Published: March19th, 2023.

Last update: March 22nd, 2023.

Before applying, please carefully study the competition rules.

§1 Organizer

Johannes-Brahms-Gesellschaft Pörtschach
Seeuferstraße 129
A-9210 Pörtschach
Phone +43/(0)664/286 49 12
http://www.brahmscompetition.org/
info@brahmscompetition.org

§2 Venue, Time

Pörtschach and Velden am Wörthersee, Carinthia, Austria.

Registration: Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd, 2023 respectively

Start of the competition: Sunday, September 3rd, 2023

Prize winners’ concert: Sunday, September 10th, 2023 – 5 pm for all prize-winners
No prize can be awarded without participating in the prize winners’ concert.

Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert following the common theme folk music (dance music), if possible in connection with your home.

If you cannot think of any „genuine“ folk song of your home country, the following suggestions of compositions and composers may help you along. We, however, look forward to hearing your own choices!
F. Chopin (Mazurkas), A. Dvorak (Slavonic Dances), G. Kreisler, P. de Sarasate, H. Sitt, A. Borodin, J. Hubay, M. Ravel, A. Glazunov. H. Wieniawski, J. Achron, O. Musin, S. Rachmaninoff, etc.
Of course you may also choose from the competition programme, e.g. a folk song from your home, Brahms Volkslieder, Brahms Hungarian Dances, Zimbalist Sarasateana or similar.

§3 Registration

You may register online via our website
https://www.brahmscompetition.org/en/anmeldung/

Together with your registration, please forward:
• a portrait photo or artistic portrait of professional quality to be used in our catalogue (will be published),
• your curriculum vitae (CV).

Registration fee – to be paid before July 15th, 2023:
Solo instruments: 130,00 Euro
All accompanists provided by the Johannes Brahms Society are free of charge for the participants.

The registration fee can be paid with common credit cards via our website.

If you wish to make the payment by bank transfer, please contact our competition office: info@brahmscompetition.org

Registration deadline: July 15th, 2023.

The registration fee cannot be refunded in the event of withdrawal from the competition.

Should, on account of an unforeseen event, we would have to cancel the competition the registration fee will be refunded.

Changes of the works selected and entered on the application form must reach us by July 31st, 2023.

§4 Entry qualifications

Musicians from any country who have reached international competition standard are welcome.

Age limit: Participants must reach the age of 14 in the course of the competition year (year of birth 2009).

Applications that do not meet the requirements of the competition can be rejected. These decisions are final and incontestable. No explanations will be provided.

§5a Piano

General Information:

• All works have to be performed from memory.
• The chairman will terminate any presentation exceeding the given time frame.
• Please choose repeats in your own responsibility. The maximum duration of each round must not be exceeded.
• Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.

A) First Round:

1. One Prelude and one Fugue (belonging together) from “Das Wohltemperierte Klavier” by J. S. Bach.
2. One Etude by F. Chopin from op. 10 (except no. 3, and no. 6) or op. 25 (except no. 7).
3. One piece by J. Brahms to be chosen from op. 4, 10, 76, 79, 116, 117, 118, 119.

Duration: 15 minutes.

B) Second Round:

• A piece of variation work by J. Brahms: op. 9, or op. 21 (no. 1 and no. 2), or op 24, or op. 35 (first and second book).
  Note: Of op. 35 you can also play book 1 or book 2 only. In this case you would have to complement your programme by op. 21, no. 1 or no. 2. The variations op. 21, no. 1, can be played without repeats.

or

• A sonata by J. Brahms: op. 1, or op. 2, or op. 5.
  Note: The first movement of sonata nr. 3 op. 5 by Brahms is to be played without repeats.

Duration: max. 35 minutes.

C) Final with full orchestra:

You are asked to play the first movement from one of the following piano concerts:

• J. Brahms, no. 1, D minor, op. 15
  or
• J. Brahms, no 2, B major, op. 83
  or
• L.v. Beethoven, no 4, G major, op. 58.

The concerts must be played from memory.

§5b Violin

General Information:

• The chairman will terminate any presentation exceeding the given time frame.
• Please choose repeats in your own responsibility. The maximum duration of each round must not be exceeded.
• For Bach, Mozart, Paganini op. 1 as well as for the sonatas please use the urtext editions.
• Good pianists are made available by the organizer but can also be brought along by the candidate (at their own cost).
• Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.

A) First Round:

1. One original caprice for violin solo by N. Paganini or of a comparable level of difficulty.
2. J. S. Bach: Two dances from Partita I, b-Minor, BWV 1002 (WITHOUT Double)
   OR
   Two dances from Partita II, d-Minor, BWV 1004 (not Chaconne)
   OR
   Two dances from Partita III, E-Major (not Preludio)
   Note: Please choose a slow and a fast movement!

Duration: 10 minutes.
All pieces of the first round have to be performed from memory.

B) Second Round:

1. First movement of one of the following violin concerts by W. A. Mozart (G-Major, KV 216; D-Major, KV 218; A-Major, KV 219) .
2. One sonata for violin and piano by J. Brahms (op. 78, G-Major; op. 100, A-Major; op. 108, d-Minor)
3. Scherzo c-Minor by J. Brahms from the FAE-Sonata (from memory),
   OR
   a “Hungarian Dance” by J. Brahms, arranged by J. Joachim.

