The finalists of the Tibor Junior 2018 competition will present repertoire covering nearly three centuries – a variety that will highlight their versatility and ability to adapt to different styles. The selected pieces will highlight their technical talents as well as their interpretative art – the alpha and omega of any great soloist. The candidates will first present a competition piece chosen from a list including Tchaikovsky’s Valse-Scherzo, Paganini’s La Campanella, Waxman’s Carmen Fantasy and Saint-Saëns’ Valse-Caprice. These technically demanding and often very theatrical pieces will allow these young violinists to show their virtuosity.
In contrast, the second movement, largo manon tanto, of Johann Sebastian Bach’s concerto for two violins in D minor – a compulsory piece played with one of the jurors – will highlight the musicality and depth of the finalists; indeed, a more “chamber-like” dimension characterizes this slow and luminous movement. The flourishing voices of the two violins intertwine throughout, creating a graceful melodic line that must be played with great delicacy.
Finally, the finalists are invited to perform a piece of their choice composed after 1970 for solo violin – a way for them to demonstrate their knowledge of contemporary music, and assert their originality and taste.
The Finale will thus be complete, and the younger generation ready for the future!
Each year the violin competition is an opportunity to be captivated by a rising generation of promising and brilliantly talented artists. More and more candidates from all over the world come to Sion each summer and remind us that, more than ever, the world of classical music is alive and has an exciting future. However, where would these violinists, full of youth, virtuosity and sensitivity, be without the benevolent, demanding, rigorous teachers behind them? The teacher is the keystone of a young artist’s development; they are the ones who accompany, inspire, assist, and continually develop a young musician’s knowledge of art and self.
The Sion Festival, aware of the necessity and value of this master-student relationship, has therefore decided to create a new award which will henceforth recognise a particularly remarkable teacher each year: the Tourbillon de Sion.
The tourbillon, a rotating cage that mechanically absorbs the small disturbances caused by gravity, is the quintessence of watchmaking perfection – it is a symbol of brilliant technicality, at the service of precision and elegance. For the people of Sion, the word Tourbillon also evokes the beauty and durability of a solid heritage, resistant to numerous conflicts over the centuries. These are many of the qualities that contribute to the richness and depth of a fruitful teaching.
For this first year, the Foundation Board unanimously decided to award this prize to Ana Chumachenco, for the influence of her work and creativity on several generations of musicians.
Bach  /   -  2nd mvt of Concerto for two violins in D minor, BWV 1043.
Tchaikovsky  /   -  Valse-Scherzo Op. 34
Paganini  /   -  La Campanella
Waxman  /   -  Carmen Fantasy
Saint-Saëns  /   -  Valse Caprice
Various Composers  /   -  Free choice of a piece composted after 1970
Ana Chumachenco
Violin
Jury Member - Tibor Junior Competition
Pavel Vernikov
Violin
Gidon Kremer
Violin