The II Grand Piano Competition for young pianists continues to accept applications. The II Grand Piano Competition for young pianists continues to accept applications - Mom foresaw this course of events

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The 2nd International Competition for Young Pianists lasted all week and ended yesterday Grand Piano Competition

The competition is more like a festival, because all the contestants are finalists, and no one is left without an award. All winners, not a single outsider. Denis Matsuev (he invented and runs this competition) is convinced of the justice of this move. Musicians under 16 years of age should not be ranked according to rank or merit. Report by Anna Shcherbakova.

Tense competition days behind. The festive gala concert takes place at one of the main concert venues- in the Tchaikovsky Hall. On stage - Shio Okui from Japan. This is the winner of the 1st Grand Piano Competition. The heroes of this year are sitting in the hall in anxious anticipation. The team turned out to be international. 15 performers from Russia, China, USA, Kazakhstan, Korea and Belarus. The competitors do not know until the very end who will win the coveted Grand Prix. At the final concert they will play with Symphony orchestra named after Svetlanov. Alexander Sladkovsky conducts.

The jury members are professors from leading music universities from around the world. Piotr Paleczny from Chopin University in Poland, Stanislav Yudenich is a teacher at the Oberlin Conservatory in the USA. At intermission, the jury retires for deliberations. In just a few minutes you need to decide who is the best.

“The level is absolutely sky-high! They play almost flawlessly,” said jury member Boris Petrushansky.

“The most difficult thing for me is not only to admire the talent, but also to try to understand how they will develop further, how they will sound in 2-3 years,” said jury member Martin Engström.

Before the announcement of the results there is a surprise for the audience and for the contestants. On the stage - artistic director festival Denis Matsuev together with maestro Gergiev. The emotional Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Rachmaninov adds excitement.

The intrigue is finally resolved. The youngest contestant, Alexandra Dovgan, becomes the winner of the Grand Prix. She receives the prize from the hands of Valery Gergiev. At the age of 10, she had a victory in the International Television Competition “The Nutcracker” under her belt. Applause not only in the hall, but also behind the scenes. The winner is met by relatives and teachers. But she still can’t believe her success.

“I don’t fully believe it yet. I didn't even hope for this. This is a huge opportunity, and I just dreamed of a piano, and now I will have it,” she says.

An acoustic grand piano is just one of the prizes. The main thing is the road to a professional future: invitations to festivals, concerts and tours. True, despite the triumph, the masters advise not to relax.

“I wish to grow! Literally and figuratively! And start every day with a clean slate,” says National artist Russia, conductor Alexander Sladkovsky.

Despite the only Grand Prix, the Grand Piano Competition is a competition where there are essentially no losers. Participation in the festival gives you a chance to receive scholarships and take part in various competitions. Ivan Bessonov will go to Edinburgh for the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, Egor Oparin will perform his debut concert in Tokyo.

"This is the most good competition. Here the competition is like a festival, no one leaves here,” admits participant Sanjarali Kopbaev.

“An amazing sight! In such a huge hall, I can’t even describe so many emotions,” notes laureate Eva Gevorgyan.

"This is a competition high level, which I was on. Everything was very serious, I learned a lot here,” notes participant Perrin-Luc Thiessen.

Many contestants will meet again in the homeland of Denis Matsuev - in Irkutsk. The festival “Stars on Baikal” will bring them together again.

Denis Matsuev born in 1975 in Irkutsk. He graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, where his teachers were Alexey Nasedkin and Sergei Dorensky. The pianist became widely famous thanks to his victory at the XI International competition named after P.I. Tchaikovsky in 1998.

Today Denis Matsuev is a welcome guest of the largest concert halls in the world, permanent partner leading symphony orchestras of Russia, Europe, North America and Asian countries. Despite his exceptional demand abroad, the musician considers the development of philharmonic art in the regions of Russia to be his main priority and presents a significant portion of his concert programs, especially premieres, in our country. He attaches particular importance to regular work with regional orchestras.

Tight creative contacts Denis Matsuev is associated with outstanding conductors of our time, including Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, Maris Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Ricardo Chailly, Christian Thielemann, Paavo Järvi, Antonio Pappano, Charles Duthoit, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Fedoseev, Yuri Bashmet, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Spivakov, Leonard Slatkin, Ivan Fisher, Semyon Bychkov, Gianandrea Noseda, Myung-Wun Chung, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Manfred Honeck, James Conlon, Christian Järvi and others. The musician takes part in world-famous festivals, including the “Stars of the White Nights” in St. Petersburg, Festival Baltic Sea in Sweden, Ravinia in Chicago, festivals in Baden-Baden, Edinburgh, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Verbier, Lucerne, Hong Kong, Montreux, Stresa, Bucharest, Colmar, Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad.

