IV International Chopin Piano Competition
Piano competition (1949)
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The IV International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: IV Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 15 September to 15 October 1949 in Warsaw. The first competition after World War II, it was held in connection with the centenary of Chopin's death. Polish pianist Halina Czerny-Stefańska and Soviet pianist Bella Davidovich shared first place. Due to the wartime destruction of the National Philharmonic, the auditions were held at the Roma Theatre on Nowogrodzka Street.
| The Fourth International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | 15 September – 15 October 1949 |
| Venue | Roma Theatre, Warsaw |
| Hosted by | Polish Ministry of Culture and Art |
| Winner | |
Awards
The competition consisted of two elimination stages and a final with 18 pianists. For the first time, competitors performed a piano concerto in its entirety in the final, as opposed to just two movements.
The following prizes were awarded:[1]
| Prize | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1,000,000zł | Halina Czerny-Stefańska |  Poland |
| 1,000,000zł | Bella Davidovich |  Soviet Union | |
| 2nd | 800,000zł | Barbara Hesse-Bukowska | Poland |
| 3rd | 600,000zł | Waldemar Maciszewski | Poland |
| 4th | 550,000zł | Georgy Muravlov | Soviet Union |
| 5th | 500,000zł | Władysław Kędra | Poland |
| 6th | 450,000zł | Ryszard Bakst | Poland |
| 7th | 400,000zł | Yevgeny Malinin | Soviet Union |
| 8th | 350,000zł | Zbigniew Szymonowicz | Poland |
| 9th | 300,000zł | Tamara Gusiewa | Soviet Union |
| 10th | 250,000zł | Victor Merzhanov | Soviet Union |
| 11th | 200,000zł | Regina Smendzianka | Poland |
| 12th | 150,000zł | Tadeusz Żmudziński | Poland |
| HM | 50,000zł | Tony Vine Adnet |  Brazil |
| 50,000zł | Oriano de Almeida | Brazil | |
| 50,000zł | Carlos Rivero |  Mexico | |
| 50,000zł | Ludmila Sosina | Soviet Union | |
| 50,000zł | Imre Szendrei |  Hungary | |
One special prize was awarded:
| Special prize | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Performance of Mazurkas | Halina Czerny-Stefańska | Poland |
Jury
The jury consisted of:[1]
Godfrid Boon
Emile Bosquet
Lucette Descaves (substitute)
Sem Dresden
Zbigniew Drzewiecki (chairman)- Jan Ekier
Blas Galindo Dimas- Lélia Gousseau (substitute)
Arthur Hedley (vice-chairman)
Lajos Hernádi
Franz Josef Hirt- Jan Hoffman
- Roman Jasiński
- Marcelina Kimonti-Jacynowa (substitute)
- Lazare Lévy
- Marguerite Long (vice-chairwoman, after 1 October)
Joseph Marx
Frantisek Maxian (vice-chairman)
Alfred Mendelssohn
Dimitar Nenov
Lev Oborin (vice-chairman) (
I)- Pavel Serebryakov
- Stanisław Szpinalski (
I) - Henryk Sztompka
Magda Tagliaferro (vice-chairwoman)- Margerita Trombini-Kazuro
- Bolesław Woytowicz
Carlo Zecchi- Jerzy Żurawlew
During the first two rounds, blind auditions were held, with participants competing anonymously under numbers they had drawn, as the jury listened behind wooden shutters. This format was not repeated again in subsequent editions of the competition.[1]