Ten Characteristics of Excellent Piano Playing. Young virtuoso. What is the key to the success of pianist Ivan Bessonov at Eurovision? I didn’t expect that you would turn out to be a supporter of leftist forces

To develop the apparatus, it is not enough to play many hours of exercises. It is necessary to save energy for the rest of the work.

There is a well-known temptation to do what you know and what works best. Be able to resist this, otherwise you will not succeed.

Note that eliminating one technique gap helps eliminate all other gaps. Know your weaknesses and attack them decisively.

Those who, after playing the exercises in the morning for half an hour or even an hour, think that they are finished with the technique, are mistaken.

I’m not even entirely sure whether I should start my daily routine with exercise. The “treatment” of the device becomes more effective when the exercises are intelligently distributed throughout the working day.

Stop learning a piece of art from time to time and return to overcoming certain technical difficulties - you will achieve success faster and with less effort.

When learning technical exercises, keep the following tips in mind:

1. The seating height should ensure a horizontal position of the hand.

2. Exercises are played without a pedal.

3. Don't strain your hand. When tired, rest or change the type of exercise.

4. When working at a slow forte or piano tempo, place your finger deep into the key.

5. Think not only about the finger strike, but also about the lift. Knowing how to take your hand off the keyboard is just as important as how to put it down. The first skill is a condition for the second.

In order to achieve ease of performance, it is useful to exaggerate the clarity of articulation at the beginning of the work. The intensity of the sound decreases as the tempo gradually increases.

6. Control your thumb and second fingers and do not tilt your hand towards your little finger so that the latter retains the ability to strike on its own.

7. Continuously control the flexibility of your hand. It should be free from shoulder to wrist. Don't play with raised, stiff shoulders.

8. Work by gradually speeding up the movement, but often returning to a slow pace.

9. Count! In exercises, strong beats are fulcrum points and starting points for the fingers to run up. Emphasize! The clarity of the rhythm contributes to the clarity of the fingers.

10. Play the exercises expressively! Listen to yourself!

Reflecting the essence of our work, these instructions will give the conscientious musician something to think about and, without a doubt, will help him master the secret of great pianists - the ability to work!

In conclusion, I would like to once again appeal to all pianists of good will who wish to benefit from this work. There is no single and comprehensive method to learn the art of pianism.

They often say: technology is the work of imagination. There is some truth in this. You can, for example, compose wonderful technical formulas yourself, based on the works you study. These countless little finds have their own meaning. But they are dangerous if the pianist thinks of replacing exercises or traditional etudes with them.

The study of a work is not limited only to technical tasks. Sonority, style, beauty of phrases, fullness of sound, chords, nobility of rhythm, balance of parts - these are the goals that a pianist should set for himself, wanting to reproduce the author's intention. To do this, the performer must be freed from technical worries.

He will achieve this freedom by continuous study of the formulas contained in the studies of great piano masters. No matter how necessary Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” or Chopin’s etudes are for the formation of a virtuoso and musician - these are the pinnacles of piano literature - they will not replace Czerny’s “School of Finger Fluency” and “School of the Virtuoso”.

In order to achieve mastery, you need to work hard, you need a lot of patience. Do not forget also about modesty and respect for traditions.

I obeyed these simple truths, I put them into practice.

Marguerite Long, from the preface to “The School of Exercise”

“You played so vividly”

Ivan Bessonov became the winner of the Eurovision International Competition for Young Musicians. Ivan received a ticket to the capital of Scotland on the Blue Bird project.

Ivan Bessonov was born in St. Petersburg. At the age of six he began studying piano. And in 10 years he became the winner of the Grand Prix of the International Youth Competition named after F. Chopin, received prizes from the championships “Young Talents of Russia”, Astana Piano Passion and the competition named after A. G. Rubinstein “Miniature in Russian Music”. The virtuoso became a laureate of the international Grand Piano Competition in Moscow and the “Young Talents” award from the government of St. Petersburg.

