Bartók World Competition

2025 is for the pianists

According to the structure of the competition, pianists will compete at the Bartók World Competition Budapest in the first week of September. Applications will be accepted prospectively from 3 March by submitting video material here on the website until 26 May. Live rounds will be running from 31 August to 7 September at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. In the semi-finals, the two winning pieces from the 2024 Composers' Competition will be compulsory, they can be heard here on the website at the Repertoire section (see below), performed by pianist József Balog.

Prizes of the competition:

1st prize:  EUR 22000

2nd prize: EUR 14000

3rd prize: EUR 8000

The application form is expected to open on 3 March.

 

News

Bartók’s music is best understood through the images it evokes

Bartók’s music is best understood through the images it evokes

23 September 2019

Lithuanian pianist Mūza Rubackytė divides her time between Vilnius, Paris and Geneva. Indeed, she is a welcome guest on every continent, and her home country has recognised her with a Medal of Honour, among other awards. As a member of the jury of the Bartók World Competition and as the Director of Music of the Vilnius Piano Music Festival, she has presented a special prize to the winner of the competition, Ádám Szokolay: an opportunity for him to perform in the Lithuanian capital in November 2021.

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“Bartók has to be second nature to you”

“Bartók has to be second nature to you”

20 September 2019

He was born in the United States and lives there, but speaks perfect Hungarian and has been drawn to Bartók’s music since the very beginning. Peter Klimo took the stage with Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at the orchestral finals of the Bartók World Competition.

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“Bartók has never felt like a stranger to me”

“Bartók has never felt like a stranger to me”

19 September 2019

At 21, Ádám Balogh has already been a prize winner at a number of international piano competitions and a guest soloist with acclaimed orchestras. He first appeared with the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 2010. The youngest competitor in the Bartók World Competition, he played Liszt’s Concerto for Piano in A Major in the orchestral finals.

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