Concours de Genève 2024: New music and song in Switzerland

There is a reason the Concours de Genève is one of the foremost international competitions. Founded in 1939, it is uniquely rigorous, with semi-finalists in performance categories required to give multiple recitals in different styles as well as presenting an artistic project designed to ‘highlight their artistic personality’. The 78^th iteration of the competition, presented at Geneva’s Victoria Hall, Conservatoire de Genève and Grand Théâtre de Genève, found composition and singing in the spotlight.

Didier Schnorhk, Concours de Genève's secretary general (there is no artistic director), expands: ‘We have many disciplines, usually two a year, but what matters most is that we are looking for great musicians. To be certain that the people to whom we give prizes are interesting musicians, we take time with them’. The competition is designed to give participants an opportunity to reveal exactly who they are. For participants in the composition competition, the composition is the artistic project.

Under the guidance of secretary general Didier Schnorhk, Concours de Genève takes time to discover 'interesting musicians' and nurture their careers

Few competitions surely, care as deeply about their participants as the Geneva, with laureates joining a career development programme including two years of management from concert agency Sartory Artists, an international concert tour and a week-long Prizewinners Workshop offering guidance on a range of subjects including performance, health, career management, image and social media. This careful approach is reflected in the reactions of its laurates: Elisaveta Ivanova, who took first prize in last year’s flute competition, told me that the challenge of building the semi-final recital and creating an Artistic Project were vitally important to her, something that ‘made us all look beyond just flute playing and to expand our ideas’.

Ruling on instrumentalists – or indeed, singers – is one thing, but finding a winner in composition is another. Criteria are by definition different, but certainly the dedication of the Geneva Chamber Orchestra under superb conductor Pierre Bleuse in the final was never in doubt.

There were double winners for composition; 30-year-old Brazilian competitor Ciao de Azveedo and 26-year-old Swiss participant Léo Albisetti, who also took home the audience prize, young audience prize and students' prize. South Korean finalist Sang-Min Ryu placed third, also winning the Nicati-De Luze Special Prize.

Joint first prize winners Léo Albisetti (left) and Ciao de Azveedo (right) and Sang-Min Ryu (centre) who took home third prize

Each was tasked, for the final, with a work for viola and chamber orchestra. All three pieces were characterised by a sense of honesty; each was laudably uncompromising. The all-composer jury was headed by the respected Pierre Dusapin: the jurors read more than 80 scores, out of which they chose the final three (there was a fourth that could have made it, Schnorhk teased, ‘because it was very, very simple, almost nothing happening’; but while the concept was interesting, the realisation was less so...).

Léo Albisetti’s Nouvel Élan, an updating of an earlier piece (D’un élan bien temperé), explores the dynamic between viola as soloist per se (the soloist in the Concours de Genève performance was Adrien La Marca), and its relationship to the ensemble; ‘the viola part has to tell us a story,’ he explained.

Winning compositions from the competition composition category will be used in next year's viola competition

Caio de Azevedo offered Marionette (subtitled ‘bagatelle-concertante’), with Gyorgy Kovalev as soloist. Azevedo’s clear imagination brings in fantastical elements linked to puppet theatre, and he uses a mandolin as a second soloist, while re-inventing the viola itself as a mandolin – a fascinating sleight. The piece is ‘very abstractly’ inspired by Pinocchio, Azevedo tells me, and is structured as a sequence of ‘moments’ strung together, ‘which combine into one super-piece with palpable dramaturgy’. Azevedo’s piece is suffused with colour – Stravinsky and Ives (and therefore Petrushka) came to mind as I listened. Azevedo’s ear is fantastic: he lists George Benjamin as an admired composer, and certainly both composers share an emphasis on detail.

Sadly Sang-Min Ryu’s The Past Recaptured with Lise Berthaud as viola soloist was not given equal status perhaps because of a weak ending (but how could you have three winners?). A shame, as of all three it is Ryu who arguably has the greatest imagination and talent; but he also has further to go.

The winning works will be used in the upcoming viola competition, and Geneva will actively propose the winners for composer-in-residence positions at various festivals.

‘What deeply moved the jury was the hope we see in young people who want to play an active role in society, seeking meaning though music to build connections'

The singers’ competition was no less stimulating, and with added drama: one of the finalists, Polish mezzo Barbara Skora, was announced as unwell, singing nonetheless, and receiving an Honourable Mention and leaving the third prize unattributed. The overall agreement at the press conference the next morning was that she should not have sung; her programme of the letter scene from Werther, Sesto’s ‘Parto, parto’ from La Clemenza di Tito and ‘Una voce poco fa’ from Barbiere would be demanding for anyone even on top form. But moments pointed to what might have been, and Skora’s streamed semi-final is well worth hearing.

The two remaining candidates showed remarkable talent at full glare. From South Korea, Jungrae Noah Kim sang Yeletsky’s ‘Ya vas lyublu’ from Queen of Spades, some magnificent Korngold (Mein Sehnen,mein Währen' from Die tote Stadt) and the Almaviva’s ‘Hai già vinta la causa’ (from Figaro). Kim had a golden voice throughout, embraced his characters thoroughly, and is a true storyteller. However, he told me following his performance that he had found the acoustic very dry – I am sure he was not alone.

Swiss-Seychelloise soprano Chelsea Marilyn Zurflüh bravely took on some Handel. Her performance of Pamina’s ‘Ach, ich fühl's' from Zauberflöte was nearly fully formed and beautiful, ‘Da tempesta’ from Guilio Cesare was certainly brave but not yet top-flight and, entering Joan Sutherland territory, her glittering performance of ‘O luce di quest’anima’ from Linda di Chamounix was truly impressive.

The jury, headed up by Patricia Petibon (centre) included (left to right) André Comploi, Sophie de Lint, Jean Denes, Waltraud Meier and (far right) Susan Manoff and Aviel Cahn

A distinguished jury of seven, headed by Patricia Petibon and including Waltraud Meier, gave Zerflüh first prize alongside a sheaf of other prizes (the audience prize, young audience prize, students' prize, Arts Society prize, Fondation Etrillard prize, OSR musicians' prize and Cercle du Grand Théâtre prize). She shared the Concerts de Jussy and Rose-Marie Huguenin prizes with second prize-winner Jungrae Noah Kim. A joint first and second prize might even have been appropriate in this category too, with such clear talent on offer. Petibon summed it all up perfectly: ‘What deeply moved the jury was the hope we see in young people who want to play an active role in society, seeking meaning though music to build connections. It is there the future of opera, and the future of our artists, lies.’ Indeed: bravo a tutti.