Tchaikovsky Competition 2019 Final Orchestra Fail (Backstage Footage Included. Pianist: Tianxu An)

| Tchaik Final 2019 | Major Blunder: Orchestra and Contestant Start with Different Concerti in Mind. [UPDATE: Employee Suspended]
Imagine this: you've made it all the way to the finals of one of the biggest competitions in the world, you've prepared all year for this moment, and you are ready to show the world what you've got. You take a deep breath, put your hands down, and wait for the orchestra to play its opening five bars --- except that there aren’t five bars, because the orchestra thought you were playing a different concerto. Pretty unlikely, right?
Yet this is exactly what happened yesterday at the finals of the 2019 International Tchaikovsky competition. Chinese contestant Tianxu An entered late during the opening of the Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, after which he was visibly upset, and baffled. It appears that the misunderanding happened during the anouncement of the program (shown in this video), in which the announcer announced the name of another concerto, Tchaikovsky Concerto No.1, first. This announcement was met by an expression of confusion by the conductor, Vasily Petrenko. The announcer then said something in Russian, and quickly announced Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody.
Mr. An clearly did not get the memo that he was to start with the Rachmaninoff, and the rest is history.
How will this affect his final ranking, and what does he think of this gaffe? Piano League will follow up with the competition and also Mr. An.
UPDATE: (June 26, 2019) the competition committee released an official statement regarding the incident:
“Due to a gross error committed by an employee of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra “Evgeny Svetlanov” on June 25, 2019, before the Competition performance of An Tianxu, the musical scores by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff for the orchestra and the conductor were arranged in a reverse order which differed from the pattern requested by the participant. In this connection, the performance began with a failure, because the participant was unable to immediately understand what had happened, and switched to another musical piece already during the performance.
By a unanimous decision of the Jury, Denis Matsuev, the Jury Chair in the Piano category, officially invited An Tianxu to re-play his program. The participant officially refused.
After this blatant incident, the Administration of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra “Evgeny Svetlanov” decided to suspend the employee from work.”
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[@maxim9280]

I'm 33 and I'm lost in life. I was fired recently and I'm alone in the country whose borders are locked because of the virus. I rent an expensive flat.

[@maxim9280]

Piano League appreciate that🙏

[@imskar3441]

максим карандашев everything will get better believe it ❤️

[@scherzomazeppa726]

Give it some time, Maxim. I've been there--you are still young. The virus will pass, then other opportunities will come your way!

[@Hatera]

Hey you'll be alright, just let some time pass, and everything will be alright again. This whole situation isn't really needed to be feared over, and you're at the age where if you get it you'll be fine, it'll just be like a normal flu. Im sorry that you got fired from your job, but at least you have the internet for company. May god be with you throughout this whole situation.

[@neraknerak1]

Maybe change flats asap and find support

[@fjhaydn6047]

I applaud the pianist for even being able to start the unplanned piece

[@mcrettable]

It was supposed to be 2nd not 1st wasn't it

[@fjhaydn6047]

@@mcrettable Yup. He should not have laid his hands on the keys upon hearing the error.

[@fjhaydn6047]

@@teacoffee42 When you spend the entire first half of your life preparing for something you want to give it your best shot. I, however, would have folded my arms and sit back.

[@fjhaydn6047]

@@forbandyson8921 Too bad they can't restore the lost opportunity. He is young and may try again the next time, however, there are similar victims from the past that are still forgotten today, despite the uproar of many.

[@fjhaydn6047]

@@forbandyson8921 It is difficult to communicate delicate emotions in music when you are upset

[@SpaghettiToaster]

It's so much worse due to the fact that the Rachmaninoff has the piano entry in the very first bar.

[@DariusMo]

Imagine the orchestra played rach 2, probably would've been incredibly awkward

[@dap4699]

@@DariusMo haha, ah fuck...

[@Balfour.]

Imagine if they had to play Schumann's Concerto

[@dap4699]

@@Balfour. that would be like a quick time event.

[@sensei-sama903]

bl00dwork Ravel concerto in g major...

