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CON BRIO OPEN VIOLIN/VIOLA COMPETITION 2023

NOTES ON REPERTOIRE

  • The semi-finalists will have to share a visual artwork for each piece of their Final Programme. Keep this in mind while choosing your repertoire.

  • It is not necessary to only include pieces with a definite visual title (Moonlight, Summer, River, Meadow, etc). The emotional narrative of a piece can also be a guiding tool to choose the artwork. The visual may also be chosen because its artist has a historically verified connection with the composer of the piece. Be imaginative.

  • You are NOT required to provide artwork to go with the pieces recorded by you in the Pre-screening round.

  • You may include individual pieces or movements from large-scale works such as sonatas, song cycles, etc.

  • Balance your programme in terms of styles and moods.

  • Choose pieces which showcase your technical and musical ability in the best possible way.

  • You may perform your pieces using the score. You may not however use a page-turner. Memorise or use photocopies of short sections to ensure that the music is not interrupted by page turns.

  • Use your discretion when deciding whether or not to perform a repeat. Standard performance practice should be followed: exposition repeats may be omitted, and da capo repeats should not.

  • For the Final Programme (semifinals and finals), you may choose solo or accompanied works. You may not use pre-recorded accompaniment and are required to present accompanied works with an accompanist.

  • You may choose to present your programme partly on viola and partly on violin but you may not submit two entries (i.e. one for violin and another for viola).

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDELINES FOR ROUND 1 - PRESCREENING

  • Record the two pre-screening videos, each in a single, uninterrupted, unedited take. There is one compulsory and one own choice piece – record each piece in a separate video.

  • You may use a video camera or a phone camera. Ensure that the resolution is sufficiently high (minimum 360p).

  • Sound quality is very important and should not be distorted.

  • The recording should be in landscape mode.

  • Please use a mount of some kind for the recording device, such as a tripod, to ensure that the image is completely still, and do not change the position of the device during the performance.

  • You are strongly advised to record audio and video on the same device, as synchronisation issues between sound and video will not be accepted under any circumstances.

  • Ensure the length of the piece of your own choice falls within that prescribed in the repertoire.

  • You must record on an acoustic violin or viola, well in tune.

  • The camera should be placed in front of you and provide at all times a clear view of the entire instrument, your face and upper torso, including the bowing arm.

HOW TO ENTER

After you have prepared the two pre-screening works to the best of your ability, record your performances. Upload the two clips to YouTube. You may keep the videos private but ensure that they can be viewed in all countries simply with a link.


From your primary email address, send an email to conbrio@furtados.in with the subject “CB23 Entry – Violin-Viola”.


Include the following five items in the body:
1. Full name, as you would like it to appear in the programme and certificate.
2. Date of birth.
3. Home town or city in India, i.e. where you consider yourself to be most from.
4. A scan of your passport data pages containing your photograph, name, and date of birth.
5. Two links to the two videos of your prescreening works.


The last date for entering the competition is July 1, 2023. Confirmed semifinalists will receive an
e-mail by/on July 15, 2023. Late entries MAY be accepted if an adequate number of deserving
semifinalists have not been selected. If you wish to enter after July 1, please email us to check,
but please note this cannot be guaranteed.

REPERTOIRE

Round 1 (Pre-screening):
1. Compulsory Set Work:

  • For Violin: Vieille Chanson (No. 5 from 6 Morceaux) by Pauline Viardot. Perform the excerpt from Bar 1 to Bar 33, OR

  • For Viola: Serenatina Veneziana by Riccardo Drigo. Perform the excerpt from Bar 1 to Bar 29.

2. A piece of your own choice, lasting 2-4 minutes. Ensure the length of this piece falls within the prescribed timing.
The two Pre-Screening pieces may be performed unaccompanied or accompanied (live OR backing track).


Round 2 (Semifinals):
A subset of your Final Programme. The subset will be revealed to the selected semifinalists closer to the event.


Round 3 (Finals):
A Final Programme lasting 10-12 minutes comprising works of your own choice.

  • The chosen pieces MUST comply with this year’s theme. Every piece must be accompanied by an artwork. The artwork should reflect your interpretation of the imagery, narrative, and character of the piece.

  • The total length of the programme should fall within 10-12 minutes – including all breaks between pieces. You should decide the appropriate length of silence between pieces and at the start and end of the programme.

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