Pianist Denis Matsuev told 360 that he first learned about Bessonov at the Blue Bird competition. The boy captivated him with his freedom, interpretation and talent.

Over the course of the year, he made a big leap both in his repertoire and in his playing. After winning Eurovision, Ivan does not relax; this morning he went to study. There is no time to relax. I will be waiting for him in Irkutsk at my festival

Denis Matsuevvirtuoso pianist.

It was Matsuev who advised sending the boy to Eurovision. Denis Leonidovich admitted that he watched Ivan’s performance and was proud of him.

At the competition, Bessonov received a standing ovation: the entire hall and the orchestra applauded him. Immediately after the performance, he was praised by the chief director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard. "Fantastic! Simply amazing! You played so vividly!” - he exclaimed.

When the winner was announced, Ivan did not believe it. On the way to the stage, he asked several times whether the award was intended for him.

The pianist told “360” that he did not expect to win. I prepared as always: I focused on music, tried to gather myself inside - this is the main thing.

“Literally in a week I’m going to Matsuev’s festival “Stars on Baikal”, I will perform with the orchestra. Immediately after I go to Vladivostok, then I have several serious performances. There are platforms, there is a place for self-improvement. This is the first time I’ve heard about a cash prize, to be honest, so I don’t know how I’ll manage it. Performing with an orchestra is something, the conductor, it’s all great,” Bessonov shared his impressions.

According to the young musician, his loved ones always demand more from him. He himself believes that there should always be a “chair with nails.”

The incentive sometimes disappears from me, my parents return it to me. I didn’t feel any competition, I treat everyone very well, all these people are musicians. I don't see myself as a competitor at all. It's like we've been communicating since kindergarten

Ivan Bessonov pianist.

Foreign countries highlight talents in Russia

Pianist Nikolai Lugansky shared with “360” his impressions of the young performer. “I'm incredibly happy. His teacher is my very close friend and creative partner Vladimir Rudenko. I heard him, but very little. This is a very talented person. Now I can’t say that there are many such talents, but there are definitely a few people. My feeling is that there is no less talent among pianists,” said Lugansky.

Pianist Ivan Rudin knows Bessonov as a scholarship recipient of the Spivakov Foundation. According to the maestro, the boy is very gifted. “Now the main thing is that after success in this competition, he confirms it with work. Success does not come without difficulty, even for very gifted children,” Rudin told 360.

According to the musician, there are many talented children in Russia. “Unfortunately, our specificity is such that we pay attention to interesting people only when they are noticed somewhere far away, abroad. This is another reminder: let's pay attention to Russian children. We must believe that we can do a lot and that this is exactly the case,” Rudin urged.

Denis Matsuev said that Bessonov is only at the beginning of his creative path.

“This is one of the first steps onto the big stage. There is a lot of talent in Russia now. Our competitions prove that there is a large team of young talented musicians. 12- and 15-year-old children are already ready to glorify our school. We have unique talents coming from small towns that we must help,” concluded the virtuoso pianist.

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On April 26, one of the best Russian pianists Nikolai Lugansky turns 40 years old. The maestro told the Izvestia correspondent that he is not superstitious and agreed to celebrate his anniversary with an exclusive interview.

- Almost all top-class pianists are now coming up with festivals, funds, and promotions. Is this fuss not close to you?

There are still a few pianists who can afford to do nothing but the piano. Among the greats are Grigory Sokolov, Radu Lupu, Nelson Freire. I understand how this is a tiny fragment of the picture of life - performing on one single instrument. And the longer you do this, the less likely you are to do anything else. For example, smart instrumentalists start conducting very early. In this sense, I have already driven myself into a trap, but I don’t regret it yet.

- Do you look at pianists and violinists who have retrained as conductors without condemnation?

Without the slightest. Playing only the violin until old age is a real feat. Therefore, starting to conduct means making your future easier. There are examples when pianists reached a very high level in the conducting profession - Mikhail Pletnev, Daniel Barenboim. Assessing conducting skills is very difficult and incredibly subjective.

