The 20th International Chamber Music Competition of Arnuero brings in fresh success after three unforgettable days of music.
The International Chamber Music Competition of Arnuero reached its 20th anniversary, and has continued to grow year after year, both in the area of commissioning contemporary composers and in the quality of the participating chamber groups, which showcase an extremely high level of performance and have impressive CVs, making CIMCA a platform to help them integrate into the concert circuit.
For 3 years now, the Organisation has maintained a mixed selection formula for the ensembles: an online preselection using videos submitted by the participants, and an in-person series of qualifying auditions with the selected groups; of these, four go through to the grand final.
As the main novelty of 2023, we can highlight that the qualifying auditions, in addition to the grand final, were held at the Casa de Mareas in Soano, an incredible setting where music and nature come together to create an absolutely unique event.
This year, the Competition featured the participation of 7 ensembles in the qualifying auditions, of which the Aion Duo, piano and clarinet, the Ballestrino-Rúmenov Duo, 2 pianos, the Mülhfeld Trio, piano, clarinet and cello, and the Climacus Trio, piano, violin and cello, went through to the final.
The event kicked off on Friday 30 June with the opening concert at the Arnuero church, with a very appealing programme that included the premiere of the composition commissioned by CIMCA to Ananda Sukarlan, with the aim of paying tribute to the universal architect Juan de Castillo on the occasion of his 550th anniversary. As the director of the competition, Antonio Margallo, explained, the aim is always—whenever possible—to combine experience in composition with the youth of the young contestants in performance. On this occasion, Ananda Sukarlan’s work “Castillo reconstruido” proved absolutely innovative, both in what the work is: a musical time capsule, starting from a work of the 15th century and unfolding with variations on different themes until reaching contemporary composers. The placement of the performing musicians in the Arnuero church was also innovative: they were positioned in different locations to achieve an enveloping sound effect. Along with this work, the repertoire also included the participation of an accordion duo, another of clarinet and cello, and a piano and clarinet duo, to complete a fantastic programme that delighted the audience.
This is one of the most implemented aspects in recent years by the Competition’s Organisation, with the aim of promoting the composition and also the performance of current works. In line with this, in the 2021 edition a Ricardo Hontañón Prize was created for the best performance of a work published after 1945.
After the qualifying auditions, on Sunday 10 July the finalist groups met to compete for the prizes, in a live performance of the works previously selected by the Jury. A memorable day in terms of the quality of the competing groups: over two hours, the public were able to enjoy some of the best chamber music sessions, while also being able to admire the landscape of Marisma Joyel and the area’s wildlife.
The result after the Jury deliberations was as follows:
FIRST PRIZE for the Aion duo of piano and clarinet, endowed with €1,500, a diploma, and a paid concert in the “Creando futuros” cycle at the Centro Botín in Santander.
SECOND PRIZE was awarded to the Mülhfeld Trio of piano, clarinet and cello, endowed with €1,000, a diploma, and a paid concert within the Marcos Históricos cycle of the International Santander Festival.
RICARDO HONTAÑÓN PRIZE for the most outstanding performance of a work published after 1945 went to the Confluence Duo, guitar and clarinet, endowed with €500 and a diploma.
JESÚS DE MONASTERIO PRIZE for the most outstanding violinist, endowed with a Diploma and a Concert, sponsored by the Real Sociedad Menéndez Pelayo; on this occasion it was awarded to Cristina Sánchez de la Fuente of the Climacus Trio.
