The marathon/obstacle course alternated tests of advanced technique and endurance with (classical) musical works. Once the players’ lips were swollen and numbed with fatigue and they themselves were quite exhausted, they were presented with a delicate, well known concerto such as the Haydn, the Hummel, the Mozart or the Albrechtsberger — as if to say, “Now let’s see how these young folk are for musicality.”
This is indefensible. Moreover it is absurd. If we really want to find virtuoso brass players who are first and foremost musicians, we must give them a platform with no traps, one like those they will find in the concert hall.
Indeed these considerations have already made some organisers rethink the problem. Thus there is a new tendency, originated by more realistic people such as Roger Delmotte with his Toulon trumpet competition. There the programmes are designed to show up exceptional artists. You will remember that in 1981 Hakan Hardenberger could not cope with the mind-bending obstructions at the Geneva competition (he got a 2nd prize). Six months later he won 1st prize at the Toulon competition. Today he is pursuing a brilliant career which vindicates the Delmotte option.
Talent is really revealed better and more fairly when the competitors’ normal potential is respected. The differences between them are then on a refined musical basis — which of course does not exclude technical prowess.
Conclusion
[letter from Thomas Stevens]
Your remarks concerning the fact that everyone talks about musicality but ultimately ends up counting missed notes struck a sympathetic chord with me. I searched and found a cassette of an interview I did for National Public Radio a few years ago — I’ll quote verbatim:
Interviewer: Ernest Fleischmann (LAPO General Director) has stated that he likes to see musicians take chances for the sake of the musical effect even if they miss notes in the process.
Stevens:
Yes, this is true and many orchestra conductors quite often say the same thing. But, if you take those chances and miss notes, they call you into the office and ask why you missed them. And... if you miss too many notes too many times, they fire you!
Interviewer: So what you’re saying is, they don’t really mean it?
Stevens:
I don’t know if this is always the case, but there’s an old dictum which goes: “Musicality is subjective; missed notes are objective.” One is a value judgement, the other is a technical fact — and facts are easier to deal with.
International music competition in Munich
| Year | Instrument | Laureate (Country) | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Horn | Gerd Seifert (R.F.A.) | 1st Prize |
| 1958 | Trumpet | Werner Roelstraete (Belgique) | 2nd Prize |
| 1960 | Horn | Josef Brazda (Tchécoslovaquie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1960 | Horn | Peter Damm (R.D.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1960 | Horn | Jaroslav Kofulan (Tchécoslovaquie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1960 | Horn | Hans-Helfried Richter (R.F.A.) | 3rd Prize |
| 1963 | Trumpet | Maurice André (France) | 1st Prize |
| 1963 | Trumpet | Francis Marcel Hardy (France) | 3rd Prize |
| 1964 | Horn | Hermann Baumann (R.F.A.) | 1st Prize |
| 1964 | Horn | Ferenc Tarjáni (Hongrie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1964 | Horn | Jaroslav Kotulan (Tchécoslovaquie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1965 | Trombone | Jean-Pierre Mathieu (France) | 2nd Prize |
| 1965 | Trombone | Zdenek Pulec (Tchécoslovaquie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1966 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent du Théâtre Kirov de Leningrad (USSR) | 1st Prize |
| 1966 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent Académique de Prague (Tchécoslovaquie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1966 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent de la Deutsche Oper Berlin (R.F.A.) | 3rd Prize |
| 1969 | Horn | Norbert Hauptmann (R.F.A.) | 1st Prize |
| 1969 | Horn | Zdenek Tylsar (Tchécoslovaquie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1969 | Horn | Pavel Jevstignejev (U.R.S.S.) | 3rd Prize |
| 1971 | Trumpet | Janis Marshelle Coffman (USA) | 2nd Prize |
| 1971 | Trumpet | Guy Touvron (France) | 2nd Prize |
| 1973 | Horn | Johannes Ritzkowsky (R.F.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1973 | Horn | Vladimira Bouchalová (Tchécoslovaquie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1973 | Horn | Vladislav Grigorov (Bulgarie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1974 | Trombone | Ronald Barron (USA) | 2nd Prize |
| 1974 | Trombone | Branimir Slokar (Yougoslavie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1974 | Trombone | Michel Becquet (France) | 3rd Prize |
| 1975 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette Syrinx (R.F.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1975 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent des Jeunesses Musicales de Budapest (Hongrie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1978 | Horn | John MacDonald (Canada) | 2nd Prize |
| 1978 | Horn | Zdenek Divoky (Tchécoslovaquie) | 3rd Prize |
| 1978 | Horn | James Ross (USA) | 3rd Prize |
| 1980 | Trumpet | Richard Steuart (Canada) | 2nd Prize |
| 1980 | Trumpet | Ketil Christensen (Danemark) | 3rd Prize |
| 1980 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette Chalumeau (R.F.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1980 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette Nielsen (France) | 2nd Prize |
| 1981 | Trombone | Michel Becquet (France) | 2nd Prize |
| 1981 | Trombone | Michael Mulcahy (Australie) | 2nd Prize |
| 1981 | Trombone | Gilles Millière (France) | 3rd Prize |
| 1983 | Horn | Radovan Vlatković (Yougoslavie) | 1st Prize |
| 1983 | Horn | Marie Luise Neunecker (R.F.A.) | 3rd Prize |
| 1983 | Horn | Corbin Wagner (USA) | 3rd Prize |
| 1985 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent de Berlin (R.D.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1985 | Woodwind quintet | Quintette à vent Albert Schweitzer (R.F.A.) | 3rd Prize |
| 1985 | Woodwind quintet | British Wind Quintet (GB) | 3rd Prize |
International music competition in Toulon (France)
| Year | Instrument | Laureate (Country) | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Trumpet | Stanko Arnold (YU) | 1st Prize |
| 1976 | Trumpet | Antoine Curé (F) | 2nd Prize |
| 1976 | Trumpet | J.L. Ramecourt (F) | 3rd Prize |
| 1977 | Trombone | Michel Becquet (F) | 1st Prize |
| 1977 | Trombone | Gilles Millière (F) | 1st Prize |
| 1977 | Trombone | Jan Gorny (PL) | 3rd Prize |
| 1977 | Trombone | Alain Manfrin (F) | 3rd Prize |
| 1980 | Horn | Nicolae Dosa-Jeandon (R) | 1st Prize |
| 1980 | Horn | Erich Markwast (R.D.A.) | 2nd Prize |
| 1980 | Horn | Christophe Danel (F) | 3rd Prize |
| 1981 | Trumpet | Hakan Hardenberger (S) | 1st Prize |
| 1981 | Trumpet | Paul G. Archibald (GB) | 2nd Prize |
| 1981 | Trumpet | Eric Aubier (F) | 3rd Prize |
| 1983 | Trombone | Bruno Pongy (F) | 1st Prize |
| 1983 | Trombone | Christian Lindberg (S) | 2nd Prize |
| 1983 | Trombone | Yves Favre (F) | 3rd Prize |
Names and country labels are reproduced as printed in the source. The Munich competition began in 1952; the first entry listed is from 1956.