Denis Matsuev has been a soloist of the Moscow Philharmonic since 1995. Since 2004, he has presented his annual personal subscription, in which leading orchestras from Russia and abroad take part.

For many years, the musician has been the director and inspirer of a number of festivals, educational and educational projects. Since 2004, he has been holding the “Stars on Baikal” festival in Irkutsk (in 2009 he was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city), and since 2005 he has been directing the Crescendo festival, the programs of which are held in different cities of the world. In 2010, he joined the leadership of the Annecy Arts Festival (France). In 2012, he became artistic director of the I International Festival and Competition for Young Pianists Astana Piano Passion. In 2013, as artistic director, he headed the Sberbank DEBUT competition-festival in Kyiv. In 2016, as artistic director and chairman of the organizing committee, he held the First International Competition for Young Pianists, Grand Piano Competition, in Moscow, and the Second in 2018.

The musician’s special responsibility is working with the Interregional Charitable Foundation “New Names,” of which he is a student and currently the president. Over its more than twenty-five-year history, the Foundation has trained several generations of artists and continues to expand its activities in the field of supporting young talents. The All-Russian program “New Names for the Regions of Russia” is held annually in more than 20 cities of our country.

In 2004, Denis Matsuev signed a contract with BMG, and the first joint project was solo album Tribute to Horowitz - received the 2005 Record Award. In 2006, the pianist again won the Record Prize for his solo album with a recording of Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” and fragments from the music of the ballet “Petrushka” by Stravinsky. In 2007, the solo disc “The Unknown Rachmaninov” was released, recorded on the composer’s grand piano in his house “Senar” in Lucerne. In the same year, Sony Music released a recording solo concert Denis Matsuev at New York's Carnegie Hall. The artist’s discography also includes albums recorded with the ZKR - the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov, the Russian national orchestra conducted by Mikhail Pletnev, Symphony Orchestra Mariinsky Theater and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert.

Denis Matsuev is the art director of the S. V. Rachmaninov Foundation. People's Artist of Russia, People's Artist of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Honored Artist of the Republic of Adygea, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Honorary Professor of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. Awarded the Dmitry Shostakovich Prize, State Prize Russian Federation in the field of literature and art, the Order of Honor, the Russian Government Prize in the field of culture for the international music festival “Stars on Baikal”.

Since 2006, the musician has been a member of the Council for Culture and Art under the President of the Russian Federation. In 2019, he was awarded the Lev Nikolaev Gold Medal “for his significant contribution to education and the popularization of scientific and cultural achievements.”

State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia named after E. F. Svetlanov

In 2016, the State Orchestra of Russia named after E. F. Svetlanov, one of the oldest symphony groups in the country, celebrated its 80th anniversary. The first performance of the orchestra, conducted by Alexander Gauck and Erich Kleiber, took place on October 5, 1936 in Great hall Moscow Conservatory.

Over the years, the State Orchestra was led by outstanding musicians Alexander Gauk (1936-1941), Nathan Rakhlin (1941-1945), Konstantin Ivanov (1946-1965) and Evgeny Svetlanov (1965-2000). On October 27, 2005, the team was named after Evgeniy Svetlanov. In 2000-2002 The orchestra was led by Vasily Sinaisky, in 2002-2011. – Mark Gorenstein. On October 24, 2011, Vladimir Yurovsky, a world-famous conductor who collaborates with the largest opera houses and symphony orchestras in the world, was appointed artistic director of the ensemble. Since the 2016/17 season, the main guest conductor of the State Orchestra is Vasily Petrenko.

The orchestra's concerts took place at the most famous concert venues in the world, including the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Musikverein in Vienna, Albert hall in London, Salle Pleyel in Paris, National opera house Colon in Buenos Aires, Suntory Hall in Tokyo. In 2013, the orchestra performed for the first time on Red Square in Moscow.

Behind the board of the group were Herman Abendroth, Ernest Ansermet, Leo Blech, Andrey Boreyko, Alexander Vedernikov, Valery Gergiev, Nikolai Golovanov, Kurt Sanderling, Otto Klemperer, Kirill Kondrashin, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Mazur, Nikolai Malko, Ion Marin, Igor Markevich, Evgeniy Mravinsky, Alexander Lazarev, Charles Munsch, Gintaras Rinkevičius, Mstislav Rostropovich, Saulius Sondetskis, Igor Stravinsky, Arvid Jansons, Charles Duthoit, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Alexander Sladkovsky, Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Temirkanov, Mikhail Yurovsky and other outstanding conductors.

