Pianissimo Summer Piano Festival 2024

GES-2 House of Culture, together with the Pianissimo Festival, presents a summer programme of piano concerts, continuing a fruitful international cultural exchange.

Programme 

The mission of the Festival is to introduce a new generation of musicians to a wide audience at venues not traditionally associated with classical music. The Festival seeks to create synergy between different art forms, selecting concert halls where music can join with painting, architecture, and natural landscapes. Aside from the Pianissimo Festival’s traditional venues—the Large Italian Skylight Room of the New Hermitage, GES-2 House of Culture, and the Packhouses of the Nizhny Novgorod Strelka—pianists have also performed at the Valery Gergiev Concert Hall in Repino, the ballroom of the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, and the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro.

Photo by Anya Todich

The Summer 2024 programme includes concerts by outstanding young pianists from both Russia and abroad, representing Italy, China, Colombia, Turkey, Chile, and South Korea.

Programme

Pyotr Akulov (Russia)

When: 16 July (20:00–21:30)

Pyotr Akulov (b. 2006) is a pianist. He studied at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnesin Academy of Music. In 2024, he began studying under Stanislav Yudenich at Oberlin Conservatory (Ohio, USA). He has performed at such festivals as Arts Square in St. Petersburg, White Lilac in Kazan, Crescendo in Sochi, Stars on the Baikal in Irkutsk, and Mikkeli Music Festival (Finland). In 2023 he performed as a soloist with the Cleveland Symphonic Orchestra at Severance Hall. He was awarded stipends by the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation and the New Names Foundation. He has won Russian and international piano competitions, including ClaviCologne (Germany, 2018), Astana Piano Passion (Kazakhstan, 2019), Grand Piano Competition (Russia, 2021), the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (USA, 2021), and the Thomas and Evon Cooper Competition (USA, 2023).

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Toccata in D major, BWV 912

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Barcarolle in F-sharp major, op. 60
Étude in G-sharp minor, op. 25 no. 6
Four Mazurkas, op. 33
Three Mazurkas, op. 63
Ballade no. 2 in F major, op. 38
Polonaise in C-sharp minor, op. 26 no. 1

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Études symphoniques, op. 13

Giacomo Tora (Italy)

When: 17 July (20:00–21:30)

Giacomo Tora (b. 1995) is a pianist. He studied at the Conservatorio di Mantova (Italy) and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (London, United Kingdom). He has placed in numerous piano competitions in Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and regularly performs in the Umbria Classica International Chamber Music Festival and the Ascoli Piceno Festival. He has performed both solo and chamber concerts in the leading theatres of London, Nice, and Mantua.

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Aria variata alla maniera italiana in A-minor, BWV 989

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata, S.161/7

György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Selected Pieces from the Játékok (“Games”) Cycle

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968)
Cipressi, op. 17

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Préludes:
Bruyères (Book II, no. 5)
La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune (Book II, no. 7)
Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest (Book I, no. 7)
L’isle joyeuse, L.106

Lev Chefanov (Russia) 

When: 23 July (20:00–21:30)

Lev Chefanov (b. 2007) is a pianist studying at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory. He has won both Russian and international competitions and is a frequent soloist in the Moscow Conservatory season. He works with orchestras in Russia and Greece, regularly tours in Russia and Europe (Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, and Macedonia).

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) —
Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924)
Chaconne in D minor

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Four Pieces for Piano, op. 119

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Prelude and Fugue no. 21 in B-flat major, op. 87 

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Piano Sonata in A-flat major, D.557

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Berceuse, op. 57 

Alexander Scriabin (1871–1915)
Fantaisie in B minor, op. 28 

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) — 
Mikhail Pletnev (b. 1957)
Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pavane for a Dead Princess, M.19

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Etude-tableau in D major, op. 39 no. 9

Can Saraç (Turkey)

When: 24 July (20:00–21:30)

Can Saraç (b. 2007) is a pianist. In 2023, he graduated from the Istanbul University State Conservatory. In June 2021, he enrolled in the University of Music and Theatre Munich for gifted students, where he is continuing his studies with Professor Michael Schäfer. Since 2018, he has performed in competitions around the world and won numerous prizes. He has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York), the Liederhalle (Stuttgart), the State Hermitage (Saint Petersburg), the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (Istanbul), the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts, and other prestigious stages around the world. In 2023, he took part in the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival (Texas). He also won the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize, awarded by the Piano Academy Eppan (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy).