- Why don’t conducting personally appeal to you?

What scares me away from this profession is the need to be a leader, to influence people, including on a non-musical level. Such properties are biologically alien to me. Once in my life I conducted during a rehearsal. Yes, it turned out to be more difficult than I thought. On the other hand, I still do not agree that you are not a conductor if you did not enter the appropriate faculty at the age of 18 and study for 5 years.

- Isn’t it necessary to influence people in pedagogy? You are a teacher.

Teacher - it’s loudly said, I just come to the class to listen to the students. When a student comes and plays a program, he gets excited, which means he is preparing for the concert. This is already a lesson.

- Are you comfortable with the pace of your life?

Not anymore. But comfort is not the best thing. I like the phrase “who said it had to be easy?” Sometimes I achieved something by trying to jump in over my head. My physical talent is not extraordinary; there are people with better hands.

- Can a pianist’s technique be done, or does nature decide everything?

Can. Volodos, Rudenko, Matsuev have a natural technique. Kissin's technique was created by himself and his teacher. Richter and Michelangeli practiced the piano for a huge number of hours, more and more every year.

-Are you a workaholic?

I never went through a period of binge drinking. I spent 6–7 hours a day not sitting at the piano, but listening to music. Having started traveling abroad at the age of 15, he spent almost all of his royalties on CDs. So I didn’t acquire armor-piercing piano equipment that can always pull out. But, I think, my musical horizons at the age of 18 were wider than those of my colleagues.

- If you play a false note at a concert, does it bother you?

Unfortunately, there are times when the offended note affects my condition. We must fight this. This is a difficult question - almost intimate hygiene.

- Is music “pure art”, or does it have ideas and content?

There is intramusical content, but it cannot be translated into words. But any person in the world will feel this content. Words touch a much narrower area of ​​life than music. Using words to talk about love, passion, fear, hatred? Well, about hatred a little simpler. Even if you take the best novels, the weakest points there are descriptions of love and passion.

- So, writers, in general, waste their lives in vain?

Remember how Faustus translates the Gospel of John? “In the beginning was the Word.” And Faust says: “I do not value words so highly as to think that they are the basis of everything.” And this is written by Goethe, who operated neither with sounds nor with pictures. A friend of mine said it very well: “No one can see the whole elephant. We can only see part of the elephant." Music is the art that perhaps most clearly sees the elephant as a whole.

- You are known as probably the most distant pianist of your generation from the Internet.

I don’t like the state I’m in when I spend half an hour on the Internet. Well, I just feel worse - some kind of screen, buttons. But I understand perfectly well that this is the greatest thing for all kinds of people living far from big cities.

- How do you feel about Moscow?

This is my hometown, the main events of my life took place here. But if you look through the eyes of a foreigner, then, along with New York, this is the most difficult city. New York is even a little more cheerful than Moscow. In terms of the absurdity of prices, Moscow is probably in second place after London.

- Do you feel the revival of public life in Russia in recent months?

The revival is peculiar. The masses of people are convinced that the most important thing is the confrontation between the authorities and the opposition. But the point is completely different. There is a fundamental economic question: whether land and natural resources can be owned by specific people or not. Different countries around the world give different answers to this question. Everywhere there is a different degree of circulation of money - even today, when for money you can do a lot, almost everything. In America, if you hand over $100 to a police officer, you risk being handcuffed. In Russia, the circulation of money is not limited by anything. You buy an oil field, you pay a doctor to do his duty to save a person's life, you pay a policeman, and so on. Both the current government, Nemtsov, and Kasyanov are in favor of unlimited circulation of money. Garry Kasparov will tell you that communism is dead. It's like saying "love is dead" or "music is dead." The idea that your work should benefit everyone living in the country has existed forever.

- I didn’t expect that you would be a supporter of leftist forces.