[@brandon142]

1:43 okay, don't tell him we are playing Rachmaninov

[@patrikvanhavere7109]

oh.my.God

[@josephalvarez5315]

HAHA HAHAHA. Like he's trying to keep a secret. Ooo that killed me

[@user-ri8zl9ot6t]

Brandon haha omg lmao

[@xyz86457]

lmao

[@liloruf2838]

What did happen? I didn't get it :(

[@Benjamin3344]

He is a hero.

[@olgapiano1404]

absolutely

[@cupcakes4100]

😊

[@bookworm_of_heaven]

To just keep playing, not be angry at the time and actually perform well without being prepared... I admire him

[@Deeznat69]

@@bookworm_of_heaven in music career you can't take it personal

[@pineapple7024]

Cassius Grandiel There’s a certain point where professionalism can no longer be upheld, and this would be that point for most people

[@jwzjwz2003cn]

Phase 1: Shock? Phase 2: Denial of believing. Phase 3: Acceptance. Phase 4: Carry on with a powerful performance. All done within a couple of seconds. This guy's good.

[@diegocarrillo2360]

The 4 phases of the loss of a good Tchaikovsky performance

[@maryganc]

The performance wasn't good?

[@timotheuspeter734]

@@maryganc The performance was of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini instead of the (actually planned) Tchaikovsky performance.. that is what the OP meant.

[@maryganc]

@@timotheuspeter734 yes( but wasn't it well?

[@timotheuspeter734]

@@maryganc I think that is not mentioned in the above post - it just says that an (allegedly) good performance of Tchaikovsky was/might have been omitted.. :) I only know the small portion of the Rachmaninov of the video, so I don't know whether that performance was indeed 'good' altogether.

[@contagieux]

Mad props to the pianist for being aware and able to jump in and play like that. He had a split second to decide to play or not. I'm certain I would have not been that composed.

[@barbar500]

Man your YT name didn't age well XD just kidding

[@artemtsarevskiy2785]

This man's got reflexes. He probably does his staccato exercises on a hot stove.

[@MP-el4hc]

I'd definitely freeze out of shock then when my consciousness is back I'd messily trying to catch up while my mind's spinning around, dying inside and outside haha.... no wonder I'm bad at performing huh

[@vegandonut5456]

@@MP-el4hc If such thing ever happens, I wouldn’t lay my hands on the keys.

[@RaineStudio]

I would have sat silent until the conductor broke off and turned around to see what was wrong. Then have a big smile and as graciously as possible ask him to start the other piece.

[@benjaminpark7636]

Imagine how awkward it would’ve been if he played a concerto where the piano plays first. He and the conductor would be just staring at each other, waiting for the other to start.

[@DesertFox36]

at least audience/judge won't see a clear lapse such as missing a start lol

[@danielharrington4342]

It would basically be a shitshow if Tianxu were to play Rachmanioff Piano Concerto 2 lol.

[@chrisnguyen6346]

Or worse, if the orchestra and the piano started at the same time, that would be 2 different pieces played, one played by pianist and 1 played by the orchestra. Bro...I cannot imagine how messed up that situation would be

[@danielharrington4342]

@@chrisnguyen6346 Imagine playing Schumann's Piano Concerto lol

[@chrisnguyen6346]

@@danielharrington4342 However, An's reaction and reflex was astonishing. Like he had to make a decision in less than a second. Although he did give a great performance afterwards, the mis-coordenation of the competition definitely affected his mood for the rest of the performance. If I were him, I would drop off from the very beginning. What a legend!!

[@isabellllee]

2:04 his face here “.......are you kidding me..????”

[@arq9731]

Ikr the panic in his face

[@user-on6tb4zh5d]

chego blyat face =) kzbin.info/www/bejne/opCQXpitl5mMjsk

[@c.l.368]

Yeah, I LOL every time I see it, he's like "how the fuck could you do this to me???"

[@akkay47]

Lol that's the biggest WTF face I've seen in a long time

[@loveispatient0808]

I feel so sorry for him!!🤭 they should have re start the whole performance!!!!! It’s very very very unfair to him!!! It doesn’t speak well of this competition, bringing a bad reputation to it, so sad!!!😒😒

[@maestroclassico5801]

Strong technical Pianist. Power in his fingers. And he didn't miss his cue and got right on it. Not fair though. The competition should be announced in more than 2 languages.

[@NectarineofQuality]

Maestro Classico He did miss it he was supposed to come in earlier.

