Article 1

The Olivier Messiaen Contest, devoted to contemporary music performance, is to be held in Paris from 3 to 10 December 2000, as part of the "Concours internationaux de la Ville de Paris". In 2000, this contest will be open to pianists only.

The contest is being organised by Acanthes, in collaboration with the Fondation Olivier Messiaen.

Article 2

The contest is open to pianists of all nationalities born after 3 December 1967. After due consideration of candidates' applications, the Contest organisers shall be sole judges of their eligibility to compete. Admitted contestants shall receive personal notification.

Article 3. Programme

First eliminatory round (maximum 20 minutes)
1 – Olivier Messiaen: Ile de Feu II (Durand)
or Regard des Anges (extract from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus) (Durand)
or L'Alouette calandrelle (extract from Catalogue d'Oiseaux, 5ème Livre) (Durand)

2 – Claude Debussy:
a) any one of the 12 Etudes
b) any one of the Preludes, except 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 21, 22

3 – A work or movement by any one of the following: Luciano Berio, Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough, André Jolivet, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, Helmut Lachenmann, Alain Louvier, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Toru Takemitsu or Iannis Xenakis

Second eliminatory round
1 – Olivier Messiaen: one of the following combinations of pieces from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus: either 11 and 6, or 15 and 10, or 5 and 18 (Durand)

2 – either Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit (Ondine – Scarbo)
or Belá Bartók: Out of Doors Suite
or Igor Stravinsky: Three Movements of Petruchka
or Arnold Schönberg: Five Pieces op. 23

3 – Qigang Chen: Work for solo piano, commissioned by Musique Nouvelle en Liberté for the contest (approx. 10 minutes).
The score will be sent to contestants with the notification of admission (see Article 9).

Final round
1 – a work or movement by any one of the following: George Benjamin, Magnus Lindberg, Tristan Murail, Emmanuel Nunes, Wolfgang Rihm or Marco Stroppa

2 – Olivier Messiaen: one piece from Catalogue d'Oiseaux, except L'Alouette calandrelle

3 – György Ligeti: three or four Etudes

The duration of contestants' programmes may not exceed 35 minutes.

4 – Olivier Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques, for solo piano and small orchestra (Universal)
No more than four contestants shall enter the final round, which will take place on 9 December 2000.
The Ensemble Intercontemporain, conducted by Jonathan Nott, will accompany the finalists for Oiseaux exotiques.

The contestants' programmes as submitted in the entry form shall be considered final.

Article 4.

Lots shall be drawn on 2 December 2000 to determine the order of play. Contestants are required to be present at this occasion. Participation in the first eliminatory round is compulsory and no contestant shall be exempted.
A second drawing of lots shall be held to determine order of play in the final round.
All rounds shall be open to the public.

Article 5. Prizes

Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris: 75 000F (11 433.68 euros)
Performance engagements will be proposed to the Grand Prix winner by the Orchestre philharmonique de Nice, the Festival Pianos aux Pyrénées (July 2001), the Accademia Filarmonica of Rome, the city of Karlsruhe and the Beracasa Foundation in its “Jeunes Solistes” concert series at the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier. Jade records will offer the opportunity to make a compact disc recording.
Second Prize: 50 000F (7 622.45 euros)
Third Prize: 30 000F (4 573.47 euros)
Fourth Prize: 20 000F (3 048.98 euros)
The Yvonne Loriod Prize awarded to the contestant whose performance is the most faithful to the spirit of Olivier Messiaen's music: 20 000F (3 048.98 euros)
Prize donated by Editions Durand for the best performance of one or several pieces from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus: 10 000F (1 524.49 euros)
Prize donated by Editions Leduc for the best performance of one or several pieces from Catalogue d'Oiseaux: 10 000F (1 524.49 euros)
Prize donated by Editions Universal for the best performance of Oiseaux exotiques: 10 000F (1 524.49 euros)
Fondation Olivier Messiaen Prize for the best performance of Qigang Chen's work commissioned for the contest: 10 000F (1 524.49 euros)
Prize for the most promising contestant donated by SACEM: 10 000F (1 524.49 euros)

Article 6. Jury

a) The Jury shall deliberate at the end of each eliminatory round and the final round. In the event of a tie, the Jury Chairman’s decision shall carry the vote.
b) The Jury shall not award a prize to any contestant who fails to attain the second round.
c) The Jury reserves the right not to award all prizes. The Jury may issue special distinctions. The Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris may not be shared. All other prizes may be shared in the event of a tie.
d) The Jury's decision is final.

Article 7.

On 10 December 2000 a concert will take place at the prize-giving ceremony. Several prize-winners selected by the Jury shall perform at this concert.

Article 8. Entry Application

A full entry application must be sent to the organisers' address no later than 25 September 2000 (date on postmark). The application shall comprise the following:
- duly completed, signed entry form
- photocopy of identity document or passport, or any official equivalent
- curriculum vitae in French or English (maximum length two typed pages), indicating institutions where musical studies were undertaken, most important teachers, any prizes obtained, and working status
- two references in the original from recognised musicians, written for the purposes of the Contest
- two recent passport-format photographs
- entry fee or proof of payment in compliance with Article 10.

Article 9. Admission

Before 16 October 2000 candidates shall be informed whether they have been admitted to or turned down for the Contest.

Article 10. Entry Fee

The entry fee is 400 French francs (60.98 euros). This does not include any additional costs incurred in payment.
Payment may be made as follows:
1) French candidates: by cheque made out to "Concours internationaux de la Ville de Paris";
2) all other candidates: bank transfer to Union de Banques à Paris, 22 place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris - code banque 30938 - code guichet 00080 - account number 00519505000 - clé rib 26. No costs are to be incurred by the payee.

The entry fee shall be refunded only if the candidate is not admitted to the Contest.

Article 11. Travelling and accommodation

Travelling and accommodation expenses are to be met by the contestants.
The Contest organisers can provide accommodation in university residences (two to a room) for contestants living outside of Greater Paris. Such accommodation must be requested on the entry form.
The contestants who successfully pass the first eliminatory round will have their accommodation expenses paid for during the rounds in which they will have competed. In this case, the contestants who will have provided their own accommodation will receive a daily allowance of 200F (30.49 Euros).

Article 12.

Contest rounds and the prize-winners' concert may be broadcasted by radio or television without remuneration of the contestants.

Article 13.

The fact of participating in the Contest shall indicate contestants' acceptance of the rules. Should a dispute arise, only the French edition of the rules shall be held valid.