Tokyo International Music Hall. The lights gradually dimmed, and the spotlight in the center of the stage lit up. The host came forward with a microphone in his hand. "(Dear judges, dear contestants, and friends who love music, welcome to the award ceremony of the Sakigaki International Piano Competition!)" The atmosphere of the audience was also mobilized in the fluent English of the host. "(Here it comes, the final award ceremony!)" "(We've been waiting for this moment!)" "(Today's competition is so exciting, come on, Mr. Burke! You must win the gold medal!)" "" In this majestic and solemn scene.
At this moment, the official live broadcast room that recorded all this also gathered netizens from all over the world. Many people didn't even watch the competition at all, but only watched some live clips on the Internet, but in order to watch the excitement, they also entered the live broadcast room at this moment of the award ceremony, and various different language barrages flew by quickly. It can be said that piano music lovers from all over the world are now paying attention to this grand event at the Sakigaki International Competition! In the lounge, all the contestants stood in front of the big screen. At this time, the judges also returned to the judges' seats one after another. From the old men's stern or sweaty expressions, it is not difficult to judge that the discussion of the jury just now should be quite intense. Even if the final result comes out, there may still be quite a few people who are not satisfied. However, the old men still sat back in their seats. The meaning may be: Even if you are not satisfied with the result, there is nothing you can do! So be it! "(The first thing to announce is the three gold, silver and bronze awards of this competition! Awarded to the three pianists with the best performance in this competition. The winners will receive sponsorship bonuses from the Tokyo International Art Association and the Sakikuni International Music Association, as well as a series of performance opportunities around the world in the future)" As soon as the host said this. For a time, there was an uproar inside and outside the venue. "(Announce the champion first?!)"
Pianist Lloyd said in disbelief,
(There has never been such a precedent)
In previous years, the Sakikuni International Piano Competition has always announced the special awards first, and then the gold, silver and bronze medal winners.
This is also easy to understand. The overall champion should be announced last! No matter what competition, this is the default rule.
After all, the most watched and suspenseful one should be the overall champion!
But what's going on?
Lloyd couldn't figure it out.
At this moment, the media reporters at the scene were also talking about it.
It was already very wrong that the jury meeting of this competition was delayed for so long, and this abnormal behavior of announcing the awards caused everyone to speculate constantly.
At this time, the judges on the jury were calm, as if everything was under control. Williams thought for a while and said: "(The only possibility is probably)" "(This special award is far more suspenseful than the champion, so it is left to the end.)" Can it be more unexpected than the champion? Several people showed incredible expressions. They could not think of how the four special awards could be announced to achieve the effect of being announced at the end. "(Could it be that the gold and silver winners of the most popular award for the audience did not win this time?)" Lloyd said tentatively. "(It is not impossible.)" Romanov said. As pianists who do not have much advantage in this competition, the more time comes, the more they want to discuss. The two people, Yubai Nishikawa and Burke, who have always been the focus of attention, are now so nervous that they remain silent, waiting for the announcement of the results. "(The first thing to be announced is the winner of the bronze medal.)" The host opened the envelope in his hand, raised his head and said: "(Williams!)" "" Lloyd and Romanov stared at Williams. No, we agreed that the three of us would eat melons together and give some advice. You got an award right away? ! The two of them immediately felt betrayed. Let's just say that cross-border friendship is unreliable! However, thinking carefully, Williams' strength has always been quite strong, and it doesn't seem strange to get the bronze medal. Williams smiled at the two of them very gentlemanly, "(Sorry.)" Everyone knows which two people will win the remaining gold and silver awards.
So, here, after a brief suspense, the host didn't drag it out. He announced it in one breath: "(Silver Award, Alves Burke!)" "(Gold Award, Yuka Nishikawa!)" "(Let's give a round of applause to the champion of the 2025 Sakikuni International Piano Competition, Mr. Yuka Nishikawa!)" "" Amidst the warm applause from the audience. Yuka Nishikawa was completely stunned. Champion? Everyone in the lounge couldn't believe it and was boiling with excitement! "(My God, I didn't expect that Mr. Nishikawa would win the championship under such circumstances!)" "(After the original work was completely overwhelmed by Mr. Lin Tian, he was still favored by the jury!)" "(However, Mr. Nishikawa's piano skills are still amazing! His performance ability makes up for this shortcoming!)" "" Everyone was discussing fiercely. At this time. Burke, who was standing by, stood up and came to the side of Xichuan Yubai. He stretched out his hand and said calmly: "(Congratulations.)" "(Thank you, this is my home game, this trophy should have been yours.)" Xichuan Yubai shook his hand and said seriously. Burke was stunned, and then smiled. "Thank you." "" She is indeed a socialite. Lin Tian, who witnessed this scene, sighed sincerely. However, Xichuan really deserves this trophy. From the first preliminary round, he was able to use a song "Dawn Night Sorrow" to create a stage effect that is on par with Lin Tian's "Croatian Rhapsody".
It is enough to prove the strength of his performance. In other words, it is precisely because he has been losing to Lin Tian in creation, but still has such popularity, which proves that he has reached the pinnacle of piano performance. Then, Xichuan Yubai, Burke, and Williams went to the stage to accept the award ceremony. Witnessed by the audience, they gave their acceptance speeches. The atmosphere on the scene was pushed to the first climax. Next, the four special awards were given. "(First, the Best Newcomer Award.)" "(Given to the Chinese pianist Lin Tian!)" No suspense. When the host finished speaking, the whole audience cheered. The official live broadcast room was also occupied by a lot of Chinese. [Brother Moonlight, awesome! ! ] [Win glory for the country! ] [In 20 years, this is the first time that a Chinese pianist has won an award at Sakibun! ]