2024 “CITTÀ DI CREMONA” COMPETITION

International Violin Award
First edition
Violin Museum – Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi
Cremona, June 3-9, 2024

Honorary President
– Knight Giovanni Arvedi

Jury
– Sergej Krylov (Presidente)
– Sergej Krylov (President)
– Pierre Amoyal
– Ksenia Milas
– Alessandro Quarta
– Massimo Quarta
– Oleksandr Semchuk
– Kyoko Takezawa
– Anna Tifu
– Kirill Troussov

COMPETITION PIANISTS
– Monica Cattarossi
– Roberto Arosio

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
– Roberto Codazzi

ORGANIZATIONAL COORDINATION
– Mariagrazia Posca

COMPETITION ORCHESTRA
– Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra

RULES AND REGULATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Cremona is the world capital of violins. Even more than this: it’s the City of violins. Cremona is known worldwide for its violin-making tradition. Modern violins were first created here in the 16th century. Cremona is the hometown of Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari and also Claudio Monteverdi was born here. Famous composer of its times, through its art he enhanced the spreading of Cremonese instruments at the then main courts and musical chapels, from Mantua to Venice. From this unique, majestic and outstanding background, “Città di Cremona” Competition was designed as an international violin competition that rose from the initiative by Knight Giovanni Arvedi and in the wake of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Violin Museum, a cultural institution whose Cremonese patron is Honorary President and main champion. This initiative is rooted in a glorious past, rich in art and mastery, but also aims at projecting Cremona into the future encouraging young talents. For this reason, from 3rd to 9th June 2024, the most talented violinists will meet at the first edition of  “Città di Cremona” Competition to show their skills in front of a renowned international jury chaired by Sergej Krylov. The features of Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi, a concert hall with superb acustics but with a smaller stage compared to the average big halls, limit the final phase repertoire to violin concertos designed for chamber music. However, this same limitation grants a very precise profile to this competition, making it different from the other prestigious international prizes in its very essence.

PARTECIPATION CONDITIONS
“Città di Cremona” Competition is open to all violinists born after September, 1st 1995, without distinction as to sex, gender and nationality.

PROGRAM
Each participant is required to choose the pieces to be performed during the Competition from the ones in the following lists. 
All pieces are to be performed from memory, except for the following:
– the piece composed by Stefano Delle Donne for the First phase test;
– all the pieces mentioned in Lists A, B and C for the Second phase test;
– violin concerto Distant Light by Pēteris Vask for the Final phase test.

APPLICATION SHORT-LISTING THROUGH VIDEOS
Each applicant must play the following pieces:

– Niccolò Paganini, two Caprices op. 1 selected by the candidate
– The first movement of a Sonata chosen from List A given for the Second phase test

The applications will be examined by the International Jury of the Competition. The names of the short-listed candidates will be published on this website on April, 24th 2024. The short-listed candidates will be notified privately and will receive the official invitation before this date (via email) with the place and time of the meeting when they must appear in person in Cremona for the following phases of the Competition.

FIRST PHASE TEST – solo violin

A piece from each category: A, B, C
The Jury reserves the right to select the movements to be played by candidates.

A.
Johann Sebastian Bach, two consecutive movements from one Partita or one Sonata for solo violin,
or
Ciaccona from Partita No. 2 for solo violin (performing ritornelli and repeats is at the candidates’ discretion).

B.
Eugène Ysaÿe, one of the Sonatas for solo violin, op. 27 No. 1, 2, 4, 5
or
three Caprices by Niccolò Paganini chosen by the candidate but different from the ones recorded for the video short-listing phase.

C.
The new piece commissioned by the Competition organizers to composer Stefano Delle Donne. You can download it here

SECOND PHASE TEST – violin and piano

A piece for each category: A or B + C and D
The Jury reserves the right to select the movements to be played by candidates.

