XV International Chopin Piano Competition
The XV International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 2 to 24 October 2005 in Warsaw, organized by the. The competition was won by Rafał Blechacz of Poland, who prevailed against 80 competitors from 18 countries.
This was the first competition that was completely broadcast on TV, radio and on the internet.
Awards
For the first time, the competition introduced a preliminary round, as selecting participants from submitted recordings only was deemed not wholly reliable.In the most decisive showing in the history of the competition, Rafał Blechacz took First Prize and the special prizes for the best performance of a polonaise, mazurka, and concerto. One of the judges, Piotr Paleczny, said that Blechacz "so outclassed the remaining finalists that no second prize could actually be awarded." Another judge, John O'Conor, called Blechacz "one of the greatest artists I have had a chance to hear in my entire life". Blechacz was the first Pole to win the prize since 1975, when Krystian Zimerman won.
The following prizes were awarded:
In addition, three special prizes were awarded independently: