would be all right this time too.……　To tell the truth, I was trembling a little.  I may need more practice (laugh).
─What did you think about the hall and the piano?
Actually, it was hard for me to select the piano. I had a hard time to select the piano as all were quite similar. The Steinway I played today was very good!
─I saw you always smiling on the stage as was the case in the last competition! You looked very happy especially when you played Mozart.
Yes (laugh). That was especially because this piece by Mozart was a happy one, he loved jokes and his jokes were sprinkled all over the piece.
─What was your impression of Hamamatsu 3 years after your first visit?
I felt like I just came home. When I arrived at the Hamamatsu station by the bullet train, the woman I know from the last time was there to pick me up and said, "How are you?" Later, when I went to the competition office for some procedures, everyone there remembered me. I was really glad about that. Well, I will go back to the hotel to get some sleep! But before I leave, I have to buy a handkerchief as I forgot to bring it with me! 
［He bought a handkerchief with a keyboard pattern at the shop in the lobby! He went back to the hotel, wiping off the sweat with that handkerchief. ］ 

10　Cho Seong-Jin (Korea: age 15)
 ─　How do you feel now after the performance?
I got tense very much, and there might have been some mistakes. But, this gave me a very good experience and made me feel that I would practice more. The hall was so wonderful that I felt joy during my performance. 
─Was it your winning of the Academy this year that brought you to the Hamamatsu competition?
It was not exactly right. I participated in the Academy last spring as my teacher had advised me to do so. After that, I decided to participate in the Hamamatsu competition too. After the Academy, I continued my practice very hard.
─I think everyone is paying attention to you!
Is that so (laugh)? What did you think of my performance?
─It was very powerful and excellent!  Considering such an energy you displayed in your performance, I am wondering what you ate before the stage.
I had spaghetti, my favorite (laugh). I am hungry now as I haven't had dinner yet (laugh)!  
［Cho responded with a smile to my request of taking his pictures. When I said "Kawaii ! (Cute in English)" for his picture on the camera screen, he gave me a shy smile. It seemed he had known the meaning of "Kawaii"］
 
 
30　Shinnosuke Inugai (Japan: age 27)
 ─How did you feel during your performance?
That was the performance in my hometown of Hamamatsu for the first time in quite a while. I felt a different kind of tension because I played at my hometown of Hamamatsu for the first time in a long while and also did it in the real competition. I had mixed feelings, a sense of relief arising from my performance at hometown and a sense of tension arising from the performance in front of my acquaintances as audience, which consequently might have overstrained me.
─You've got a lot of attention as this is your hometown, haven't you?
Certainly not, I'm not sure if I've got attention or not…I am just happy if there is an opportunity to play and there is audience to listen to my performance while I keep on studying music at my own pace.
─What did you think about the hall and the piano?
I recalled this place with a happy memory because this was the place where I played at the junior concerts when I was a child.
─For the following stages, your program will include a very wide range of repertoires.
Yes. I know this is a competition, but I wanted not only to have a program made up of just pieces highlighting techniques but also to make my program enjoyable with flows and changes. That was why I chose pieces with different characters from different times. But I felt it difficult to play those pieces with such different characters within a given timeframe of 40 or 60 minutes.
─You chose Mephisto Waltz for the Romantic piece.
I had an impression that this piece is often played by young pianists partly because I also played it myself in my teens. This piece was composed based on Lenau’s “Faust” and I thought it would be good for me to play again now after I studied and gave a full rendering to the poem. I wanted to express in my performance that this was not just a virtuoso type of piece…but it was hard (laugh).