The middle day of the 2nd stage falls on Saturday, and many people are gathering to the hall. All contestants performing today chose ‘Daydream for piano’ as the Japanese work. One of the highlights today is the contrast of each contestant’s interpretation of the work.

The 1st performer was the youngest contestant among all of those who advanced to the 2nd stage, Cho Seong-Jin (Korea: age 15). His ‘Daydream for piano’ was softly interpreted withholding sense of strain. He exerted high technique in following Chopin’s etude 10-1 and Liszt’s etude d’execution transcendante No. 10. In Schumann’s Fantasiestrueke, he distinguished each piece with each different color, and beautifully showed cadence that appeared and then disappeared.

The next contestant, Krzysztof Trzaskowski (Poland: age 22) rendered Chopin’s etude 25-10 and ballad No. 4 in a lighthearted mood and withholding expression. Especially, ballad No.4 has no hysterical sounds but just tender. In contrast, his ‘Daydream for piano’ was performed with tensed tone and keen hues. The last work, Mephist Waltz was impressive with his unique rhythm and pedaling. 
It is absorbing to listen that the first two contestants interpreted ‘Daydream for piano’ so differently.

The next was the student of Pre-college of the Julliard School, Ye Sijing (China: age 18). She performed ‘Daydream for piano’ with clear sounds, and I sensed the same tone in the following Liszt’s etude d’execution transcendante No. 1. Chopin’s prelude 28-13～  24 was performed fluently in a quick tempo.

In the afternoon block after the lunch break, the seats were almost full. It seems that people, not only coming from Hamamatsu city but also from other areas, are enjoying coming to the competition during this weekend.   

Dmitriy Onyshchenko (Ukraine: age 26) started with ‘Daydream for piano’. Chopin’s nocturne No. 13 was very original, poetic, and its expression was heavy masculine, as if listening to a poem recitation by a man. Alike other Chopin’s pieces, ‘Winter Wind’ and Mazurka No. 13 were both attractive with his unique forte sounds.  

10 Cho Seong-Jin (Korea: age 15)
- How do you feel after your performance?
I feel very good. And the hall’s setup was wonderful.
- You performed the first in the morning
I am glad because I like performing in the morning much better than in the evening!
- What did you try to render in ‘Daydream for piano’?
The piece describes a dream but not in sleep, so I imagine the fantasy world, not the real one.
- Your rendition of Schumann was beautiful.
I pictured many images like a night sky while performing. I heard Schumann was a bit crazy, but all pieces of Schumann are beautiful and I like them much.
- How many hours do you practice, by the way?
I usually practice three to four hours a day, but now six hours because I’m in the middle of the competition. I get tired if I practice more.
- Do you enjoy your stay in Hamamatsu?
I tried almost all Japanese food. I just had an eel the other day, and I love it! Eels are popular also in Korea, but it tastes much better if you eat in Hamamatsu.

85 Krzysztof Trzaskowski (Poland: age 22)
- How do you feel after the performance?
I was a bit nervous before coming to the stage. I have actually injured my fifth finger a couple of days ago and it still hurts. But during the performance I felt no pain maybe because a kick of adrenaline (laugh). It is true that you are judged during the competition, but I always perform for the audience who come to listen to my performance.  So I am glad that I have completed my stage.
- I saw your performance in the Chopin Competition. I remember your face very well.
You remember me! But my face (laugh)?
- You incorporate Chopin’s pieces in each program.
Yes. I try to include at least one Chopin’s piece. I am Polish and I myself love Chopin. Also I hear Japanese people like Chopin, too, so I chose him for the audience.
- Why did you choose “Day dream for piano?”
I thought it was interesting because I could interpret very subjective world. This piece can describe palettes of different tones and colors, and scale as well as dynamism.
- What did you picture in your mind while performing this piece?
That’s secret (laugh). Whatever the pieces I perform, I actually perform by picturing the things that happened to me in the past or the things which I wish to happen in the future. And I abstract such things and try to have audience be able to see those things. So I want to leave it to the audiences what they can see in my performance. 
- Your next program is also interesting.
I wanted to perform half of the program with Polish composers’ pieces, so I chose Chopin, Szymanowski, and Lutoslawski, and the rest with Pictures at an exhibition of Mussorgsky.
- Is this your first time to visit Japan?
Yes. I am enjoying very much.  The day before yesterday, I visited a church in Hamamatsu.
-Have you seen the Chopin’s monument here? Like the one in Lazienki Park                    in Poland.
Of course, I look down every day! It’s the same with the one in Poland. It made me relax because there is a place for me here.   