The orchestra featured singers Irina Arkhipova, Galina Vishnevskaya, Sergei Lemeshev, Elena Obraztsova, Maria Guleghina, Placido Domingo, Montserrat Caballe, Jonas Kaufman, Dmitry Hvorostovsky, pianists Emil Gilels, Van Cliburn, Heinrich Neuhaus, Nikolai Petrov, Svyatoslav Richter, Maria Yudina, Valery Afanasyev, Eliso Virsaladze, Evgeny Kisin, Grigory Sokolov, Alexey Lyubimov, Boris Berezovsky, Nikolay Lugansky, Denis Matsuev, violinists Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menukhin, David Oistrakh, Maxim Vengerov, Victor Pikaizen, Vadim Repin, Vladimir Spivakov, Victor Tretyakov, violist Yuri Bashmet, cellists Mstislav Rostropovich, Natalia Gutman, Alexander Knyazev, Alexander Rudin.

IN last years the list of soloists collaborating with the group was replenished with the names of singers Dinara Aliyeva, Aida Garifullina, Waltraud Mayer, Anna Netrebko, Khibla Gerzmava, Alexandrina Pendachanskaya, Nadezhda Gulitskaya, Ekaterina Kichigina, Ildar Abdrazakov, Dmitry Korchak, Vasily Ladyuk, Rene Pape, pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Leif Ove Andsnes, Jacques-Yves Thibaudet, Mitsuko Uchida, Rudolf Buchbinder, violinists Leonidas Kavakos, Patricia Kopatchinskaya, Julia Fischer, Daniel Hope, Nikolai Znaider, Sergei Krylov, Christophe Baratie, Julian Rakhlin. Considerable attention is also paid working together with young musicians, including conductors Dimitris Botinis, Maxim Emelyanichev, Valentin Uryupin, Marius Stravinsky, Philipp Chizhevsky, pianists Andrei Gugnin, Luca Debargue, Philipp Kopachevsky, Yan Lisetsky, Dmitry Masleev, Alexander Romanovsky, Nikita Mndoyants, violinists Alena Baeva, Ailen Pritchin , Valery Sokolov, Pavel Milyukov, cellist Alexander Ramm.

Having first visited abroad in 1956, the orchestra has since represented Russian art in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Denmark, Italy, Canada, China, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, USA, Thailand, France, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland , South Korea, Japan and many other countries.

The band's discography includes hundreds of records and CDs released by leading companies in Russia and abroad (Melodiya, Bomba-Piter, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, BMG, Naxos, Chandos, Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm, Toccata Classics, Fancymusic and others). A special place in this collection is occupied by the “Anthology of Russian symphonic music", which includes audio recordings of works by Russian composers from Glinka to Stravinsky (conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov). Recordings of the orchestra's concerts were made by Mezzo, Medici, Rossiya 1 and Kultura TV channels, and Orpheus radio.

Recently, the State Orchestra has performed at festivals in Grafenegg (Austria), Kissinger Sommer in Bad Kissingen (Germany), Hong Kong Arts Festival in Hong Kong, Arts Square in St. Petersburg, VI Mstislav Rostropovich Festival in Moscow, III Russian Symphony Forum in Yekaterinburg, Platonov Arts Festival in Voronezh, XIII Moscow International Festival “Guitar Virtuosi” in Moscow, VIII International Festival of Denis Matsuev in Perm, IV International Festival of Arts of P. I. Tchaikovsky in Klin; performed world premieres of works by Alexander Vustin, Sergei Slonimsky, Anton Batagov, Andrei Semenov, Vladimir Nikolaev, Oleg Paiberdin, Efrem Podgaits, Yuri Sherling, as well as Russian premieres of works by Beethoven - Mahler, Scriabin - Nemtin, Orff, Berio, Stockhausen, Tavener, Kurtag , Adams, Silvestrov, Shchedrin, Tarnopolsky, Gennady Gladkov; took part in the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition, the I and II International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition; presented the annual cycle six times educational concerts"Stories with the Orchestra"; participated four times in the festival of contemporary music “Another Space”; visited the cities of Russia, Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Great Britain, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Germany, Spain, Turkey, China, Japan.

Since 2016, the State Orchestra has been implementing a special project to support composer creativity, involving close cooperation with contemporary Russian authors. The first “composer in residence” in the history of the State Orchestra was Alexander Vustin.

Since 1972, the team has been awarded for outstanding creative achievements. honorary title"academic"; in 1986 there was awarded the order Red Banner of Labor, in 2006, 2011 and 2017. awarded the gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation.

Valery Gergiev

Art Valeria Gergieva in demand all over the world. The maestro is the brightest representative of the St. Petersburg conducting school, a student of the legendary professor Ilya Musin. While still a student at the Leningrad Conservatory, Gergiev won the Herbert von Karajan competition in Berlin and the All-Union Conducting Competition in Moscow, after which he was invited to the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theater as assistant chief conductor. His theater debut was Prokofiev's War and Peace (1978). In 1988, Gergiev was elected musical director Mariinsky Theater, in 1996 he became its artistic director-director, taking over the leadership of the orchestra, opera and ballet troupes.

