SOVIET, FRENCH VIOLINISTS SHARE PRIZE

Raphael Oleg Simano, 27, of France, and Ilya Kaler, 23, of the Soviet Union, shared top prize for violinists Wednesday at the Tchaikovsky competition.

Xue Wei of China and Maxim Fedotov of the Soviet Union shared second place. Australian Jane Peters was third and Cristina Anghelescu of Romania finished fourth.

The jury, headed by Soviet violinist Viktor Tretyakov, a former winner, did not award a fifth prize. David Kim, 23, of New York, shared sixth prize with Soviet musician Dmitry Berlinsky. The only other American among the 12 finalists, Frank Almond, 22, of San Diego, received a diploma but no prize.

Cellists played their final round on Wednesday and pianists will compete in the finals today.