Concert "Great Romantics". Dmitry Alekseev, piano (United Kingdom)

On November 16, the concert of the outstanding Soviet and Russian pianist Dmitry Alekseev will be held in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. At the evening, the compositions of F. Chopin, A. Scriabin and R. Schumann will be performed.

Each concert of Dmitry Alekseev is a great event. The world music press calls him one of the outstanding pianists of our day, "the master of live piano." His game is distinguished by impeccable technique, vivid expression and depth of interpretation - a combination of performing qualities that a few possess.

A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, a prominent representative of the Russian piano school, Dmitry Alekseev lives in London and teaches at the Royal College of Music. The touring geography of the pianist is extensive, but, unfortunately, he rarely performs in Russia. Those with great impatience are always waiting for his performance in the capital.

“Every time I enter the stage of the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, I feel an incomparable feeling of excitement and inspiration…”, the pianist admitted about his upcoming concert at the Conservatory.

Dmitry Alekseev is a universal pianist who owns an unusually wide repertoire from classical to jazz; his interpretations are always interesting to the listener. But today, he is primarily known as a great interpreter of the music of the romantic era. It was she who became the basis of the program of his Moscow concert "The Great Romantics", combining the masterpieces of Chopin, Schumann and Scriabin. Records of the music of these composers performed by Dmitry Alekseev have been released on EMI label with great success more than once.

The Polonaise Fantasy Op. 61 Frederic Chopin. The pianist has a special relationship with the music of the great Polish romantic: today, many consider Alekseev one of the best performers of his works. Chopin in his interpretation is recognized as a reference even in the composer’s homeland in Poland.

In an interview, Dmitry Alekseev said about his attitude towards Chopin: “Chopin is very close to Russian music, or vice versa Russian music is very close to Chopin… For me, Chopin is something very close, something without which it is impossible to imagine yourself, it is impossible to separate your life from his music. It is simultaneously unusually democratic, accessible to any person who has never heard a single note of classical music, and on the other hand, is so sophisticated and aristocratic in the best sense of the word… For me, this music is part of my life. ”

Polonaise Fantasy op. 61 - a masterpiece of late Chopin’s work, a deep and paradoxical composition. Saint-Saëns found in this play “complaints about parting with life, religious thoughts, hopes and faith in immortality”, and the great Russian pianist Heinrich Neuhaus wrote: “I don’t know anything more uplifting than the whole end of the fantasy polonaise.” In this play Chopin’s incarnation embodied in a complex, sophisticated psychology of images, in sensitive sound recordings of changing emotional moods, which gives the performer great opportunities for an exciting interpretation.

Alexander Scriabin cannot be fully attributed to romantics, but it was Chopin who was his immediate predecessor in early piano work, which was especially clearly manifested in the prelude genre. The conciseness of form, the elegance of the melody, the refined mastery of the piano texture - all this comes from Chopin’s samples.

Preludes Op. 11 - an encyclopedia of musical images of early Scriabin, a chain of vibrant miniatures-moods. Partly created in Russia, partly during the first trip abroad, the preludes can be called a “wandering diary”. They are all small in scale, but each has its own mood: lyrics, melancholy, grief optimism, heroics. Preludes have always attracted performers and listeners by a combination of intimacy of expression, sensitivity of expression of the finest nuances with romantic elation.

The second part of the concert is entirely devoted to one of the most dramatic and monumental works in the history of piano - “Symphonic Etudes” by Robert Schumann. The composer himself considered the grand cycle his greatest achievement: “I would call this composition the best of my own if I did not know that usually I consider the last work to be the best.” And over time, he did not change his opinion.

The theatricality and brightness of the images of "Symphonic Etudes" is very suitable for the performing style of Dmitry Alekseev, which captivates a sincere artistic dedication and ability to captivate the listener. At the same time, his game is marked by great pianistic skill, excellent possession of technical resources. And it is precisely in the works of the romantic plan of the repertoire that the original talent of the pianist is most fully revealed. Perhaps this is why the works of romantics in his performance always especially attract listeners.

Dmitry Alekseev is a laureate of prestigious international competitions, including the Margarita Long Competition in Paris (1969), the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest (1970), the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1974), and the 1st Prize at the international competition in Leeds (Great Britain). His concerts are held in the largest halls of the world, the pianist performed with the renowned orchestras of London, Berlin, Philadelphia, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, including under the direction of prominent conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Muti, Vladimir Ashkenazi, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Valery Gergiev. His tours take place in major music centers in Europe and America, Asia, Australia and South Africa. He takes part in world famous festivals in Edinburgh, Berlin, Vienna, Colmar (France), Verbier (Switzerland).

Concert Program:

I department:
F. Chopin (1810-1849). Polonaise - fantasy, op. 61
A. Scriabin (1871-1915). 24 Preludes Op. eleven

II department
R. Schumann (1810-1856). Symphonic Etudes op. 13

Beginning at 19:00