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People and events:
Spain,
teaching at music schools of Madrid and San Sebastian, giving concerts
in Spain and other countries, and occasionally coming to Moscow. This summer
he made his first appearance at a Moscow stage in 8 years. "This is
a top-class musician and virtuoso pianist," member of the competition's
jury, conductor Yuri Temirkanov said about Nebolsin. "I've never heard
him play before, and it was a pleasant discovery. I've heard of him, yes,
but didn't imagine how serious it would be. I have already offered him
a concert tour with my orchestra." Another offer came from Director
of Moscow's Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts Irina Antonova, a close friend
of Svyatoslav Richter's and co-organizer of the prestigious December Evening
arts and music festival on the premises of the Pushkin museum. Addressing
the audience at the Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall during the prize-giving
ceremony, she said: "I have the honor of inviting maestro Nebolsin
to open this year's December Evenings dedicated to the 90th anniversary
of Svyatoslav Richter's birth." Unlike most other wiz kids, Nebolsin
has not lost his extraordinary gift when he became an adult. He was 5 when
he began playing the piano and 12 when he won his first major award at
the all-Russia piano contest in Tbilisi. Then came a stunning win at the
Concertino-Prague competition, and finally, at the age of 18, the Grand
Prix at the Santader competition in Spain along with 130 invitations from
chamber and symphony orchestras! Asked about which music he preferred to
include in his repertoire, Eldar said: "That depends on a variety
of factors, including my emotional state. I can't say that I have just
one favorite composer, and no musician would say so. But I am very fond
of Russian music - Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff. I've been playing much from
Mozart over lately, mostly his piano concertos. I am trying to play in
all styles, to be diverse." Nebolsin's program at the Richter competition
was so diverse that critics dubbed him a "universal musician."
An accomplished pianist with great artistic charm and serious attitude
to his profession, Eldar worships Svyatoslav Richter: "He was a real
giant. I will always remember Richter's concert in Spain, which I was lucky
to attend. And, of course, I have always listened and continue to listen
to his recordings. To me, this is a very important landmark in the art
of musical interpretation."
Vernon,
who praised the high professional level of the Moscow competition. "I
am glad that two students of the Munich school, from Ukraine and Lithuania,
were awarded silver medals. This means that we are working well and can
compete with ballet schools in Russia, Ukraine and Germany. Unfortunately,
there were no dancers representing two major European schools - French
and British. This is something for the competition's organizers to think
upon." Commenting on the absence of European dancers, the head of
Kiev's choreographic school Yury Stanishevsky said that often there is
too much admiration for Western ballet, even though it deserves serious
criticism. I know the West European ballet well enough, especially the
state of ballet schools. Some maintain a very high level of classical ballet
culture, while others are losing the traditions of classical dance - the
foundation of ballet art. Still worse, there is a struggle between professional
ballet and the so-called Theater of Dance, as if they couldn't exist each
through itself. What's important about the Moscow ballet contest is that
it asserts 'Her Majesty Classics'." The program featured fragments
from classical ballets, including 19th-century Russian classics choreographed
by Marius Petipa, and modern dance miniatures staged by young choreographers.
Ranking among the most prestigious cultural events in Russia, the government-financed
Moscow ballet contest has major commercial sponsors. The jury is traditionally
led by the internationally famous former chief choreographer of Moscow's
Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater Yuri Grigorovich, who is very objective
and professional in his assessment of the dancers' performance.
09/16/2005
