Cliburn Competition  2013 Competition Blog  2013 Cliburn
Competition  View from the box seats: A conversation with the
chairman of the jury  This morning, I found a moment to chat
with John Giordano, chairman of the Cliburn jury since 1973.
How have you seen the competition change during your tenure
here?  It's become one of the top competitions in the world.
This year, we heard 132 recitals all over the world and had to
choose 30 pianists. So many players now are technically superb.
Everyone we brought to the competition is technically superb.
These kids now are playing works that a few generations before
some of the finest artists didn't learn until much later in
their careers.  What do you think is the task of the jury?
We're not judging pianists, we're judging artistry. We are 13
people, each with his own perception of great artistry. But
certain things people will agree on. All performers are
recreators unless they're playing jazz. That means they should
not play Mozart like Strauss or Liszt. People ta