With the arrival of Valery Gergiev at the theater, large thematic festivals dedicated to the anniversaries of composers became a tradition. In 1989, a festival was held dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Mussorgsky, in 1990 - the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky, in 1991 - the 100th anniversary of Prokofiev, in 1994 - the 150th anniversary of Rimsky-Korsakov. The festival programs included not only well-known scores, but also works that were rarely performed or had never been performed before. The tradition of anniversary festivals continues in the 21st century with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich in 2006, the 175th anniversary of Tchaikovsky in 2015, and the 125th anniversary of Prokofiev in 2016.

Thanks to the efforts of maestro Gergiev, Wagner's operas returned to the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. In 1997, “Parsifal” was performed, which had not been seen on the Russian stage for more than 80 years, “Lohengrin” was revived in 1999, and by 2003 the grandiose opera tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung” was staged in its entirety. This was the first complete performance of “The Ring” on Russian stage and the first in Russia - in the original language. The tetralogy was a success on tour at the Mariinsky Theater in Moscow, as well as abroad - in the USA, South Korea, Japan, Great Britain and Spain. The theater’s repertoire includes productions of “Tristan and Isolde” (2005) and “ Flying Dutchman"(1998, 2008). The Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gergiev has reached a new level, mastering not only new opera and ballet scores, but also an extensive symphonic repertoire - all the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Sibelius, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, works by Berlioz, Bruckner, Rimsky Korsakov, R. Strauss, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Dutilleux, Ustvolskaya, Shchedrin, Kancheli and many other composers.

Under the leadership of Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Theater has turned into a large-scale theater and concert complex that has no analogues in the world. The Concert Hall was opened in 2006, and the second stage of the theater (Mariinsky-2) was opened in 2013. Since January 1, 2016, the Mariinsky Theater has a branch in Vladivostok - the Primorskaya Stage, and since April 2017 - in Vladikavkaz: the National State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania and the North Ossetian State Academic Philharmonic. Among Gergiev’s projects implemented at the Mariinsky Theater are the organization of media broadcasting, online broadcasts of concerts, the creation recording studio. In 2009, the Mariinsky label began its work, which has now released more than 30 discs that have received critical and public recognition all over the world: symphonies and piano concertos by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, operas by Wagner, Massenet, Donizetti and a number of other works. Recordings of Prokofiev's ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella and the opera The Gambler have been released on DVD.

Valery Gergiev's international activities are no less intense and active. Having made his debut in 1992 at the Bavarian State Opera (Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky), in 1993 at Covent Garden (Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky), in 1994 at the Metropolitan Opera (Othello by Verdi with Placido Domingo in the title role) , the maestro successfully continues to collaborate with leading

opera houses and festivals around the world. He works with the World Peace Orchestra (which he has directed since 1997 after the death of the orchestra's founder Georg Solti), with the Philharmonic Orchestras of Berlin, Paris, Vienna, New York, Los Angeles, the Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, San Francisco, and Royal Symphony Orchestras. the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam), as well as many other groups. From 1995 to 2008, Valery Gergiev served as chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (today he is the orchestra's honorary conductor), and from 2007 to 2015, of the London Symphony Orchestra. Since the fall of 2015, the maestro has led the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.

Valery Gergiev is the founder and director of prestigious international festivals, including Stars of the White Nights (since 1993), Moscow Easter Festival (since 2002), Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, Mikkeli Festival, 360 Degrees in Munich. Since 2011 he has headed the organizing committee of the international Tchaikovsky competition. Gergiev pays great attention to working with young musicians. On his initiative, the All-Russian Choral Society was revived, on the basis of which the Children's Choir of Russia was created, which performed at the Mariinsky-2, the Bolshoi Theater and at the closing of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Since 2013, the maestro has directed the US National Youth Orchestra and regularly performs with the youth orchestras of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Verbier Festival and the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival. Since 2015, the Mariinsky Theater has been hosting annual festival"Mariinsky NEXT", in which children's and youth orchestras of St. Petersburg participate.

Musical and social activity Valeria Gergieva was awarded three State Prizes of the Russian Federation (1993, 1998, 2015), the titles of People's Artist of the Russian Federation (1996) and Hero of Labor (2013), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (2016), high state awards Armenia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Japan.

Alexander Sladkovsky

People's Artist of Russia Alexander Sladkovsky is a graduate of the Moscow and St. Petersburg Conservatories. Laureate III International competition named after Prokofiev. Debuted in State Theater Opera and Ballet of the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Mozart’s opera “This is what all women do.” He was the chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the State Academic Capella of St. Petersburg, and also worked with the Russian National Orchestra. In 2005, he was invited by Maris Jansons as an assistant for the production of the opera “Carmen” by Bizet, and in 2006 - by Mstislav Rostropovich to participate in the production of the program “The Unknown Mussorgsky” (both productions at the St. Petersburg Conservatory). From 2006 to 2010 – conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra “ New Russia"under the direction of Yuri Bashmet.

