Giuseppe Mengoli, an Italian conductor, claimed the top prize at the recent competition, impressing the judges with his performances of works by Mahler, Haydn, Berg, and Stravinsky. As the winner of the Mahler Competition, Mengoli was awarded a prize of 30,000 euros.
Taichi Fukumura, a conductor of Japanese-American descent, secured the second-place position, while German conductor Georg Köhler came in third. In addition, a new prize category was introduced this year, titled 'Best Conducting of a Contemporary Composition,' which was awarded to American conductor Kevin Fitzgerald.
The competition, held in Bamberg, Germany from July 7th to 13th, featured a repertoire that included Mahler's Symphony No. 7. Different movements from this symphony were performed in each round. The participants also showcased their skills with Haydn's Symphony No. 92, Berg's Seven Early Songs, and Stravinsky's Violin Concerto.
The final concert, scheduled for July 15th, will feature Giuseppe Mengoli conducting the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, alongside a performance by baritone Thomas Hampson.
Prior to his success at the Mahler Competition, Mengoli worked as an assistant conductor at the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands National Opera, collaborating with Lorenzo Viotti. He also assisted the artistic team of the Orchestre National de France during the rehearsal phase of Puccini's La bohème at the Theatre de Champs-Elysee, under Viotti's guidance.
In 2022, Mengoli served as the concertmaster for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra's summer tour, working with renowned conductors Teodor Currentzis and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
This year's competition received a record number of applicants, with 350 valid applications, including 282 male, 67 female, and one diverse candidate. Of these, 16 male and four female conductors were invited to compete in the finals held in Bamberg.
The Mahler Competition, established by the Bamberg Symphony and former principal conductor Jonathan Nott in 2004, is held every three years. Marina Mahler, the granddaughter of the composer Gustav Mahler, serves as the patron of both the Competition and the Mahler Foundation. The jury president for the competition is Jakub Hrůša, a Czech conductor and the current principal conductor of the Bamberg Symphony.