For the right, the fundamental idea is freedom, for the left, the idea of ​​justice. The idea of ​​freedom in our country is embodied in an exaggerated form, and the idea of ​​justice is trampled upon. Therefore, in the parliamentary elections I voted for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation - for lack of more left-wing parties.

- Okay, this is your choice from the four Duma factions. And of the four temperaments?

I am a melancholic person who is trying to be sanguine.

The transition period to new times is due to the urgent need of society for art that reflects friendly communication and freedom from falsehood. The need for household art is increasing. On the one hand, the democratization of art revived musical life. But against the backdrop of this revival, the phenomenon of transitional culture is clearly expressed - the acceptance of pop culture as a unique phenomenon, and the unique works of classics being accepted as stereotype art. The educational function of music and its highly artistic purpose were replaced by an entertainment function and an orientation towards the tastes of the listener. The Philharmonic system has also completely lost the need for educational activities. The focus on box office and profit, which are proportional to success among the sometimes undeveloped listener, gives rise to the development of the tastes of the population in the wrong direction. The media, which have an educational function, completely alienate us from the traditions of academic music. It is becoming less and less common to find television programs promoting historical portraits of composers, announcements of performances, or simply the broadcast of a film-opera. Performances of the best pianists are broadcast on some channels from 1.00-3.00 am. What audience are these broadcasts intended for? Of the 47 analogue television channels, 1 is dedicated to promoting culture to the masses. The avant-garde reflection of reality is very far from the ideological content of the academic repertoire, and the artistic height of the classical repertoire sets the bar too high for modern everyday life. In this regard, there is a very large gap in the understanding of art, in the trends of its development and meaning. Mira Evtich said best about the situation in modern performance: “Excellent pianists play all over the world very quickly and very loudly, they are all titled and deserved, but they have no personal charisma, no original personal quality.” Also noteworthy are the words of M. Pletnev: “I haven’t heard representatives of the old Russian school for a long time. I hear a school that can be called “post-Russian” or “post-Soviet”. It arose from the need to obtain first places in various competitions. Athletic game. I'm not a fan of this game. But to get it, you need to take it with just such a game. I see that people who play more meaningfully get nothing. Careers are made by those who play loudly and quickly...” The time of sports and competition led to the emergence of performers similar to each other. The professional level of the performer does not go beyond correct and clean playing. Performers are increasingly less likely to invest their interpretive “I” into their performance. The path of a pianist to the concert stage lies through competitive competition. Only sports-oriented pianists win. Because of this, artistic culture is following the path of spiritual decline. Statistics show a drop in the occupancy of concert halls. Professionally oriented artists in Russia generally do not have the financial opportunity to attend concert performances. They are increasingly turning to recordings, Radio Orpheus or the Internet. Issues of performance and interpretation gradually remain in the 20th century. The concept of “virtuoso” changes its noble meaning of “a musician, a master of his craft, stunning the hall.” Increasingly, a master of technique is called a virtuoso, distinguished by brilliant fluency and ease of execution of difficult passages, octaves and other technically difficult places.

Piano performance itself has ceased to have a sole educational and educational function, and is no longer a reflection of the spiritual mood of the people. The piano ceases to be the central instrument, and the Klaviraband is replaced by prefabricated concerts or recordings. Sound recording, which appeared at the end of the 19th century, on the one hand gave a massive impetus to the development of piano art, supplanted the genre of home music playing, limiting the listener to the low quality of transmission of piano works. At the beginning of the 21st century, the piano is being replaced by electronic small-sized synthesizers, and the public is attending solo piano concerts less and less, preferring bright symphony concerts or festivals, where one can hear a large amount of diverse music in different performances in one evening. Is it possible that in the future the grand piano will become a museum exhibit and piano performance will disappear completely?