Duration: about 30 minutes
Concerts have to be performed from memory, sonata can be performed with notes – except the FAE-Sonata which also has to be played from memory.
Note: Sonatas selected for the second round have to be prepared in full. If necessary, the jury will decide on further time limits before the beginning of the second round. These limits will apply to all candidates.

C) Final with full orchestra:

First movement and cadence from one of the following violin concerts:

• J. Brahms, D-Major, op. 77 or
• L.v. Beethoven, D-Major, op. 61 or
• P. I.Tschaikowsky, D-Major, op. 35

In the final round, concerts have to be performed from memory.

§5c Viola

There is no viola competition in 2023.

§5d Cello

General Information:

• The chairman will terminate any presentation excessivly exceeding the given time frame.
• Please choose repeats in your own responsibility. The maximum duration of each round must not be exceeded.
• Good pianists are made available by the organizer but can also be brought along by the candidate (at their own cost).
• Please prepare an attractive piece with a maximum duration of 4-5 minutes for the prize winners’ concert. Choose from the theme “folk music (dance music)”, if possible in connection with your home. For suggestions, see § 2.

A) First round:

1. Prelude from one of the suites no. 4, 5 or 6 by J. S. Bach.
2. A Caprice by A. Piatti or an etude by D. Popper „Hohe Schule des Violoncellospiels”.

Duration: 15 minutes.
All pieces of the first round have to be performed from memory.

B) Second Round:

1. One of the sonatas by J. Brahms:
   (op. 38, e-Minor or op. 99, F-Major, or sonata in D-Major (transciption of op. 78 no.1 in G-Major which was composed at Poertschach)
2. Choose a piece from the following:
   – A. Dvořák, Rondo in G minor, op. 94
   – R. Schumann: Fantasiestücke op. 73 (version for violoncello and piano)
3. Compulsory piece: Johannes Kropfitsch: Toccata from the Sonata for Violoncello and Piano op. 6
   Note: The score for the Toccata is available on request from the competition office. The complete sonata is available from Doblinger.

Duration: max. 40 minutes
Sonatas can be performed with notes. A Brahms sonata is to be performed in its entirety, as well as the work of one of the other composers to be chosen in its entirety.

C) Final with full orchestra:

Choose one of the following

• E. Elgar: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra 1st and 2nd movement
• A. Dvořák, Cello concerto, b-Minor, op. 104, 1st movement

In the final round, concerts have to be performed from memory.

§5e Voice

There is no voice competition in 2023.

§5f Chamber Music

There is no chambermusic competition in 2023.

§6 Assessment

All performances are open to the public. The order of performance is drawn before each round.

The judging members of the jury are excellent musicians, teachers or concert organizers themselves.

The jury assessment is given in public in the presence of the audience and the participant. Each juror will submit his evaluation immediately after each competitor’s performance, showing the points awarded on a scorecard. The candidates can see the score immediately after their performance.

Points from 0–6, to one decimal, will be awarded separately for technical mastery of the instrument and for artistic expression, and then be added together.

If the score given by one member of the jury differs from the next higher or lower score by one or more than one point then this score is eliminated by the chairman.

The score of the first round (A) is only used to establish the participants of the second round (B) and is then discarded.

The score of the second round (B) is added to the score of the final round (C). The competitions are decided by the sum of the points gained in the second round (B) and in the final (C).

The jury may determine by unanimous decision that no first prize will be awarded. The second prize will be granted to the top ranking participant instead. The runner-up will then receive the third prize, etc. The chairman has to justify such a decision publicly.

The decisions of the jury are final. No appeals are permitted.

Members of the Jury who still have or used to have a  continuous teaching relationship of any kind (public or private) during the last two years or who have kinship or affinity with a competitor have to specify her/his name. In this case, the juror must refrain from participating in any discussion or assessment of the person(s) in qustion.

§7 Miscellaneous

Each participant is responsible for making sure that his or her competition programme conforms to the rules and regulations.

During each round candidates may choose the order in which they wish to perform their programme.

We kindly ask you to wear appropriate attire for all competition rounds (please keep in mind that some of the competition venues are churches).

Participation is understood at the participant’s own cost and risk.

With their application, all participants enter into an obligation to keep the period of the competition free of all engagements or concerts.

The organizer of the competition is authorized to photograph, film and make sound recordings and/or digital/electronic recordings at all concerts or events within the period of the competition and to use these recordings for publicity purposes. In particular the organizer reserves the right to authorize radio and TV stations to record and broadcast (e.g. via radio and television, including on-line) all events of the competition. No claims for reimbursement for participants may arise from this.

The competition organizer reserves the right to use selections from the competitions and prize winners’ concerts on a CD and/or DVD, which will serve to publicize the participants and document the competition. Beyond this, the competition organizer reserves the right to release and distribute or permit the distribution on its own or through third parties of contributions to the competition in sound form, on analogue and/or digital sound or data media in any format or process (including as digital downloads via online distributors), either commercially or non-commercially.

The declaration of understanding on the part of the competition participants shall be considered given with the registration to participate in the competition: the same applies to transfer of broadcast rights in keeping with the afore mentioned conditions. The prize winners have no claim to additional compensation.

Prize winners are obliged to perform at the Prize Winner Concert without a fee.

The organizer cannot accept any responsibility for the competitors’ instruments and their personal property.

By sending in the application form, the participants consent to the above competition guidelines.

In case of discrepancies in the interpretation of the Competition Guidelines, the German text will be binding.