sideNotes: Gestures of Freedom: Embracing the legacy of Ferruccio Busoni
Sunday morning at 10 a.m. is an unconventional time for the Grand Final of a major international piano competition, in this case the Ferruccio Busoni 65th International Piano Competition. Likewise, 19-year-old Yifan Wu – born in Shanghai and now based in Kansas City – is no conventional pianist. While the other finalists delivered brilliant and technically impeccable performances, it was Wu who captivated the audience with his profoundly compelling artistry, leaving a lasting impression of rare authenticity in his playing. “I believe we should always say something new out of these old pieces,” Wu said, acknowledging the tension between “respecting the composer and reflecting on your own ideas.” Wu’s comments echo the spirit of the competition’s namesake, Ferruccio Busoni, who believed that artists should “make new laws, not follow laws already made.”
Wu’s victory underscored the competition’s unique focus on identifying singular musical voices. Financial rewards may be important to some, but performance opportunities, exposure and media presence by far exceed the appeal of a monetary prize, as reflected in this year’s record 648 applications. The competition’s extensive outreach began a year earlier with the “Glocal Piano Project”, which gave 113 young pianists the opportunity to give a livestreamed recital at Steinway venues in 12 cities around the world. From these, 30 finalists were selected to compete in Bolzano, Italy, presenting a field of exceptional strength and artistic depth.
The jury was unusual too: rather than including eminent educators and seasoned professors, it included active performers such as Lucas Debargue and Sergio Tiempo and was chaired by the great opera director Sir David Pountney. He explained from the outset that jury decisions were not a sports-like judgement on artistic capacity, but a subjective response to exceptionally high-quality performances: “If it is artistic expression that is the prime aim, then the issue of quality cannot be compromised,” Pountney said. “We may be amazed and often moved by the journeys that have brought all these wonderful artists to take part here, but ultimately, however sympathetic we may feel, quality, however that is defined, is the only issue.”
The Busoni Prize includes a €30,000 award, but its true value lies in the performance opportunities that follow. The previous winner, Arsenii Mun, has received over 130 artistic engagements since his 2021 victory. This clear commitment to building a sustainable career, rather than just presenting a cash prize, truly sets the Busoni Competition apart. Moreover, the 2025 edition has already demonstrated significant reach, with close to one million streams of its performances so far.
“Yifan Wu is not merely an outstanding pianist,” says Artistic Director Peter Paul Kainrath. “He elevates interpretation into a creative act. Grounded in a profound reading of the score, Wu embodies a great gesture of freedom.”
To discover more about Yifan Wu,
visit www.busoni-mahler.eu
Florian Riem
