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21.5.2010 Every Note Is a Whole World
On 1 June, at 7pm, the second concert of the Vilnius festival is to take place at the National Philharmonic Hall. The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra under its artistic director and conductor, violinist Sergej Krylov, will share the stage with one of today’s most acclaimed cellists, Alexander Kniazev.
Alexander Kniazev is regarded as one of today’s most charismatic cellists for a good reason. Before turning twenty, he was already considered to be the heir of Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich. The cellist claims to feel a strong influence of the pianist Sviatoslav Richter and calls the music by Bach his “musical Bible.”
Vienna’s Musikverein, London’s Wigmore Hall, Paris’ Salle Pleyel and many other prestigious concert halls are every musician’s dream, which has become a reality for Kniazev. His appearances at the said academic venues attract the attention of numerous music lovers. Each month, Kniazev gives up to ten performances. It does not seem as a significant number until one takes a look at his concert schedule: immediately after his concert in Europe he is preparing for an appearance at the other end of the world; the next day after his return from South America, the cellist is on a plane to Japan, and so on.
At the age of sixteen he started garnering prizes in major competitions in Europe, Asia and South Africa and soon established himself among the world’s best cellists. He left everybody wondering once again, when he started studying the organ and performing Bach’s organ works in concerts.
Having skilfully mastered an extensive musical repertoire and delivering perfect interpretations, the cellist plunges into his activities performing at full tilt. Speaking of his intention to record all chamber works for cello composed by Max Reger, Kniazev has noted that this 3-CD anthology was a kind of “crazy project, where I used to work up to eight hours a day.” And he spends his nights working to master the organ playing techniques, since his days are all taken up by the cello…
Violinist Sergej Krylov currently resides in Italy, but his professional career began in Moscow. He was hailed as a child prodigy and foretold an outstanding career already as a graduate of the Central Music School in Moscow. Several years ago, Mstislav Rostropovich numbered him among the world’s five best violinists. This proved to be true: tickets for his performances are sold out in an instant. When he returned to Russia after twenty years of absence, his performances were received by the packed concert halls. “Sergej Krylov played Paganini’s Caprices and every note sounded as a whole world,” wrote critics after his concert in Moscow.
It is obvious that this musician possesses an extraordinary virtuoso talent. Yet, the exceptional technical abilities are not pursued as an objective; it is merely a tool helping to disclose a rich world of emotion and the in-depth sense of the musical thought. Such approach is backed by the words of Yuri Bashmet, who has once described Krylov as “a virtuoso with brain.” Captivated music critics characterise his playing technique as “subtle refinement, sensibility and sincerity.”
Krylov regards himself one of the last representatives of the Soviet (or, perhaps, Russian) generation of musicians. The knowledge and education acquired at the Russian school is valued throughout the world. Krylov said he was happy to have heard the performances of pianists Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels, violinist Leonid Kogan or to have observed the inspiring movements of Yevgeny Svetlanov’s baton: “Their art has given me a good ‘charge’ and has become the meaning of my life. Therefore, I feel tremendous responsibility for every single note I play in Russia,” told the violinist.
According to the violinist, his repertoire includes 95 percent of the violin literature: it would be easier for him to name pieces that he has not yet performed (in the near future he plans to add violin concertos by Bartók, Stravinsky and Berg to his extensive repertoire). Niccolò Paganini deserves a special mention among his favourites. The violinist feels at home with the musical idiom of the Italian virtuoso and performs his music to perfection. He has even mastered Paganini’s Fifth Violin Concerto – an opus rarely heard at concerts due to its extraordinary technical demands that only a few violinists can meet.
Sergej Krylov is one of the few violin players who have a rare opportunity to play the violins crafted by Stradivarius or Guadagnini. Several years ago he participated at a unique concert organised by Yuri Bashmet at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory – the organisers promised that there will be 12 Stradivarius violins simultaneously played onstage (each nearly 300 years of age, brought from world’s major collections). “This promise was kept to its fullest – violinists Krylov and Isserl have brought two Stradivari each,” wrote the press after the concert. Nevertheless, Sergej also often plays the instrument crafted by his father, a famous Russian violin maker – he had observed the birth of this violin from a chump of wood to an exquisite instrument.
Krylov associates his first steps towards his astounding career with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and Saulius Sondeckis. On maestro’s invitation the seventeen-year-old violinist made one of his first recordings with the LCO for Melodya label. Today Krylov regards his appointment as the Artistic Director of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra as a special gift and a sign of recognition.
The duo of today’s intriguing artists Alexander Kniazev and Sergej Krylov is a unique combination that would be welcomed by many audiences at world’s major concert halls. Thus, this concert is a special gift and a great opportunity for Lithuanian audience to hear the true masters of the violin and cello in Vilnius.
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