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

Funny how much you sound like a mouthpiece spreading THE EXACT message that that pianist's communist overlords want you to shill for them, isn't it? They want everything in the world to be not-also in Mandarin, but only in Mandarin. You've been played, congrats. You're a useful I'd I ot.

[@wouterberings6535]

@@ezekielbrockmann114 I hope that you meant that ironic?

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

@@wouterberings6535 you mean "ironically?“

[@finneasmoore7674]

@@ezekielbrockmann114 YOU mean "idiot??" lmao "I'd I ot"

[@pativi6643]

His face at 2:04 kills me. In seriousness though, it's absolutely awful, and I can't even imagine what is going on through his head, being on one of the most prestigious competition. The amount of work and practice he has put into this, only to be met with messy management, it's heartbreaking. Incredible that he bounced off of this, but the mental is just not the same.

[@emily-janeluo166]

It is so shocking at first, since no one expects such mistake would happen at such major competitions. It feels like a joke, comical, but tragic and heart wrenching to watch. As a pianist, the very first mistake affects your desire to make it close to the best. At the time, most people would think omg, I made such a mistake. But also professionals learn to carry on gracefully, no matter what. But it was so painful to feel his pain and shock. Hats off to his quick reaction.

[@FUZionist]

Poor communication between them, my man thought he was going to the piece after this one

[@Eorzat]

This kind of thing can actually make your career. If he bombed the opening, then, yeah, sure we could all blame the competition and say that he deserves to redo it. But the fact that he carried himself through it all and then declined to re-perform really shows his integrity and professionalism in addition to his musicianship.

[@DMTHOTH]

Mistake? Lol you are naïve. Eastern european concours are known for anti-asian racial discrimination practice for a while now.

[@theMad_Artist]

Oh my god as a pianist myself this is so painful to watch

[@DanielRobertspiano]

I know! Imagine if it was the Schumann concerto.

[@theMad_Artist]

@@DanielRobertspiano oh dear!

[@gabrielbustos2706]

Daniel Roberts or the grieg, for that matter!

[@theMad_Artist]

@@gabrielbustos2706 Or Rach 2 😂

[@gabrielbustos2706]

Abhik Mazumder imagine the awkward silence as the pianist just sits there

[@LisztyLiszt]

If it wasn't hard enough to play two big concertos back to back, you don't even know which one you're to play first.

[@phoebem]

LisztyLiszt true

[@mvhax2ftw352]

Lol

[@andrew_li]

Props to him. He literally had a single second to react, realize that the music was wrong. And he still played it correctly.

[@lawrencedavies4398]

If you watch closely, it's almost as if he plays that first chord before he even really registers what's happened. His fingers react to the situation before his face does!

[@TicoTimeCR]

The look on An's face @2:03 says it all.

[@liloruf2838]

What did happen? I didn't get it :(

[@TicoTimeCR]

@@liloruf2838 Read the description under the video. TLDR: The orchestra started with the wrong piece. Should have been Tchaikovsky Concerto No.1.

[@c.l.368]

Truly priceless, even though it's a serious matter I can't help myself but laugh out loud every time I see it ahahha

[@pieropieraccioni9859]

C. L. He lost the competition and the 130.000USD prize...

[@arbie_m]

Yes it is like from the drama. I thought at first this was a prank/scripted when I watched it from a random yt short video. But as I scroll down the comments I learned it was real 😅 so that's why I'm here checking this longer video

[@saintricardo8746]

Dude... He needs to sue them. Imagine practicing 40hrs a day just to play a different piece

[@seignee]

Ling ling...

[@Eorzat]

It's not that he played a different piece. It's just that the order was mixed up, and he didn't get the memo since (surprise) he doesn't speak Russian lol

[@Eorzat]

Yanjun Sun According to the description, the announcer announced that they were going to start with the Tchaikovsky but then corrected himself stating that they’re going to start with the Rachmaninov. The pianist heard the Tchaikovsky first and assumed that they were going to start with the Tchaikovsky. No one bothered to translate the announcer to him I guess.