Since 2010, Sladkovsky has been the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan. The maestro radically changed the situation in the team, significantly increasing its status in the musical and social life of the Republic of Tatarstan and the entire country. The State Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan under the leadership of Sladkovsky is the first Russian regional group whose performances were recorded on the Medici.tv and Mezzo TV channels. In 2016, for the first time in its history, the orchestra gave concerts as part of the European tour in the Brucknerhaus (Linz) and in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein (Vienna).

Orchestras conducted by Sladkovsky took part in major international and federal projects and festivals, including “Musical Olympus”, “Petersburg musical spring", Yuri Temirkanov festival "Arts Square", "Cherry Forest", All-Russian competition opera singers Irina Bogacheva, festival “Rodion Shchedrin. Self-portrait", Young Euro Classic (Berlin), XII and XIII Moscow Easter Festivals, Crescendo, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Weimar Arts Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, V World Symphony Orchestra Festival, XI Woerthersee Classics Festival (Klagenfurt, Austria), “Crazy Day in Japan”, “Khibla Gerzmava Invites”, “Opera A Priori”, Bratislava Music Festival, “Russia Day in the World - Russian Day” (Geneva) and others.

Sladkovsky is the founder and artistic director of the music festivals “Rakhlin Seasons”, “White Lilac”, “Kazan Autumn”, Concordia, “Denis Matsuev with Friends”, “Creative Discovery”, “Miras”. In 2012, he recorded the “Anthology of Music of Composers of Tatarstan” and the album “Enlightenment” on the Sony Music and RCA Red Seal Records labels. In April 2014, the State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan, under the direction of Alexander Sladkovsky, spoke at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris at the ceremony awarding Denis Matsuev the title of Goodwill Ambassador. In the 2014/15 season, Sladkovsky with the State Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan performed at the Bolshoi Theater of Russia as part of anniversary concert, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Crescendo festival, and in St. Petersburg, where the orchestra’s first tour of three concerts took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater Concert Hall.

Sladkovsky is an artist of the international concert agency IMG Artists. In June 2015, he was awarded a commemorative sign - the Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov medal; in October, the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov awarded Sladkovsky the Order of Duslyk - Friendship. In 2016, under the direction of the maestro, three symphonies of Mahler, as well as all of Shostakovich’s symphonies and concertos, were recorded at the Melodiya company. In 2016, Alexander Sladkovsky was named “Conductor of the Year” according to the national newspaper “Musical Review” and “Person of the Year in Culture” according to the magazines “Business Quarter” and the electronic newspaper “Business Online”.

Roman Borisov

Born in 2002, since 2010 – student at the College at the Novosibirsk Conservatory (class of Mary Lebenzon). He performed in the Great Hall of the Novosibirsk Conservatory, the chamber hall of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic, the State concert hall named after Katz, Svetlanov Hall MMDM, Chamber Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic, Concert Hall of the Yaroslavl Philharmonic, Central Concert Hall "Kazakhstan" (Astana) with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, Astana Symphony Orchestra. Laureate of more than a dozen Russian and international competitions, including the First Moscow International Vladimir Krainev Piano Competition. Participated in the XV International ArsLonga Festival, the XXII Piano en Valois Festival (France), the V Trans-Siberian Art Festival (Novosibirsk). Repeated participant musical projects Vladimir Spivakov Foundation. Scholarship holder of the Governor of the Novosibirsk region. Awarded a personal incentive scholarship from Denis Matsuev.

Vladislav Khandogiy

Born in 2002, in 2013 he entered the Republican Gymnasium-College at the Belarusian State Academy of Music (class of Irina Semenyako). Tours in cities of the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, Spain, Italy, France. In 2013 he won the V International Sviridov Competition (St. Petersburg), in 2014 he won the II International Classical Music Festival and competition for young pianists Astana Piano Passion (I prize) and the XV International Television Competition “The Nutcracker”. Diploma winner at the I International Grand Piano Competition and the X International Gina Bachauer Competition (Salt Lake City, USA). In 2010, the special fund of the President of the Republic of Belarus for the support of talented youth awarded him an incentive prize, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. – Grand prizes and the title of Foundation Laureate. Grand Prix winner of the VI Republican radio competition “Young Talents of Belarus”, scholarship holder of the Yuri Rozum International Charitable Foundation.