To preserve the performing arts and revive it, one must work closely with bold, large-scale ideas and the desire to implement them. Original, original thinking determines the movement and new ways of developing art. You need to educate your audience and force them to rise above their artistic level. In educating students, it is important to instill the skill of cognition and independent expansion of their horizons. Contemporary performance is represented by many pianists. We most often learn their names after the Tchaikovsky competition. This competition brought fame to such pianists as

Van Cliburn, Vladimir Ashkenazi, Eliso Virsaladze, Vladimir Krainev, Mikhail Pletnev, Grigory Sokolov, Boris Berezovsky, Denis Matsuev and many others. International competitions and festivals contribute to the globalization of piano art. Piano schools gradually cease to have the same identified features as in the 20th century. Asian pianists come to study in Russia, Russians go to train and advance to the West, and then return to give concerts in Russia. The style of contemporary performance reflects the philosophy of pluralism. The multiplicity of interpretations, performing directions, and construction of programs today are equivalent and acceptable. On the one hand, this provides a way for tasteless and illiterate amateurs, but at the same time it is a chance for professionals to preserve the performing arts and look for new ways of development. This path was seen by Glen Gould in the 20th century. Experimenting with recording sometimes even opposite interpretations on the same day (for example, Beethoven's Sonata op.57 "Appasionata"), he proves his reform about the correctness of any interpretation, provided it is justified and convincing. Modern trends in piano art can be defined as expressive And fine art. Thus, in piano works, performers of the “expressive direction” express the composer’s idea through the prism of their spiritual world, their relationship to the work, searching for it in the historical and philosophical panorama. And pianists of the “fine direction” show us the idea of ​​the work, its meaning in the context of their personal professional capabilities, drawing an image with sounds. Contemporary performance can usually be characterized by pianists whose creative principles have already been established, and the future consists of young pianists who are still on the verge of great achievements.

Grigory Sokolov, Mikhail Pletnev, Boris Berezovsky, Evgeny Kissin, Ivo Pogorelich, Marta Agrerich, Alfred Brendel, Eliso Virsaladze are pianists whose names are at the top of our time. Their performing principles have already developed during their creative careers and basically they continue the best traditions of pianism that developed in the 20th century. The instructions of the best teachers and live performances of pianists such as S. Richter, E. Gilels, Vl. Horowitz, Ar. Rubinstein are still fresh in their memory. Our century provides us with an amazing opportunity to also listen to their sound recordings. We can evaluate their technical capabilities, compare interpretations, and trace the evolution of the performers’ creativity at any time convenient for us. But we will never have access to that magical world of creation, that sacred aura of colorful sound, that power of influence on the listener, that message of energy that can once and for all shape the performer’s worldview, cultivate his taste and direct his creativity in a direction that will maintain the artistic standard at height. Alas. Forecasts of these figures for piano performance are not always comforting, but through their activities they are trying to preserve and convey what has been collected grain by grain throughout the history of piano performance. Holding festivals, inviting world stars of piano art, affordable prices when purchasing concert tickets, grants to support young talents - these are the first steps towards stopping the irreversible process of disappearance of piano performance. We are given hope for the future by young talents, the search for which is continuous. One of the pianists who recently conquered the whole world is Daniil Trifonov. A brilliant young pianist with an established musical position. His musical talent is combined with a fiery heart and attitude towards music. “First of all, music must enter my heart, only then do I start working on a piece.” - says Daniel. His performing style can be considered a worthy continuation of the Russian piano school. His desire, which can be heard in any interpretation, is to get closer to the composer’s idea, correlating it with the era and time. For example, the First Piano Concerto of P.I. Tchaikovsky's performance is full of breath and very melodic. And the performance of the concerto for F. Chopin No. 1 is in the best traditions of the first winners of the Chopin Competition - L. Oborin and J. Zack. filled with male sentimentality and sincerity. Captures the hearts of listeners from the first sound - Alexander Lubyantsev. The pianist, who has also passed a large number of competitions, amazes with his interpretations. Despite not always positive reviews of his performance, we can say that he is on the right path - not to copy existing interpretations, but to push the boundaries in search of his own individual style and in constructing new readings of works. For him, works are an inexhaustible source for search, and his motto is “he who walks the road will master the road.” His performance cannot leave anyone indifferent. There are no empty spaces on Lubyantsev's keyboards. Interpretation is the second life of music and such a great performer to it is sure to breathe new life into the performing arts. Concerts leave an unforgettable impression

