[4] The competition has always had high-level competitors, and winners such as Oleg Kagan, Viktoria Mullova, and Leonidas Kavakos have become internationally performing soloists.
The popularity amongst the players might be explained by the location of the competition: Finland connecting western Europe and USSR was probably considered safe enough by the Soviet authority to allow players to attend the competition.
The first round program consists typically works of Bach, a sonata by Mozart, and Paganini's capriccios.
In the final round, the finalists perform two concertos accompanied by a full symphony orchestra.
Pavel Kogan Leonidas Kavakos Akiko Tanaka Nikolaj Znaider Sayako Kusaka Wei Wen