Sergey Davydchenko

Born in 2004, he began his studies at preparatory courses at the Stavropol College named after Safonov (class of Tatyana Levadnaya). Participant of the XI International youth competition named after Safonov (Pyatigorsk, 2015, Grand Prix), X International Competition named after Karamanov (Simferopol, 2015, 1st prize), XI International Competition “The Path to Mastery” (Rostov-on-Don, 2016, Grand Prix), XVII International television competition “The Nutcracker” (Moscow, 2016, 1st prize, Audience Award), IV International Competition Astana Piano Passion (2017, 1st prize). Participant of the festivals AMMERSEErenade (Ammersee, Germany, 2017), “Stars on Baikal” (Irkutsk, 2017), “Mariinsky - Vladikavkaz” (Vladikavkaz, 2017), “Faces of Contemporary Pianism” (St. Petersburg, 2017). In 2017 he entered the Secondary Special Music School at Rostov Conservatory(class of Sergei Osipenko).

Tinghong Liao

Born in 2003 in Shantou, China. Started playing the piano at the age of 5. In 2017 he entered the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory (class of Vadim Rudenko). Laureate of the International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in China (2012, 2nd prize; 2014, 1st prize), Chinese National Competition for Young Pianists Pearl River Kayserburg (2013, 3rd prize), X International Competition for Young Pianists “Step to Mastery” (2015, St. -Petersburg, 2nd prize). In 2016 he became a laureate of the 1st International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition in Moscow. In 2017, he received a diploma from the II Moscow International Vladimir Krainev Piano Competition (second place in the overall standings junior group). Tinghong Liao participated in the International Far Eastern Festival"Mariinsky" in Vladivostok and the "Stars on Baikal" festival in Irkutsk, where he performed with Valery Gergiev, Evgeny Shestakov and other famous conductors.

Ivan Bessonov

In 2018, Ivan Bessonov became a laureate of the II International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition and the winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in Edinburgh.

Born in 2002 in St. Petersburg. Learned to play the piano from the age of 6, student of the Central music school at the Moscow Conservatory (class of Vadim Rudenko). Laureate of the International Chopin Youth Competition (2015, St. Petersburg, Grand Prix), the International Anton Rubinstein Competition “Piano Miniature in Russian Music” (2016, St. Petersburg), the St. Petersburg Government Competition “ Young talents"(2016, 1st prize), International Competition Grand Piano Competition (2016, Audience Award), International Competition Astana Piano Passion (2017, 1st prize), competition "Young Talents of Russia" (2017, 1st prize). He won six times the annual etude competitions at the music school-lyceum of St. Petersburg “Kikina Chambers”.

Bessonov participates in numerous concerts and festivals in Russia and abroad, performs with the State Symphony Orchestra academic chapel St. Petersburg, State Symphony Orchestra "New Russia", State Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan, plays under the direction of famous conductors– Valery Gergiev, Alexander Sladkovsky and others. Along with playing the piano, he is engaged in composition: in 2015 he made his film debut, writing music for documentary film Victor Kosakovsky Varicella. In 2016 introduced solo program on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. In chamber programs, Ivan performs with his brothers, violinists Nikita and Daniil.

Eva Gevorgyan

Eva Gevorgyan born in 2004 in Moscow. Currently studying at the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Professor Natalia Trull.

Laureate of many international youth competitions, including the name of R. Schumann in Dusseldorf (Germany, 2017, 1st prize), Astana Piano Passion in Kazakhstan (2017, 2nd prize and audience award), XVIII television competition “The Nutcracker” (2017, Silver The Nutcracker and special prize of the Central Music School), Grand Piano Competition (2018) and competition in Cleveland (USA, 2018, 1st prize). In 2019 she was awarded the International Classical Music Awards in the “Discovery of the Year” category. Scholarship holder of the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein.

Eva participated in many international festivals: “Stars on Baikal” in Irkutsk, Perugia and Ferrara (Italy), Clavi Cologne (Germany), Alion Baltic (Estonia) and others. At the festival in Dobbiaco (Italy) she played in front of the President of Italy. The pianist performed with famous bands: State Orchestra of Russia named after E. F. Svetlanov, Governor's Symphony Orchestra of Irkutsk regional philharmonic society, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Kazakhstan and others.

Alexandra Dovgan

Alexandra Dovgan was born in 2007, has been studying piano since the age of 5, a student of the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory (class of Mira Marchenko). Winner of the internet competition Villahermosa (Mexico, 2014), IX Ural International Competition named after S. Prokofiev (Ekaterinburg, 2015), XI International Youth Competition named after V. Safonov (Pyatigorsk, 2015), I All-Russian Internet competition " Musical talents"(Moscow, 2015), XIII International competition for young musicians in the “piano” category (Moscow, 2016), XVIII International television competition “The Nutcracker” (Moscow, 2017). Laureate of the 2nd prize at the Moscow International Vladimir Krainev Piano Competition (Moscow, 2017), IV International Astana Piano Passion Competition (2017). Winner of a special prize from Yamaha.