92 Ye Sijing (China: age 18)
- Your Chopin’s prelude was beautiful.
I was originally planned to perform other piece. But I changed to Chopin’s prelude because of my teacher’s recommendation. I love Chopin so I asked my teacher that I wanted to include his piece, and the teacher advised me to do so.
- How was your performance of ‘Daydream for piano’?
Everything was written in the score, so all I have to do is to follow it. In doing so, I can get some hunch then it will become my music. So I read the score very carefully. Many things were written in it. 
- The dolphin-shape earrings you wear are very cute!
Yes. They are kind of good luck charm. I like dolphins so I always put something like these on the stage.

63 Dmitriy Onyshchenko (Ukraine: age 26)
- Your Chopin was very impressive.
I really like this program. I chose pieces which I performed very often. Especially “Mazurka” is my lifetime repertoire. I tried hard to perform with full of affection and humanly touch. 
- Why did you choose ‘Daydream for piano’?
I thought this piece is closer to my character. A bit poetic, maybe. I tried to create the sounds that could reflect images of daydream as much as possible.

In the last half of the 2nd stage, the seats were nearly all taken because it was Saturday afternoon. I could guess some people came to the competition more than twice from their conversation. They seemed to want to watch the competition until the last. 

The 5th performer, Silvan Negrutiu (Romania: age 25) played Schubert’s piano sonata No. 14 in a minor, and ‘Daydream for piano’, as well as Chopin’s etude in c minor ‘Revolutionary’, Skryabin’s etude in d sharp minor ‘Pathetique’, and all of which have full stability that I can imagine he has been practiced a lot. 

Chang Sung (Korea: age 23) prepared 6 popular pieces from Chopin’s etude aiming to show his strength, and ‘Daydream for piano’, and Skryabin’s etude in d sharp minor ‘Pathetique’, then Spanish Rhapsody to put some spice into the program. I could also enjoy his Skryabin’s ‘Pathetique’ which was a little bit different from the one performed by Negrutiu.

Kato Daiki (Japan: age 19) put each piece with strong character into one program, including the last piece, Dance macabre and even created a touch of one world as a whole. His sound was so young and energetic that the audience can sense Kato was enjoying his performance.

Fatimat Merdanova (Russia: age 26) performed her first piece, ‘Daydream for piano’ with her spirit. I wonder how such a slender woman can perform strongly. Maybe it is because of her concentration. Her concentration has never been interrupted until her last piece, Brahms’ sonata No.2 in f sharp minor. 

61 Silvan Negrutiu (Romania: age 25)
-What do you feel after the performance?
The hall has wonderful lightings and nice audience. I felt like performing in my recital.  
-How was ‘Daydream for piano’?
It’s interesting. It contains various colors. I enjoyed practicing the piece, though it was difficult to memorize.
-What triggered you to take up piano?
I was 7 years old when I started playing. My parents found my musical talent and took me to a music class.

7 Chang Sung (Korea: age 23)
- Your Chopin was beautiful.
Thank you. I love Chopin and especially his etudes. His etudes are not only for a finger-technique, but have sense of musical and sound.
-Talking about sounds, do you do anything special to create sounds?
I always try to make exuberant sounds. Every pianist has different character and stands in different situation, and such difference put some essence and make good sounds as well as bad sounds, I guess. I know a teacher who is 80 years old and creates very deep sounds.
[Mr. Chang has very nice long hair.]

32 Kato Daiki (Japan: age 19)
-How do you feel after your performance in the 2nd stage?
I wanted to enjoy the performance first of all, and I’m glad that I could.
-Did you structure the program?
For the 2nd stage, I structured the program by myself. For etudes, you have to choose from the listed composers, but I structured the program based on the piece, which I wanted to play and placed it as a core. This time, that was Liszt’s Dance macabre.
-You put ‘Daydream for piano’ in the middle of the program.
As a recital program, I think if it is a smooth flow. Many contestants played ‘Daydream for piano’ the first, and then selections of their own. It is fine if the flow goes well, but in my case, I wanted to include the piece into the flow of the program.

51 Fatimat Merdanova (Russia: age 26)
-How do you feel now after the performance?
I know it is endless, but I could have played better. Today, I performed not for the jury or the competition, but I think it is important to perform for the audience who come to listen.
-How did you structure your program for the 2nd stage?
‘Daydream for piano’ is a Japanese piece, and to be honest, which I am not familiar with. So I put the piece at the beginning to focus on the piece that I am not used to play. Then put etudes in the middle and the most difficult piece, Brahms, as the last.
-Are you now a graduate student of Moscow State Conservatory of Music?
Yes. This is my last year.