Miroslava Kultysheva. The performing style of this pianist is very romantic, touching, and delicate, just like the image of the pianist himself. The lack of bright expressiveness and a touch of sadness gives his performance an ethereal quality and does not impose his opinion and interpretation on the listener. There is room for the listener's imagination and imagination. This leaves some understatement, which leaves the impression that the pianist will “open up” and “show” something else. But it's such an exotic, fancy style. His performances of works by M. Ravel “Reflections” or “Gaspard at Night” are especially successful. The performance of S. Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 2 is filled with sincerity, and its sound fills the entire hall with the aura of a sacred performance. His repertoire includes less classical works. The pianist speaks about this in one of his interviews:

“Viennese classics caused me significant difficulties precisely because of their greater organization and classicism, when compared with the music of romanticism. Since childhood, I have gravitated towards the romantic repertoire, playing a lot of romantic music. I can’t judge how I played, but in any case, my inner inclination and need manifested itself in this choice.” His approach to the work, the search for the author’s intention, the study of the musical theoretical base, and teaching influence the performing evolution. His perfect execution acquires depth and philosophy. Perhaps in the future this trait will be reflected in the repertoire of this pianist, and we will hear in his performance wonderful interpretations of classical examples of academic music. The above pianists, as well as Nikita Mdoyants, Vadim Kholodenko, Andrey Gugnin, Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev, are our future. These are pianists with a bright personality and their own vision of the performing arts. Many of these pianists represent the “composing virtuoso” type of performer so popular in the second half of the 19th century. The versatility of their talent expands their reading of works and adds a creative dimension to their activities. For encores they perform their own compositions, compose their own cadenzas for concerts, write reviews of the performances of their colleagues, promote rarely performed repertoire, and perform academic music on a par with modern music. The method of expanding musical specialization with the restoration of performing traditions and an objective awareness of modernity gives hope that the art of pianism is, as in the time of A. Rubinstein, at dawn and it has another century and a half of brilliant history before the next renewal.

To recognize the world's only best contemporary pianist is an impossible task. For each critic and listener, different masters will be idols. And this is the strength of humanity: the world contains a considerable number of worthy and talented pianists.

Agrerich Marta Archerich

The pianist was born in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires in 1941. She took up the instrument at the age of three, and at the age of eight she made her public debut, at which she performed a concerto by Mozart himself.

The future virtuoso star studied with such teachers as Friedrich Gould, Arturo Ashkenazy and Stefan Michelangeli - some of the most outstanding classical pianists of the 20th century.

Since 1957, Argerich began to participate in competitive activities and won her first big victories: 1st place in the Geneva Piano Competition and the International Busoni Competition.

However, Martha’s real stunning success came at the moment when, at the age of 24, she was able to win the international Chopin competition in the city of Warsaw.

In 2005, she won the highest Grammy award for her performance of chamber works by composers Prokofiev and Ravel, and in 2006, for her performance of Beethoven’s work with an orchestra.

Also in 2005, the pianist was awarded the Imperial Japanese Prize.

Her ardent playing and amazing technical skills, with the help of which she masterfully performs works by Russian composers Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, cannot leave anyone indifferent.

One of the most famous contemporary pianists in Russia is the musician Evgeniy Igorevich Kisin.

He was born on October 10, 1971 in Moscow, and at the age of six he entered the Gnessin Music School. His first and only teacher for the rest of his life was Anna Pavlovna Kantor.

Since 1985, Kissin began to demonstrate his talent abroad. In 1987 he debuts in Western Europe.