In 2018 she received the Grand Prix of the II International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition.

Participates in international festivals, tours in Russia and abroad. Scholarship holder of the Vladimir Spivakov, Mstislav Rostropovich, and New Names foundations.

Culture

The II International Competition for Young Pianists, Grand Piano Competition, continued all week and ended yesterday.

The competition is more like a festival, because all the contestants are finalists, and no one is left without an award. All winners, not a single outsider. Denis Matsuev (he invented and runs this competition) is convinced of the justice of this move. Musicians under 16 years of age should not be ranked according to rank or merit. Report by Anna Shcherbakova.

The intense days of competition are over. The festive gala concert takes place at one of the main concert venues - the Tchaikovsky Hall. On stage - Shio Okui from Japan. This is the winner of the 1st Grand Piano Competition. The heroes of this year are sitting in the hall in anxious anticipation. The team turned out to be international. 15 performers from Russia, China, USA, Kazakhstan, Korea and Belarus. The competitors do not know until the very end who will win the coveted Grand Prix. At the final concert they will play with the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra. Alexander Sladkovsky conducts.

The jury members are professors from leading music universities from around the world. Piotr Paleczny from Chopin University in Poland, Stanislav Yudenich is a teacher at the Oberlin Conservatory in the USA. At intermission, the jury retires for deliberations. In just a few minutes you need to decide who is the best.

“The level is absolutely sky-high! They play almost flawlessly,” said jury member Boris Petrushansky.

“The most difficult thing for me is not only to admire the talent, but also to try to understand how they will develop further, how they will sound in 2-3 years,” said jury member Martin Engström.

Before the announcement of the results there is a surprise for the audience and for the contestants. On stage is the artistic director of the festival, Denis Matsuev, together with maestro Gergiev. The emotional Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Rachmaninov adds excitement.

The intrigue is finally resolved. The youngest contestant, Alexandra Dovgan, becomes the winner of the Grand Prix. She receives the prize from the hands of Valery Gergiev. At the age of 10, she had a victory in the International Television Competition “The Nutcracker” under her belt. Applause not only in the hall, but also behind the scenes. The winner is met by relatives and teachers. But she still can’t believe her success.

“I don’t fully believe it yet. I didn't even hope for this. This is a huge opportunity, and I just dreamed of a piano, and now I will have it,” she says.

An acoustic grand piano is just one of the prizes. The main thing is the road to a professional future: invitations to festivals, concerts and tours. True, despite the triumph, the masters advise not to relax.

“I wish to grow! Literally and figuratively! And start every day with a clean slate,” says People’s Artist of Russia, conductor Alexander Sladkovsky.

Despite the only Grand Prix, the Grand Piano Competition is a competition where there are essentially no losers. Participation in the festival gives you a chance to receive scholarships and take part in various competitions. Ivan Bessonov will go to Edinburgh for the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, Egor Oparin will perform his debut concert in Tokyo.

“This is the kindest competition. Here the competition is like a festival, no one leaves here,” admits participant Sanjarali Kopbaev.

“An amazing sight! In such a huge hall, I can’t even describe so many emotions,” notes laureate Eva Gevorgyan.

“This is the highest level competition I have been to. Everything was very serious, I learned a lot here,” notes participant Perrin-Luc Thiessen.

Many contestants will meet again in the homeland of Denis Matsuev - in Irkutsk. The festival “Stars on Baikal” will bring them together again.

The final gala concert of the laureates, whose number had increased to seven instead of five, was still a continuation of the competition for them. In the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, festive solemnity reigned along with exciting anticipation and intrigue that persisted until the end - who will take the Grand Prix?

“If it were my will, I would give all the contestants pianos, and that would close the competition,” Denis Matsuev said before the start of the celebration. “The word competition is not in the first place here. We have a win-win atmosphere, no one will be offended, all 15 participants have a great prospect of touring and much more for the next two years. Each of them is a “spark”, showing brilliant form and, most importantly , freedom on stage."

The festive evening opened with a spectacular concert number. To the “Italian Polka” by Sergei Rachmaninov, figures of black and white keys danced on stage, “set” in motion by the fingers of Elisey Mysin and Okui Shio (Japan), laureate of the 1st Grand Piano Competition, on the piano. The audience is delighted.

The award ceremony for the 15 participants, which preceded the final “spurt” of the seven laureates, was long and detailed. First of all, all the guys received a certificate for participation in the project of the founder and artistic director of the competition, Denis Matsuev. “The American Thyssen will not escape the fate of taking a dip in Baikal after a Russian bath,” Matsuev promised. He has to go to the Stars on Baikal festival. Evgeny Evgrafov was awarded the opportunity to perform in the All-Russian Philharmonic Seasons program. Malinin, among other things, received a special prize from the Central Music School and Valery Pyasetsky - participation in the concert of the festival "A tutta forza" with professional video and audio recording.

