Double Bill at the 2022 Long Thibaud

Pianists Hyuk Lee and Masaya Kamei win First Prize ex aequo

Korean pianist Lee Hyuk has won the first prize at the Long-Thibaud International Competition held in France, along with Japanese pianist Masaya Kamei, according to its organizer.
The 22-year-old Korean, who previously won at the Paderewski Competition in Poland, played Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, becoming the second Korean pianist honored at the prestigious classical music competition created in 1943, following Lim Dong-hyek in 2001. Sharing the top award with him was Japanese Masaya Kamei, 20, who performed Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5.

Out of 112 applications from 41 countries, 32 candidates were qualified to take part in the eliminatory round and six made the final list this year. Revoking the glory of past editions of the Long Thibaud with outstanding winners such as Aldo Ciccolini (1949), Peter Frankl (1957) Edward Auer (1967) or Daishin Kashimoto (1996), the competition carried a distinctive “esprit français” with French repertoire and certain jurors who still knew the late Marguerite Long.

"When Aldo Ciccolini entered the competition in 1949, he was totally unknown", said the great pianist and founder of the competition, Marguerite Long, in 1954.  “Ciccolini was a small young man with his little black velvet jacket who was charming and who didn't speak a word of French. He came out triumphant with his prize, and eight days later, he gave a concert at the Salle Gaveau in front of all of Paris. There, I was really rewarded for the trouble given by the competition, because our goal was achieved”. With its two First Prizes in 2022, the competition ends a time of uncertainty and marks a splendid new beginning under its new President Gérard Bekerman.