The Sydney (formally the Sydney International Piano Competition), has once more run its course; congratulations to the first-prize winner, twenty-three-year-old Jeonghwan Kim. Since 2016, the rules and regulations of The Sydney have been altered, allowing for more own-choice repertoire. Given the staggering volume of works written for the piano, one might reasonably assume that this opening of own-choice would lead 2023 competitors to perform a great(er) variety of works, but did this happen? The Sydney’s two preliminary rounds are both own-choice. Round One consists of a twenty-minute own-choice recital, featuring a minimum of two composers. Similarly, Round Two is a…