Photo: facebook.com/International Grand Piano Competition

Twelve-year-old Egor Oparin, the favorite of the competition, although he did not become a laureate, but only a diploma winner, received enviable awards, including a personal scholarship from Matsuev and a debut concert in Tokyo at the Yamaha Concert Hall. Sergey Girshenko, accompanist of the State Academic Conservatory named after. Svetlanov, a wonderful orchestra that accompanied the participants in the second round, presented a cash prize (500 euros) to Oparin, who had won his musical heart.

The winners were showered with awards, concert invitations, gifts, and prizes. Valery Gergiev, Alexander Sladkovsky, Moscow Philharmonic, State Symphony Orchestra named after. Svetlanova invited them all to their projects. Roman Borisov also received a flattering invitation to participate in the Academy of the famous festival in Verbier. The All-Russian competition joined the proposals from Matsuev, the Philharmonic and the Central Music School " Blue bird", presenting his certificate to Ivan Bessonov for participation in the “classical” Eurovision concert on August 23 in Edinburgh. To the four positions of Eva Gevorgyan’s invitations, Helikon Opera and Dmitry Bertman added the opportunity to perform at theater stage white-columned hall of Princess Shakhovskaya.

Photo: facebook.com/International Grand Piano Competition

The generosity of gifts, which are primarily designed for the prospect of the sought-after concert and touring life of the Grand Piano Competition participants, reflects one of the main goals of Denis Matsuev’s project. He repeatedly emphasized that the meaning of a pianist’s existence is the stage, the audience and the uniqueness of the moment of the performer’s concert performance. This competition is also unique in its undeniable assistance to young musicians.

The competition is designed to nurture talented youth at the level of Russian and international concert venues. But first, the children are nurtured by their teachers. Many grateful words were addressed to them throughout the evening. Sergei Osipenko, Serezha Davydchenko’s teacher, Sergei Girshenko, first violin of the Svetlanov State Conservatory, presented a cash award with the words: “Serezha’s playing style and positioning of his hands were reminiscent of the great pianist Tatyana Nikolaeva.” Indeed, Davydchenko’s entire appearance was like a continuation of the piano. The pianist's organic and natural fit to the keyboard gave excellent command of the sound in the cantilena, chords and passages. Based on the results of online voting, Sergei Davydchenko and Yichen Yu (China) were awarded the People's Choice Award. Sergei was presented with a certificate for a professional photo shoot, and the Chinese smiling guy received a gift edition of the First piano concert P.I. Tchaikovsky: two editions, clavier and scores with comments by the author himself.

Photo: facebook.com/International Grand Piano Competition

The decision to award the Grand Prix was a collegial one of all members of the jury, which, after the speech of the final (last number in the draw) participant Alexandra Dovgan, decorously left the voting hall.

As during all competitive auditions of the first and second rounds, it was incredibly difficult for the jury to compare and choose the best from the guys who were already all the best. All are differently bright, different individuals, technically not just well-equipped and skilled, but virtuoso in the true meaning of the word - valiant, boldly and bravely defeating any “hand-breaking” piles of technical difficulties.

Photo: facebook.com/International Grand Piano Competition

Finally, after a performance that was demonstrative in every sense, the “playing coach” himself, artistic director of the Grand Piano Matsuev, with maestro Valery Gergiev at the console of the State Conservatory named after. Svetlanov, Denis Leonidovich announced the cherished name. Of the seven applicants - Roman Borisov, Vladislav Khandogiy, Sergey Davydchenko, Tinghong Liao, Ivan Bessonov, Eva Gevorgyan, Alexandra Dovgan - the venerable and respected jury chose Dovgan.

Fryderyk Chopin wrote the famous words: “You need to practice on the best instrument, and play on any.” The instrument should help the pianist reach the unattainable.

Once upon a time, after winning the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, Yamaha presented contestant Denis Matsuev with a grand piano. From that moment on, he became the face of the company and, according to the pianist, “a member of the Yamaha family” for 20 years.

Photo: facebook.com/International Grand Piano Competition

Sasha Dovgan, who deserved the Grand Prix and received many invitations to projects, was also rewarded with a ticket to International festival them. Chopin in Duszniki (Poland). And Alexander Alexandrovich Pushkin, a descendant of the great poet, personally presented a cash special prize from the International Pushkin Foundation.

“The most important thing is for the guys to grow professionally and understand that every morning starts with a clean slate. It will always be like this. It’s like this for me every day. There’s a concert in the evening, and the next day it’s all over again,” said Denis Matsuev.