[@nivsport]

One of the orchestra staff messed up and put the Rachmaninov sheets before the Tchaikovsky sheets, so it was supposed to be Tchaikovsky, but the staff messed it up, and the staff member needed up getting fired, so you could say justice was served for the soloist

[@Sophia-vf7mh]

"40 hours a day"

[@liliankelly1362]

A shocking lack of communication. Poor guy- under all that pressure.

[@josephmyers2133]

1:43 Shhhh, it's a prank

[@Balfour.]

Tianxu: Joke's on you bitches coz I'm a boss

[@Balfour.]

KZbin didn't recommend me neither of the three first places. I still have to know their names and faces.

[@GabsARV]

I think that's just the conductor gesturing the orchestra to stop the chatter and start playing. I mean I've seen some conductors even tell their orchestra to shut up and play.

[@niccolopaganini4268]

@@GabsARV It's a joke you know?

[@blue.goldfish]

you made me lol

[@sergiodante5281]

"officially invited An Tianxu to re-play his program. The participant officially refused" Dmnnnnn.

[@salrubz]

If you had just run a marathon and the judges asked you to redo it because they'd forgotten to start the stopwatch, you wouldn't be head over heels going again either 🤦‍♀️

[@alinadong7436]

I would refuse don't want to go through the pressure. Brings back old memories

[@eggizgud]

He explained why he declined. There's a written interview online. Along the lines of what the two above said.

[@damiester1]

@Marquis De Sade I'd say what the pianist suffered was worse lol

[@chi7818]

This situation is a lose lose for everyone. Inviting him back is insulting since you completely ruined his focus and concentration then ask him to play again in that state. Imagine if you studied for test for literal months, then they changed all the questions on you without you knowing and after you failed it they are like “oh yeah my bad you got the wrong one, want to take the real test again right now?”

[@donaldcoppersmith1018]

田旭安, Tianxu An, received a 10 minute standing ovation from the audience playing Rachmaninoff in the park Mann Music Center Tuesday evening July 23rd Philadelphia PA. He was good; go see him one day in concert.

[@zhuziqi6786]

Actually his name is安天旭

[@obiwan88]

His name is 安 田旭, East Asians put family names in front. A typical example of a foreigner trying to be clever, bravo.

[@zack1140]

The look on his face is just perfect. Confusion, betrayal, annoyance and slight disgust. But he smashed it and was like: I won't let Fate ruin this for me.

[@carl6167]

This must be a nightmare....

[@midnightmusic1087]

Carl Witold Jontza-Miskiewicz wait, so he was going to play Tchaikovsky but the orchestra played rach and he went with it?

[@franciscofragoeiro5229]

@@midnightmusic1087 he was going to play both, supposedly Rachmaninov and then Tchaikovsky, but the announcer fucked up, said Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Later, he corrected what he had said, in Russian, which the pianist didn't understand, back to the correct order. However, the pianist prepared himself mentally to play Tchaikovsky only to hear the orchestra starting the Rach piece, which had his entry right in the first bars

[@midnightmusic1087]

Francisco Fragoeiro oh... thanks for clarifying.😀

[@choizhanzhi3830]

@@midnightmusic1087 No that is not the story, initially they have agreed to play tchai before playing the rach rhapsody, but somehow they arranged the order in rach then tchai mistakenly. When announcing they said it in right order the first time, so An thought it was correct, but then they announced that they did a mistake in russian which clearly An has no idea what they are about. Which the order was then Rach then Tchai. Thats what exactly happened

[@MrTian1212]

Carl Witold Jontza Miskiewicz I cant even imagine it without sweating my hands or feet.

[@StefanoGuarascio]

This guy is absolutely a professional. Many times in life things go differently from what you planned, but the way he handled it with resilience and professionalism really prove he’s much more than a good pianist.

[@lanli7603]

从他的这个场景里，我学到一个理念，那就是在生活中往往会遇到计划外的糟糕情况，但他从震惊到难以接受再到完全面对地去完成，尽管需要用计划外的办法去完成，向他致敬❤

[@bsy527]

Im not sure if thats the right attitude by the competition. Rather than saying we are sorry theyre just pointing at one employee for the whole thing. That might be true but i dont know if that was the right thing they should have said.

[@chris-hayes]

They also gave him some special award and offered him the opportunity to redo the performance.

[@ellieboi]

that's kinda how russia handles things lol

[@ezekielbrockmann114]

Do not worry. That employee did his job exactly as he was instructed to do it. He's now been promoted, that is all. Think about it a little more.

