2-CD Release Featuring Bach and Chopin Performed by Pianist Victoria Mushkatkol Brings to Light the St. Petersburg Piano School
Online, May 22, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Russian-born pianist Victoria Mushkatkol, protege of legendary pedagogue Vladimir Nielsen, is featured on a 2-disc audio recording of Frederic Chopin's Mazurkas, Scherzi, Ballades, Barcarolle; and J.S. Bach's French Overture in B minor BWV 831, titled SUBTERRANEAN CONNECTIONS: BACH AND CHOPIN. With this release, Mushkatkol pays homage to Vladimir Nielsen, while celebrating both the 100th anniversary of his birth, as well as the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth.
The 2-CD recording is a testament to the St. Petersburg piano school pioneered by Nielsen, who taught at the St. Petersburg Conservatory for over 60 years, and boldly challenges the commonplace interpretation of Frederic Chopin's music:
"There is an unfortunate tendency today to oversimplify Chopin's music and to accentuate the virtuosic at the expense of "zal" (a Polish word for an immense range of feelings that Chopin used to express a unique feeling that pervades all of his music," writes Mushkatkol. "With these recordings, I hope to counter these misguided notions and to reveal the intricate polyphony of voices, the melodicism, and uncompromising spirit embedded in Chopin's music and to demonstrate the sheer abundance of ideas and emotions in these works.
Since making her debut at age ten as soloist with the Kiev Philharmonic, Victoria Mushkatkol has been welcomed on stages world-wide as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Widely respected as a pedagogue, Mushkatkol has taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory, and had her students receive prizes at such renowned competitions as the Cleveland International Competition and Concert Artist Guild International Competition.
The 2-CD set recorded and engineered by Judith Sherman for the Fantasy label is available in record stores and online.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The complete list of works on the recordings is as follows:
J.S. Bach:
French Overture in B minor, BWV 831
Frederic Chopin:
Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
Ballade No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 35
Ballade No. 3 in A-Flat Major, Op. 47
Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52
Barcarolle, Op. 60
Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20
Scherzo No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31
Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39
Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
Mazurka, Op. 59, No. 1 in A Minor
Mazurka, Op. 59, No. 2 in A-Flat Major
Mazurka, Op. 59, No. 3 in F-Sharp Minor
Mazurka, Op. 63, No. 2 in F Minor
Mazurka, Op. 63, No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor
ABOUT VICTORIA MUSHKATKOL
Pianist Victoria Mushkatkol has garnered an international reputation as a recitalist, chamber music, soloist and pedagogue, having appeared in front of orchestras in the US, Europe, Asia and Russia. Her performances have been called "incendiary," "blazing" and "world-class" by the Kalamazoo Gazette. The New York Concert Review praised her "beautiful, deep sound" and the Grand Rapids Press hailed her tone as "full" and "vibrant." Mushkatkol's artistry has taken her to leading stages worldwide from Moscow, Russia to Japan and the Republic of China, including the Royal Family of Thailand in Bangkok.
Both as a performer and a pedagogue, Victoria Mushkatkol has appeared at numerous festivals, including the Puigcerda International Festival in Spain, the Festival Soesterberg in Netherlands, the Taiwan Music Festival in Taipei, the Hamptons' Pianofest in New York, Juilliard-in-Korea Summer Festival Casual Classics, Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, Burgos International Music Festival in Spain and the Prague International piano Festival.
With an established reputation as a sensitive and avid chamber musician, Ms. Mushkatkol has collaborated with numerous eminent artists such as violinists Evgeny Bushkov, Julia Bushkova and Charles Casselman, cellists Karen Buranskas and Andre Emelianoff, clarinetist Janet Hilton, as well as the Leontovich, Veronika, and Amernet String Quartets.
Her performances have been broadcast on radio stations throughout the US, while her recent discography includes recordings of Bach's French Overture and Chopin's Ballades and Scherzi, among others.
An internationally recognized pedagogue, Ms. Mushkatkol was on the faculties of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Oberlin Conservatory, and has presented master classes throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Throughout her career, many of her students emerged as prize-winners on the international competition circuit, taking prominent places in the music world.
Making her debut with the Kiev Philharmonic at the extraordinary age of ten, Victoria has garnered awards from multiple competitions including the Chopin Competition in Leningrad and the Russian National Piano Competition, to name a few. Ms. Mushkatkol was a protege of one of Russia's most eminent piano teachers - Vladimir Nielsen - at the Petersburg Conservatory, from which she has graduated with the highest honors.
In recent years, Victoria Mushkatkol has returned to Russia, performing at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow and Museum of Music, Sheremetiev Palace, in St. Petersburg; as well as giving master classes and serving as the guest performer at the Festival International Conservatory week in St. Petersburg.
Victoria Mushkatkol is currently on the faculty at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division, and is the Founder and Artistic Director of Vladimir Nielsen Piano Festival in Sag Harbor, New York since 2007.