December 10, 2021 | Zaryadye Concert Hall
Soloists: Alexander Malofeev, piano
Eva Gevorgyan, piano
Conductor – Arsenty Tkachenko
Rachmaninoff. Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra in F sharp minor, op. 1
Rachmaninoff. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra, op. 43
Tchaikovsky. Symphony "Manfred" in B minor, Op. 58
The first December concert of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia at the Zaryadye Hall will feature famed masterpieces of Russian classics, such as concerto works by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky's programmatic symphony Manfred based on Lord Byron's poem. The concert will be directed by Arsenty Tkachenko, awardee of international competitions, conductor of the Moscow Musical Theater and the NPR's permanent conductor since 2019.
Bright young pianists who have already played with Vladimir Spivakov's orchestra have been invited to take part in the concert. The piano part in Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini will be performed by 17-year-old Eva Gevorgyan, student of the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory, winner of international contests in Cleveland, Düsseldorf, Porto, Gorizia, Chicago, Martigny, Silver-Prize winner of the Van Cliburn Competition in Dallas, holder of five special prizes of the Grand Piano Competition in Moscow. In 2019 Eva received the ICMA Discovery Award, while Evgeny Kissin granted her a scholarship of the Ruhr Piano Festival. In 2021 she was named a Yamaha young artist.
Radio Orpheus describes the artist as follows: “Along with her glowing emotionality and flawless technique the young musician owns the most important qualities of a mature master. Among them there are precise timing, full command of the tonal richness of the modern grand piano, fine sense of style. The Discovery Award of the international jury both underlines the present status of the talented pianist and mirrors our confidence in her illustrious future.”
The piano part in First Concerto will be played by Alexander Malofeev, the winner of the first edition of the Vladimir Krainev International Piano Competition, the first edition of the Astana Piano Passion competition for young pianists, the Tchaikovsky International Competition for youth, Grand-Pris of the first edition of the Grand Piano Competition for young pianists. In 2017 Alexander was claimed the Best Young Musician of the Year at the Brescia and Bergamo Festival and became the first holder of the Yamaha Young Artist title.
Conductor Riccardo Chailly's opinion about the musician: “I first heard Malofeev when Valery Gergiev performed with him at the Teatro alla Scala three years ago. He was only 14, and he amazed me with his talent. For he is not just a child prodigy: he is very young but already possesses depth and technical abilities, is very musical and has a wonderful memory, which makes him an excellent interpreter.”