The former played the E-minor Concerto on an Erard from 1849, and the latter the F minor Concerto on a Pleyel dating from 1848.
The period-instruments Orchestra of the 18th Century from the Netherlands was conducted by Grzegorz Nowak.
The programme of the concert included the world premiere of À la recherche de la symphonie perdue by the prominent Polish composer Paweł Szymański.
Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage Jarosław Sellin said during the opening ceremony that the competition fits nicely into the celebrations of the centenary of Poland’s regained independence.
“Even though Chopin lived at a time when Poland did not exist on the maps, his music helped uphold the sense of being proud of Polish culture and heritage and was an inspiration for loving Poland”, he said.
The Orchestra of the 18th Century under Nowak is billed with the same programme on Monday evening, but with different soloists: Janusz Olejniczak and Nikolai Demidenko, both members of the competition jury.
First-round auditions begin on Tuesday with a performance by Ewa Tytman-Csiba, one of 16 Polish entrants. The remaining participants represent eight countries: Belgium, China, France, Japan, Russia, Romania, the United States and Ukraine.
In the first and second rounds they are performing, apart from works by Chopin, selected compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and polonaises by 19th-century Polish composers, Chopin’s contemporaries.
In the third round, the six finalists will perform Chopin’s works with orchestra, accompanied by the Orchestra of the 18th Century.
The pianist have at their disposal several instruments, including Erards from 1838, 1849 and 1855, Pleyels from 1848 and 1854, and an 1843 Broadwood, as well as replicas of period instruments.
The international jury includes such big names as Dang Thai Son, Nelson Goerner, Tobias Koch, Alexei Lubimov, Andreas Staier and Ewa Pobłocka.
Prizewinners’ names are to be announced on September 13.
(mk/pk)