Russian pianist challenges a 5-hour full set of Rach "Marathon" in Shanghai, with the sound of the piano lingering at midnight. Rach Maninov | Piano | Full set
Russian pianist Mazuyev will bring a complete piano concerto concert by Rachmaninov at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. As a participating program at the 22nd Shanghai International Art Festival in China, this nearly 5-hour marathon style concert poses a great challenge to the physical and mental abilities of musicians. On August 11th, tickets for the concert were opened and the repertoire was announced as Rachmaninov's four piano concertos and Paganini's Rhapsody, which were consistent with the Rachmaninov Marathon repertoire completed by Chinese pianist Wang Yujia at Carnegie Hall in New York earlier this year.
For many years, Dongyi has brought classical music boutique concerts to music fans in Shanghai through its planning that emphasizes both breadth and depth. The 2023/24 new performance season is about to kick off, and Dongyi is planning more international high-end performances to enrich the perspective of Shanghai audiences and deepen international exchanges and cooperation.
Five Rach Piano Works per Night
Dennis Mazuyev is currently the Art Director of the Rachmaninov Foundation and the Chairman of the First Rachmaninov International Music Competition, making him one of the best interpreters of contemporary Rachmaninov works. On November 3rd, he will be the pianist of the 2023 Pianist Series at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, participating in the "Piano Tour Around the World". Together with conductors Alexander Sladkovsky, Chen Zhengzhe, and the Russian Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, he will perform the authentic voice of Russia, marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jinianrachmaninov.
The concert is divided into two sessions, starting at 19:00 and 22:00 respectively, with a total duration of nearly 5 hours. During halftime, there will be a music guide segment, where music scholar Bi Gui will narrate "Rachmaninov's Music Life.".
Rahmaninov wrote four piano concertos throughout his life, and among these four works, the second and third are the most highly acclaimed; The first and fourth parts were not as popular due to the early immature techniques of composers and their later attempts at hyper romantic innovation. But overall, the four works embody the artistic crystallization of Rachmaninov, showcasing his thinking at different stages. In this set of tracks, the shortest "Paganini Theme Rhapsody" is only 25 minutes, but the dazzling techniques and high-intensity segments can still bring the entire piece to its climax.
The Encyclopedia of Piano Art
This spring, Dongyi launched the 2023 Pianist Series "Piano Journey Around the World" spanning the entire year, covering various forms such as piano solo, double pianos, piano concertos, and paying tribute to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninov. The aim is to create an "encyclopedia" of piano art for the audience. Ten new and old friends from Dongyi from six countries have successively appeared in this piano series concert.
In the first half of the year, pianist Yin Chengzong made his comeback at Dongyi at the age of 82. Rising stars in the music industry, Sun Yutong and Guo Xu, who were active on the world stage, paid tribute to the master's classic works in the form of double pianos. Chinese jazz pianist and composer Abu paid tribute to the legendary Russian composer and pianist Nicholas Kapstein. Zhang Haochen, the first gold medalist at the Van Cleben International Piano Competition in Asia, interpreted the composer's transcendent "saint of music" spirit after experiencing illness with a complete set of Beethoven piano concertos.
By the end of this year, audiences will continue to enjoy the performances of outstanding pianists from around the world in this series.
Japanese music rising star Mako Fujita, who emerged from the Welbier Music Festival, will perform Chopin's seven Polish dance pieces and Liszt sonatas with distinct personalities in a concert themed "Chopin Meets Liszt"; Italian pianist Alexander Romanovsky, once praised by the Phonograph magazine as "one of the most outstanding pianists of the 21st century," will perform Chopin's piano dances and some piano adaptations by Rachmaninov, showcasing his strength in winning the Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy; Andrei Pisarev, the director of the Piano Department at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow, infused the characteristics of the Russian school into the music of masters such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Rachmaninov; The finale of this series of performances will be Wang Yujia, who was once hailed by conductor Claudio Abado as the "most outstanding female pianist after Agrich.".