[@kacpers6975]

@@chris-hayes He actually was offered a chance to do it again but declined.

[@threethrushes]

@@ezekielbrockmann114 Something tells me you are acquainted with how things work in Russia.

[@user-rl1rh3ou7b]

間違えられたとは思えないほど素敵。 私なら絶対頭真っ白になって何もできなくなる。 日々努力してるんだろうなプロはすごい！

[@chi7818]

to put things into perspective a little bit, An Tianxu ended up 4th place after the screwup because he missed the entry and it took him a while to get his bearings properly. what does this mean? well instead of having a chance to win and getting $130,000 US he got $5000 US and instead of being able to put winner of international piano competition on his resume he gets to write special award for courage. sure he is slightly internet famous for now but I don't know if that will help his career. that's just the thoughts of some nobody on the internet. have a nice day.

[@Eorzat]

Competition scandals like this can actually bring a lot of fame to someone's career. Ivo Pogorelich was eliminated in the third round of the International Chopin Competition, but he became famous after Martha Agelrich proclaimed him to be a genius and said that the competition was wrong to eliminate him.

[@agni2003]

Yes but how many people have seen the winner vs how many people have seen and appreciated the abilities of An Tianxu?

[@chi7818]

Agni2003 but did that help with his career though? I don’t know since I’m not a musician so I have no idea how that would effect him except the loss of prize money and awards. All I know is I haven’t heard anything about him after this event but then again I’m not a musician so no idea if this benefited him. Having people somewhat know you might not really matter to some people as well.

[@chi7818]

E Stolee bro they invited him back to compete, that’s useless. Imagine getting fired then they’re like sorry, but you can apply again

[@chi7818]

E Stolee ok agree to disagree is fine. I feel the exact opposite lol. If he came back and lost I wouldn’t feel bad because he didn’t have the ability to win. As long as everything was fair then and he lost there’s no reason to feel bad. Losing because the event screwed up is another thing. Plus the event is every 4 years so he would have to wait till 2023. Also being invited means nothing because there is no rule about number of times you can participate. Anyone who didn’t win can apply again as long as they are in the age range. So yeah giving someone an opportunity to win 1st prize is nonsense since literally everyone who competes has the opportunity to win first prize, that’s what competing is. It isn’t any kind of compensation or favor, it’s a try again 4 years later like everyone else. Finally it’s a lose lose situation if he comes back. If he comes back and loses then he lost and that kind of forgives the scandal since he wasn’t skilled enough to win anyways. If he wins it’ll be “he only won because of last time” and people will blemish it like that.

[@vrixphillips]

the fact he doesn't scream or shout at the conductor is what gets me. I'm amazed. Truly a great soloist with the patience of Job and the concentration skills of . . . gosh, it's incomparable to anything else.

[@emily6238]

Original order is Rachmaninov first 1.but Tchaikovsky announced first. 2.Conductor frowns 3.An Tianxu prepares to play Tchaikovsky first mentally. 3.Announcer apologies in Russian and say Rachmaninov. 4.Conductor nod and smile (announcement corrected) 5.An didn't understand Russian and didn't know announcement was wrong. 6.An gets on stage ready to play Tchaikovsky. 7.Orchestra play Rachmaninov --- Update: An, planned to perform Tchaikovsky followed by Rachmaninov. But the organizing committee gave the conductor and orchestra the wrong order of play. This explains why An didn't ask if program was wrong initially, when he heard Tchaikovsky announced. Subsequently thought Rachmaninov was announced as "to follow"/second. As to why this could happen (pianist and orchestra getting wrong order), we'll have to look at the org of the competition. Still, if An clearly hears announcement corrected to become the wrong order, he might ask or clarify. Even if the program was mixed up, they might rectify it in time. Takes 2 mistake to leads to this.

[@dhwu1619]

Thank you.

[@zinam5795]

...Yes, but the conductor 's MIMIC was VERY brightly, ab . the announcement mistake. --he's listening VERY carefully, but An ,in same time ,had smiling to somebodie..... Now , we can to smile with that "anecdote"....

[@junseonglee1536]

wtf

[@sarahlo5084]

So that’s what happened. Splash out for an interpreter next time?

