17-year-old Timea Krahl from Freiberg was awarded the Werner Richter Trophy at this year's Saxon competition for accordion and bandoneon "Werner Richter". She impressed the jury with her confident playing style and excellent sense of musical interpretation.
The 29th Saxon Accordion Competition "Werner Richter" was held last Saturday in Chemnitz, Werner Richter's home town, at the Municipal Music School. Accordion and bandoneon students aged 7 to 19 from all over Saxony took part in the competition and played a variety of pieces in solo and chamber music categories.
The competition concluded with an awards ceremony and concert. In addition to the prizewinners, the Duo Klangtreff, consisting of Michael Schwarzenbacher on the accordion and Marlene Förstel on the cello, also performed. Thea Richter, Werner Richter's widow, and his son Tilo Richter also accompanied the competition.
Werner Richter was one of the founding teachers of the Chemnitz music school in 1950 and headed the accordion department for decades until his retirement. He was a pillar of music school life that many of today's teachers still remember. He was held in high esteem by the teaching staff and pupils alike, not least for his often amusing works, which spanned all levels of musical development.
The bandoneon was originally developed as the "Chemnitz Concertina" in the 1830s by the Chemnitz instrument maker Carl Friedrich Uhlig.
Outlook
The 30th Saxon "Werner Richter" Competition will take place again on 26 September 2026 at the Chemnitz Municipal Music School.
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