Programme

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Etudes-tableaux, op. 39: no. 2 in A minor and no. 5 in E-flat minor

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Ballade no. 1 in G minor, op. 23
Ballade no. 2 in F major, op. 38
Ballade no. 3 in A-flat major, op. 47
Ballade no. 4 in G minor, op. 52

Esteban Garcia (Colombia) 

When: 30 July (20:00–21:30)

Esteban Garcia (b. 2000) is a pianist. He studied at the Universidad El Bosque (Bogotá, Colombia), and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Universidad de los Andes under the guidance of Antonio Carbonell Reyes. He has won numerous international piano competitions and attended master classes taught by Dmitry Masleev (Russia), Mūza Rubackytė (Lithuania), Wu Qian (China), and Alexander Ullman (United Kingdom).

Programme

Adolfo Mejía Navarro (1905–1973)
Bambuco in B minor
Pasillo in B minor

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Idílio na rede (“Idyll in the hammock”) from the Suíte floral, W117

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Thirteen Preludes, op. 32

Marco Ottaviani (Italy)

When: 31 July (20:00–21:30) 

Marco Ottaviani (b. 2001) is a pianist. He studied at the Conservatorio Rossini in Pesaro and the Accademia del Ridotto under Andrew Jasinski and Roberto Cappello. He is continuing his studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot under Rena Shereshevskaya while also studying conducting with Marco Boni. He has won more than 30 national and international piano competitions: the Giulio Rospigliosi International Piano Competition (Lamporecchio, Italy), the Arcangelo Speranza International Piano Competition of the Amici Della Musica (Taranto, Italy), the EUREGIO prize (Geilenkirchen, Germany), and the Aevea Piano Prize (Verona, Italy). He regularly performs in the most prestigious concert halls in Paris, Florence, Bologna, and Verona.

Programme

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata K. 439 in B-flat major
Sonata K.159 in C major
Sonata K. 35 in G minor
Sonata K.153 in G major

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)
Piano Sonata in B minor, S.178

Alexander Scriabin (1871–1915)
Feuillet d’album, op. 58
Sonata no. 5 in F-sharp major, op. 53

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Variations on a Theme of Paganini, op. 35, Book no. 2

Yan Fang (China) 

When: 6 August (20:00–21:30) 

Yan Fang (b. 1997) is a pianist. He studied at The Juilliard School (New York, USA) under Jerome Lowenthal and Hung-Kuan Chen, the Colburn School of Music (Los Angeles) under Myong-Joo Lee and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and the New England Conservatory under Alexander Korsantia. He is currently studying at the Manhattan School of Music under Yefim Bronfman. He has performed in international competitions like Cheer Taiwan (Taiwan) and the Steinway Piano Competition (Los Angeles). In 2021, he competed in the Leeds International Piano Competition, followed by the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2023. He has performed at Lincoln Center (New York), Zipper Hall (Los Angeles), Jordan Hall (Boston), the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow), Shanghai Symphony Hall, the Harbin Opera House, and the Chengdu City Concert Hall.

Programme

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Meditation, op. 72 no. 5

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Piano Sonata no. 31 in A-flat major, op. 110

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 35

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 849

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 36

Sunmin Kim (South Korea)

When: 7 August (20:00–21:30) 

Sunmin Kim (b. 2002) is a pianist and composer. He studied at the Yewon University of Arts, the Seoul Arts High School, and the New England Conservatory (Boston). Currently, he is studying at The Juilliard School under Sergei Babayan. He has won numerous international piano competitions, including the Ewha-Kyunghyang Competition (Seoul), the Yewon Competition (Seoul), the Sejong Music Competition of the Sejong Cultural Society (Chicago), the Fou Ts’ong International Piano Competition (Boston), the Asia International Piano Competition, and the Korea-Asia Piano Open Competition.

Programme

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Barcarolle in F-sharp major, op. 60

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Piano Sonata in E-flat major, K.281

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Miroirs, M.43

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat minor, op. 36

Alexander Knyazev (Russia)

When: 14 August (20:00–21:30) 

Alexander Knyazev (b. 2007) is a pianist and composer. He studied at the Children’s Central Music School in Samara and is currently enrolled in the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory. From 2015–2017, he took part in the Children’s Music Academies of the CIS countries and the Baltic states, directed by Yuri Bashmet. He has won numerous piano competitions, including the 4th Constellation All-Russia Competition of Young Musicians, the 21st Delphic Games of Russia; the International Music Competition for the 150th Anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff, and the Rachmaninoff International Youth Piano Competition. He regularly performs at the Zaryadye Concert Hall (Moscow), and in the Great, Small, and Rachmaninoff Halls of the Moscow Conservatory. He also participates in the concert programmes organised by the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation.

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Piano Sonata no. 2З in F minor, op. 57 (Appasionata)

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Ballade no. 1 in G minor, op. 23
Ballade no. 2 in F major, op. 38
Ballade no. 3 in A-flat major, op. 47
Ballade no. 4 in F minor, op. 52