[@yjhong78]

Good summary

[@tchaffman]

1:45 Very ambitious choice of rubato! 👍

[@maxim9280]

Ted Chaffman explain?

[@matthewphillips5950]

@@maxim9280 His first piano chord was a beat late

[@maxim9280]

Matthew Phillips 😁

[@fjhaydn6047]

lol

[@fjhaydn6047]

Let's ALL use his rubato in protest

[@gemmale7346]

Two set brought me here. And this guy was amazing. I’m cringing right now.

[@Fai2012]

More than his technical skills, the ability to recover from a mental shock on stage is simply amazing.

[@gentlegoat6663]

What thought must've been going through his head after he missed the first note..

[@ZJCong]

According to the KZbin community guidelines, what he thought at that moment cannot be shared here in the comment section due to its Extremely Unfriendly nature lol

[@user-cj6um3st2w]

“My mom’s gonna be so mad.”

[@niccolopaganini4268]

The conductor and the orchestra missed the right concerto

[@da96103]

Mom will not cook rice for me for one week.

[@lemontea9735]

@@user-cj6um3st2w who the fuck cares about what your mom thinks it's a competition YOU prepared for. You decided to enter it.

[@eran8236]

The reaction in less than a second to play the piece he wasn't expected is really impressive and i don't think many people realise this.

[@wojak..8740]

3:12 left hand magician 🎩

[@Danlovar]

Wingardium Leviosa.

[@shirleyhare6177]

Tianxu, you won me over, splendid, you did so well under very difficult circumstances! bravo! Sure hope you did well, you deserve it!! Australia 🇦🇺

[@bobertpaulbufano4569]

The look on his face at 2:04! Honestly though, he managed to adapt so fast, impressive!!

[@Irina_Tatarintseva]

Ань Тяньсю - великолепный пианист! Не растерялся в такой ситуации. Браво!

[@user-wj5oy8qx4m]

но лет на 20 все же постарел. :)

[@AidRealGOD]

Вы правы не расстрелялся)

[@oliverbartek3033]

2:04 "you have dishonored my family and you have put me in shame"

[@loveispatient0808]

Family? .. my country!!!!😀

[@basanfamily2059]

0808JCS Lee oof- 😂

[@taetae1256]

If he reacted and recovered this fast from a mistake and even played the unplanned piece gracefully knowing it's one difficult piece, he should be the champion of all cause ain't no way.

[@nitya404]

That innocent smile in the beginning will never be seen after this :'(

[@yangjustu4382]

Bruh, his reaction time is inhuman.

[@user-zf9mz4hs5h]

This Chinese pianist is strong and beautiful.

[@WilliamAhlert]

Such a beautiful performance apart from that understandably mistaken start! Such a shame. I hope this story gets him well deserved publicity for his triumph over such sudden pressure!

[@marumaruko8989]

Twitterで見かけてフルで観たくて来たけど、最初はとんでもなく驚愕してるところに気の毒ながらも笑ってしまったんだけど、すぐに切り替えてリハも無いまま止まらずに素晴らしい演奏を披露されていて感動しました。この演奏者さんが本当に凄くて格好いい

[@lekhapratap1652]

0:17 the calm before the shitstorm

[@jonathanmikkelborg2612]

The betrayal in his eyes

[@titob.yotokojr.9337]

Kudos to the pianist for his split second recovery and lightning fast reflex reaction. . If I were in his place, I might have hit the first chord to the Tchaikovsky instead, for that is what I was mentally preparing to play. Great reflexes from the pianist!

[@joeya6795]

What he really should've done, was start playing the Tchaikovsky, if he was a true badass, and force the conductor and orchestra to correct.

[@aerohydra3849]

Most likely the Tchaikovsky starts with orchestra, like a lot of other concertos, and piano only comes in at a later time. The Rhapsody starts with piano though.

[@winter6849]

Joey A you’re watching too much drama

[@blinkape3957]

This performance still baffles me, like...this is talent...wasn’t even prepared for the piece and still provided an excellent performance

[@vladimirzharov8403]

What a challenge and what a professionalism!

