The Winners

At the annual Reine Elisabeth music contest in Brussels young musicians are engaged in a keen competition. The winner seems to be heading for a golden future, but does this expectation always come true? In De winnaars four winners of the contest talk about their experiences. The Russian piano player Yevgeny Moguilevsky won the first prize in 1964, but was thwarted during the rest of his career by the Russian authorities because of his alleged 'political unreliability'. The violin player Bert Senofsky, winner in 1955, tells about the enormous efforts, required by the status of a top musician. The violinist Philippe Hirschhorn won the contest in 1967, but later he was diagnosed with a serious disease, which has made him look at his career with different eyes. Violin player Mikhail Bezverkhny, winner in 1976, is still active in the musical front line, but he can hardly practice at home due to a neighbourhood quarrel. De winnaars shows that behind the glamour of the Reine Elisabeth contest a world lies hidden of hard work and many frustrations, which does not exclude the contestants' sincere love of music. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)