??such blow-your-socks-off virtuosity is complemented with a dark, intense, ferociously concentrated essence and nature?unlike so many competition winners we shall surely be hearing a lot more of this prodigiously gifted young pianist and life force.?
-Bryce Morrison, Deutsche Gramophone June issue 2006
?A world class pianist performing at his absolute best??
New York Times, 2005
On 13 May 2005 at the Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach, Florida, USA, ?Ukrainian firebrand Alexander Gavrylyuk commenced the proceedings. Gavrylyuk is the Gold Medal Winner of Israel's Artur Rubinstein Competition. From his remarkable playing and artistic insight, it was easy to see what impressed the competition jury.?
Critic, Lawrence Budman
Yediot Hachonot (Y-Net) – 1 April, 2005
Author: Chanoch Ron
An amazing rocket flew to the final
This time I have a wonderful contender to win the first prize: “Alexander Gavrylyuk” Ukranian, an Australian citizen. With him it's not only that the music is brilliant – this is the creation of the music!
This child stands and touches the sky! An amazing rocket flies to the finals. A real artist! What a wonderful surprise!
When he plays, it causes me to cry, to laugh, to moan and to be cheerful. The Italian Concerto (Bach) he turns into a church of pure sounds. With him, the playing comes from within. From the intestines…that is a different Bach. A combination of Glen Gold and Angela Hewitt together. Suddenly, I saw Bach standing at the edge of the stage and smiling warmly to the ‘child'.
He simply throws in the rubbish all that is banal. He presents Haydn with depth. It's not the “nice” Haydn – even Prokofiev starts to sing. All the human subtleties of Prokofiev started to flood from his piano to the concert hall. Gavrylyuk is only 20, but he plays as if he has the experience of a 40 year old. As if he already managed to experience the taste of life and made love with a lot of women on one side – but on the other side, touched the soul and the human pain. He's a natural phenomenon!
Last night, the judges chose the happy 16 contenders who are going to the second stage. The details of the name are too wieldy and unimportant. What is important is that our [Israeli] team is inside. Who we have is the Chinese girl for whom the eroticism is pouring out of her piano. The Chinese girl who knows how to sing, the wonderful Korean, the sensitive Georgian, and the Korean who prays to God. And – the Rocket who flew yesterday to the finals – Gavrylyuk!
Today starts the second stage – wow – how difficult it is…they are going out to the big battle….Wait for surprises and sparks!
Y-Net 14 April. 2005
Author: Chanoch Ron
And the Winner?Alexander Gavrylyuk
That's it! That is the end ? the first prize which is a gold medal plus $25,000 was awarded to Alexander Gavrylyuk from the Ukraine . The second prize a silver medal plus $15k was awarded to Igor Levit from Russia . The 3rd prize ? Bronze medal plus $10k was awarded to the Korean Yaul Aum Sun.
The prize for the audience favourite was received by Igor Levit from Moshe Vardi ? in memory of Dr Hertzel Rozenblum.
He [Gavrylyuk] is a magician! And maybe the ?Devil' himself entered into this child! And of course he picks the first prize. Since Pogorelich you haven't heard Tchaikovsky in such a way. What a drama! What a flow of music! And he also had paragraphs full of poetry ? so much so that it seems that the piano will start singing!
Ladies and Gentleman ? the magic of Rubenstein has returned to the competition. Gavrylyuk has shown it from the first moment ? from the first stage ? all along. Igor Levit also deserves, due to his Brahms, due to the depth of his playing his music won over the ?pianism' (the separation between playing the piano and the music ). Levit played Brahms ? and introduced into it the ?singing' of Pulini and the ?depth' of Barenboim?just wonderful! Yaul Am Sung deserves to be in the top also due to the artist in her, due to the natural way in which she plays, due to the sound and the flow of her music!
