Last-minute entrant makes final of Leeds Piano Competition

A British pianist who was given a last-minute entry to the Leeds International Piano Competition has beaten 60 other musicians to make it to the grand final.

Julian Trevelyan, from St Albans, entered the selection rounds earlier this year, but failed to win a place.

A fortnight ago, he was on honeymoon in France when he got an email to say another contestant had dropped out due to visa issues – and could he take their place?

“I hadn’t touched the piano for a few weeks,” he tells BBC News. “So I’ve only had two weeks to prepare four hours of music. But I feel wonderful to be here.”

With so little time to rehearse, the 25-year-old said he was approaching the competition as a “chance to play for a home audience”, rather than an opportunity to win one of classical music’s most prestigious awards.

“I want the audience enjoy what I’m doing and hopefully get some concerts from it,” he says.

“I really wasn’t thinking that I would even get to semi-final, let alone have a chance at a prize.”

“For me, music is about touching people’s hearts. As Beethoven said, the only wrong notes are those played without feeling.”

Over the years, the Leeds International Piano Competition has launched the careers of artists including Andras Schiff, Eric Lu and Murray Perahia; and comes with a £30,000 prize.

Open to pianists under the age of 30 from around the world, it was established in 1961 by the renowned piano teacher Dame Fanny Waterman.

Trevelyan says he has wanted to take part ever since he heard Russia’s Sofya Gulyak become the contest’s first female winner in 2009.

“I remember listening to the coverage and I said to my piano teacher, ‘I would love to play in the finals one day’,” he says.

“That was 15 years ago and it feels like a dream come true to be here now.”

For this weekend’s final, he goes up against the following contestants:

• Kai-Min Chang (Taiwan)
• Junyan Chen (China)
• Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (Canada)
• Khanh Nhi Luong (Vietnam)

Like his fellow finalists, Trevelyan is no stranger to international competitions.

In 2015, at the age of 16, he became the youngest prize-winner in the piano category of the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris. A year later, he was a finalist in the BBC’s Young Musician.

For his latest final, he will play Bartók’s Concerto No.3, accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

“It’s always been one of my favourite pieces,” says the musician.

“My dad gave me the score when I was eight and he said, ‘I hope one day you’ll play it’, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

“So when I was given only a few weeks to prepare for Leeds, it was the obvious choice.”

Classical music fans may know that Bartók wrote the concerto during the final months of his life, as a surprise birthday present for his second wife Ditta Pásztory-Bartók.

Did that backstory contribute to his decision to play it at Leeds, given that he had to cut short his honeymoon?

“Yes, somewhat,” he laughs. “Although hopefully I won’t die like Bartok did before he got to play it.”

And, he adds, his wife is behind him all the way.

“Luckily enough, the competition called two days before the end of the honeymoon, so we’d already had a good time.

“And there was an excitement that I’m going to Leeds, because I’ve been talking about it a lot to her. She’s very happy that I’m here.”

The finals of the piano competition take place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September, with highlights broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

For the first time, the contest will be held at the historic St George’s Hall in Bradford, while Leeds Town Hall undergoes renovation.