A.
– Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No. 2 in A major op. 12. No. 2
– Ludwig van BeethovenSonata No. 3 in E-flat major op. 12 No. 3
– Ludwig van BeethovenSonata No. 4 in A minor op. 23
– Ludwig van BeethovenSonata No. 5 in F major op. 24
– Ludwig van BeethovenSonata No. 6 in A major op. 30 n. 1
– Ludwig van BeethovenSonata No. 8 in G major op. 30 n. 3

– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata No. 30 in C major K 403
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata No. 26 in B- flat major K 378

B.
– Franz Schubert Sonata in A major D 574

– Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G major op. 78
– Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 2 in A major op. 100
– Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 3 in D minor op. 108

– Roberto Schumann Sonata No. 1 in A minor op. 105
– Roberto Schumann Sonata No. 2 in D minor op. 121

C.
– Claude Debussy Sonata No. 3 for violin and piano in G minor
– Sergej Prokofiev Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 or No. 2
– Gabriel Fauré Sonata No. 1 in A major op. 13
– Francis Poulenc Sonata for violin and piano FP 119
– Béla Bartók Sonata for violin and piano No. 1, Sz. 75 or No. 2, Sz. 76
– Maurice Ravel Sonata for violin and piano, M. 77
– Arnold Schönberg Phantasy for violin with piano, op. 47
– Karol Szymanowski Sonata for violin and piano in D minor op. 9

D.
A virtuoso piece for solo violin or violin with piano chosen by the candidate.

FINAL PHASE TEST – Concerto with orchestra

A piece for each category: A, B, C; or A + D

A.
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin concerto No. 1 in B-flat major K 207
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin concerto No. 2 in D major K 211
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin concerto No. 3 in G major K 216
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin concerto No. 4 in D major K 218
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart iolin concerto No. 5 in A major K 219

– Felix Mendelssohn Concerto for violin and strings in D minor, MWV 03
– Franz Joseph Haydn Violin concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob:VIIa:1

B.
– Jules Massenet Méditation
– Pablo de Sarasate Romanza Andaluza
– Pablo de Sarasate Malagueña
– Niccolò Paganini Cantabile
– Vidmantas Bartulis I like Schubert

C.
– Camille Saint-Saëns Introduzione e Rondò Capriccioso
– Pablo de Sarasate Carmen Fantasy
– Pablo de Sarasate La Zingaresca
– Pablo de Sarasate Introduzione e Tarantella
– Niccolò Paganini La Campanella
– Henryk Wieniawski Variations on an original theme op. 15

D.
– Giuseppe Tartini Devil’s Trill, Kreisler-Kauder transcription
– Pēteris Vasks Distant Light

Note: the editions and transcriptions of the pieces to be performed during the Competition will be specified and published as soon as possible on this website.
All candidates are required to use the original music sheets of the chosen pieces. The Competition organizers cannot be held responsible for any fraud committed by the candidates (public use of illegal copies). Candidates are obliged to provide the Competition organizers with copies of the music sheets for the pieces they have chosen.

ENROLMENT

The deadline for enrolment is April, 1st 2024 at midnight (UTC+1).

Applicants should register online through the website https://concorso.museodelviolino.org/. Enrolments sent by postal mail will not be examined. 
The registration will be confirmed only when the online enrolment process is successfully completed.
Candidates should ascertain to upload high-quality copies of the following documents to the online application:

– an official document certifying their age (photocopy of Birth certificate or passport);

– their curriculum vitae (educational background, teachers and professors, qualifications achieved, professional activity);

– two royalty-free, high-quality photos taken recently: a portrait and a photo of the candidate while playing the violin;

– two unreleased, high-quality video registrations featuring the performance of the abovementioned short-listing program. Before the start of the performance, the candidate must tell the date and place of the performance.

​All candidates are to be held responsible for having a visa granted to stay in Italy throughout the Competition and are required to take all the steps needed to obtain a visa. The Competition organizers cannot be held responsible for any issue concerning visas.

The choice of the pieces listed in the registration form is binding and not editable, except in exceptional circumstances that should be approved by the Competition organizers.

Should enrolled and short-listed candidates not be able to take part in the Competition, they are required to inform the organizers immediately.

Only communication sent by the Competition secretariat are to be considered official. Any information sent by any other source is invalid.