[@Orzakelol]

I'll be confused forever, thank you comment section! Yes I know the description exists

[@jassskmaster7575]

lmao I know right. I'm trying to piece together the whole story but I'm only getting random fragments in the comments... I don't know if I'll ever fully understand what's going on

[@user-bf6pu3md4z]

Петренко и пианист у, браво!!!

[@PieInTheSky9]

Which part is confusing? The description is pretty detailed about what happened

[@vaultboy1488]

Какая жесть! Никакой фильм ужасов с этим не сравнится! Смотрю и потеют ладошки и кровь в жилах стынет

[@curaticac5391]

I hope this will not be the only highlight of the young Chinese pianist's career! Petrenko had been as baffled as the performer.

[@desideria7801]

petrenko is just a bastard.

[@vladimirzharov8403]

Was it conductor's fail? Clearly no

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@* eMar "Petrenko looked confused first and than relieved about the announcement because no harpist and too little brass players were on stage for Tchaikovsky concerto No. 1." You have that in reverse. The Rachmaninov asks for the bigger forces. The Rhapsody has a Tuba and extensive percussion and a harp. The Tchaikovsky has none of these.

[@kestrel4733]

Desideria7 it’s definitely not Petrenko’s fault, the programming was arranged incorrectly so he thought the rechmaninoff should have been first. It’s just the flubbed announcement and a miscommunication made the pianist think Tchaikovsky was first resulting in the issue.

[@safasaleh3010]

It's sad everytime I can't imagine the pressure he felt during the performance

[@mariamakarova9274]

умничка. жаль, что так вышло. конечно, он переживал перед конкурсом еще и такая подстава.

[@phulei]

The fact this was impromptu and they way he put so much anger and confusion into this made this one of the greatest performances of this piece ever!

[@aleman05azul]

He is more famous now than ever before, he’ll be just fine.

[@loveispatient0808]

Oh really! Good for him! I accidentally saw this video, otherwise not aware of this incident. Felt so sorry for him, but wish him well for his future musical career!!!

[@lambsauce8893]

*_somebody please give the guy a medal he deserves it_*

[@abaddoniez]

what a magical moment! the faces, the reactions, the pianist an absolute beast of composure! We can only imagine what goes through his mind!! Its amazing how he can even play with all those thoughts on his mind! Unique moment for all the wrong reasons!

[@kitkatkiki677]

I find this to be an inspiration. If I’m ever caught in a situation, I will definitely look to this as an example of grace under pressure!!

[@joyce1343]

His face was like seriously dude! Props to him for adapting quickly

[@natori_jinrou]

最初はハプニング動画としてみたけど、迫真の演奏と楽曲のかっこよさを気に入って何回も聞いてる

[@ic1013]

He deserves a lot of respect. Hope to see his recital someday!

[@googly4038]

What a madlad for continuing.

[@rybakostis]

The guy is lucky! Thanks to this accident,he will be remembered forever, cause, do you even remember the first and second places? And certainly, the way he handled it will only reinforce the positive impression. Great job! 🎉

[@thewisebaker4185]

I’m a non-musician, but the video with your comments below actually made me feel sorry for the pianist Tianxu. However, he handled this situation like a pro.

[@marukchozt6744]

When they give you a pop quiz as final exam that's completely different from the study guide...

[@changebunny1442]

1:43 Conductor:　_Shhhhh dont tell him we are playing the second piece first_

[@Blooming20s]

People really have very different personalities. I can't blame him for that. For me, a girl who can't speak Russian, would choose to sit back and say" No, no, this is not my song choice." Poor guy! The judges are wicked not to stop the performance. 4 years of hard work!!!!

[@yecly]

Oh my god! I was speechless. I had mishaps in concerto, but if this happens to me... I will be devastated. Tho by good gracious he might performed the piece in the past, having it thrown on the face in such a moment is unthinkable. It didn't matter. Even I don't remember all of the notes inside pieces that I've performed. I stand with him. Respect with love. Management can hang themselves in shame!

[@N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S.]

The look he gives the conductor at 2:03 pretty much sums it up.

[@khashayaramri]

I’ve had once a nightmare like this. It’s not fair

[@JayPabalat]

I'm getting nervous and anxious just by watching this.

[@ioanpost]

2:04 new meme

[@manuelbes]

I wonder if someone used this as a meme template...