After 3 years, he conquers the United States, where he performs Chopin's 1st and 2nd concertos with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and a week later performs solo.

Another one of the most outstanding modern Russian virtuoso pianists is the famous Denis Matsuev.

Denis was born in the city of Irkutsk in 1975 into a family of musicians. Parents taught their child to art from an early age. The boy's first teacher was his grandmother Vera Rammul.

In 1993, Matsuev entered the Moscow State Conservatory, and 2 years later he became the leading soloist of the Moscow State Philharmonic.

He gained worldwide fame after winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, when he was only 23 years old.

He prefers to combine his innovative approach to playing with the traditions of the Russian school of piano.

Since 2004, he has been holding a series of concerts called “Soloist Denis Matsuev,” inviting domestic and foreign leading orchestras to collaborate with him.

Christian Zimmerman

Christian Zimmerman (born 1956) is a renowned contemporary pianist of Polish origin. In addition to being an instrumentalist, he is also a conductor.

His initial music lessons were taught to him by his father, an amateur pianist. Christian then continued his studies with teacher Andrzej Jasinski in a private format, and then moved to the Katowice Conservatory.

He began giving his first concerts at the age of 6 and in 1975 won the Chopin Piano Competition, thereby becoming the youngest winner in history. Over the next year, he honed his piano skills with the famous Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

Christian Zimmermann is considered a brilliant performer of Chopin's work. His discography includes recordings of all the piano concertos of Ravel, Beethoven, Brahms and, of course, his main idol, Chopin, as well as sound recordings of works by Liszt, Strauss and Respiha.

Since 1996 he has been teaching classes at the Basel Hochschule für Musik. Received the Chigi and Leonie Sonning Academy Awards.

In 1999 he created the Polish Festival Orchestra.

Wang Yujia is a Chinese representative of piano art. She gained fame thanks to her virtuoso and incredibly fast playing, for which she was awarded the pseudonym “Flying Fingers.”

The Chinese contemporary pianist was born in the city of Beijing, where she spent her childhood in a family of musicians. At the age of 6, she began her tests on the keyboard instrument, and a year later she entered the Central Conservatory of the capital. At the age of 11 she was enrolled to study in Canada and after 3 years she finally moved to a foreign country for further studies.

In 1998, she received the prize of the International Competition for Young Pianists in the city of Ettlingen, and in 2001, in addition to the award described above, the judges gave Wang an award awarded to pianists under 20 years old in the amount of 500,000 yen (in rubles - 300,000).

The pianist also plays Russian composers with success: she has recorded Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Concertos, as well as Prokofiev’s Second Concerto.

Fazil Say is a Turkish contemporary pianist and composer born in 1970. He studied at the Ankara Conservatory, and then in the cities of Germany - Berlin and Dusseldorf.

In addition to his piano work, it is worth noting his qualities as a composer: in 1987, the pianist’s composition “Black Hymns” was performed in honor of the 750th anniversary of the city.

In 2006, the premiere of his ballet “Patara” took place in Vienna, written on the basis of Mozart’s theme, but this time a piano sonata.

Two composers occupy an important place in Sai's performing piano repertoire: musical titans Bach and Mozart. At concerts he alternates classical compositions with his own.

In 2000, he made an unusual experiment, taking the risk of recording the ballet “The Rite of Spring” for two pianos, performing both parts with his own hands.

In 2013, he came under criminal investigation for statements on a social network concerning the topic of Islam. The Istanbul court concluded that the musician’s words were directed against the Muslim faith and sentenced Fazil Say to 10 years of suspended imprisonment.

That same year, the composer filed a petition for a retrial, the verdict of which was again confirmed in September.

Other

It is simply not possible to talk about all modern pianists in one article. Therefore, we list those whose names are significant today in the world of classical music:

• Daniel Barenboim from Israel;
• Yundi Li from China;
• From Russia;
• Murray Perahia from the United States of America;
• Mitsuko Uchida from Japan;
• from Russia and many other masters.