[@anitac3086]

This was painful to watch. If I were in that situation, my mind would just go blank and I'd probably cry too lol

[@TL-tc9jq]

From a figure skating point of view, this means that when you skated your whole life so far and finally you’re on the ice ready to start your short program at the Olympics that you’ve dreamt about, with all the run-throughs, warm ups and mental preparations done for the short and you’re in your short program costume, AND YOUR FREE SKATE MUSIC STARTS BUT STILL YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE.

[@Calvin1985]

That bewildered look the pianist gives the conductor sends me every time 💀

[@johntherevelator2020]

That sucks for him, and he looked so happy to be there before the mistake. He has awesome reflexes however.

[@monition5655]

This is actually physically painful and agonizing to watch.

[@hosinooji]

life is always full of surprise.... what a talented pianist

[@alan137]

Props to him. I'm sure it's not easy to react that quickly and manage to hold it together as well as he did after such a shock.

[@emmyrip8615]

What a champion for going with the flow

[@leonardovinci3878]

- What we will play first, Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky? - Yes. - Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky? - Okay, okay.

[@zzZ-by5ir]

you kidding? not funny

[@phoebem]

zz Z exactly! It’s not funny to make fun of someone else’s misery

[@Iwasaqt]

LOL!!!

[@leonardovinci3878]

@@user-ev8ch5bm2z no.

[@MarcoLeeJones]

Fuck you.

[@cynicaldrummer286]

I've such respect for him . Well done. Great recovery

[@wickster2121]

wow....despite all this...I dont think I've ever heard a better, more beautiful articulate version!

[@djunkaroo]

His resilience in a chaotic moment is awesome. I've watched this several times but I have no idea who won the competition.

[@sundude800]

It is mandatory that Twoset react to this

[@user-dy3dm8he6h]

2 weeks later

[@Cosette-cz5xh]

Dude is a real MVP. Imagine working for months on a huge project overtime and being told by management that they actually decided to ditch that for another of yours last minute because of the client 'had a change of heart'. Lol, the fact he recovered in mere seconds, what a W.

[@ajl4809]

This man is actually a genius...

[@katelee2218]

Though forced to play a different piece，he did a good job anyway.

[@fryderyckchopin484]

1:46 When the teacher says the exam ends in 5 minutes

[@MathMass]

soon this one will be more popular than any Tchai-Prize winners on youtube, Congrtulations!

[@jackf5877]

And this guy was only 20 yrs old at that moment. Wonderful reaction, damn...

[@donaldcoppersmith1018]

The Winner of 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition!

[@sanjosemike3137]

As a world class artist, he undoubtedly knows the Rachmaninov Rhapsody, and can “come up with it.” But when he walked on stage, he was not planning to play it “just then.” After the introduction, he found out, to his shock that the Rhapsody was what he was going to have to do. I don’t think it was deliberate. His professionalism was outstanding. He is an amazing artist. Sanjosemike (no longer in Ca)

[@tsj8726]

He prepared both pieces for this comperition it was just wrong order

[@d.feldman]

It was deliberate. Confirmed that the conductor and program took money to switch the order. Competition is a scam and sham.

[@sanjosemike3137]

@@d.feldman I am not sure how you can prove this. But by hiring a private investigator, you might. But it would probably cost several thousand dollars, which most young artists do not have. Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)

[@glagolitic]

Precisely one second, he took - to figure out what was happening, unload one concerto from his brain, load a new one, start playing, and get back in synchronisation. I'm not surprised he was annoyed, but the way he handled it was nearly miraculous.

[@PompayKing123]

I was waiting for the fail the whole time, but apparently it happened in the beginning. Ig the pianist is just that good

[@indayrin9736]

So proud of this guy what

[@mikeyankofsky8003]

I love the conductor’s facial expression at 1:58. Almost like he knew the pianist wasn’t ready for the rhapsody on the theme of Paganini.

[@wickster2121]

when I saw that u thought it was a joke before reading the descriptions here.

[@nrai12]

Somebody give him a Nobel Prize..are you even serious ...people have trouble playing something that they have learned since years..though some people may think it was just about order of the pieces, it's a big deal. Playing Rachmaninoff without having time to process his thoughts is a big thing.... And yes any award can't compare to the bravery he has shown.👏👏👏