Who were your principal teachers?

My first teachers were Ada Traub and Anna Kantor at the Gnessin School in Moscow. Then I studied with Irina Berkovich in Jerusalem. After that I moved to London, where I studied with Irina Zaritskaya at the Royal College of Music.

Beyond your teachers, who have been the biggest musical influences on you?

While at the Gnessin School I studied with Anna Kantor, who was also teaching Evgeny Kissin at the same time. He was a big inspiration for me: his musical genius was apparent from such a young age, with a maturity and creativity that was hard to grasp! I was at the famous concert at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory when he played both Chopin concertos at the age of 13. I also have to mention my parents: both are pianists and they inspired me a lot in my childhood; we used to sight-read piano duets regularly and I learned a lot of repertoire this way.

If you could take just one recording to a desert island, what would it be?

It would probably have to be Glenn Gould’s second (1981) recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. I can picture it fitting perfectly with the desert island! And this is one of very few pieces that I can’t imagine ever getting tired of listening to.

What was your most recent musical discovery?

Bartók’s Piano Quintet. I had to play this at the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival two years ago. Bartók wrote it when he was very young, and its musical language is so different from his mature style. It’s a romantic, vibrant work full of luscious harmonies, beautiful folky tunes and lots of youthful drive – a monumental piece that requires a lot of virtuosity and rehearsal!

What was the last thing you were practising?

Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. This is the concerto I have played the most and it is very dear to my heart.

Which solo piece would you most love to learn but haven’t yet got around to playing?

It would have to be the Goldberg Variations and the last two Beethoven piano sonatas. I hope I get to find the courage and dedication to tackle these masterpieces.

Which piano concertos should be heard in concert more often?

I personally love Rachmaninov’s First and Fourth Piano Concertos, which are played not nearly enough; normally we hear only his Second and Third Concertos. I am also very fond of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto, another that we don’t hear often.

Which composers are the most underrated or wrongly neglected?

First, Saint-Saëns: his chamber works are hardly played and they always impress me with their creativity and imagination. For some reason only a handful of Saint-Saëns’s pieces are well known. There is so much more than The Carnival of the Animals and the Introduction and Rondo capriccioso for violin! I am also a big fan of Frank Bridge and think his music deserves much more attention. Also, Nikolay Medtner wrote beautiful, complex and exciting music for piano that should be heard more often.

What are the major works you’re playing over the coming months?

I’m performing some wonderful music. In August, October and November I will immerse myself in Fauré’s Nocturnes and Impromptus. I am looking forward to learning some new repertoire, including pieces by Mel Bonis, whose music I have admired for a long time. I am going to revisit some of my old repertoire, including Mussorgsky’s famous Pictures at an Exhibition, which never ceases to amaze me with its unique musical language. I am also performing Mozart’s A major Piano Concerto, K414, in its chamber version with the Carducci Quartet and Stacey Watton at the London Piano Festival in October.

Do you have a personal favourite of your own recordings?

It’s difficult to talk about my own recordings because once I’ve recorded something I hardly ever listen to it again … I usually find that as time passes my interpretation and approach changes. My first solo recording, of Grieg’s piano music, has a special place for me. I recorded it shortly after performing at Grieg’s house on the edge of Bergen in Norway – the most magical place, which gave me a lot of inspiration.

Do you have any concert memories that especially stand out?

Many memorable concerts come to mind. One of the recent ones was the concert I did in October 2023 with my dear friend and colleague Charles Owen at Kings Place as part of the London Piano Festival. We played all of Rachmaninov’s works for two pianos. It was a very challenging concert, both pianistically and stamina-wise. We put our hearts and souls into rehearsals, trying to create something special, which hopefully we managed to achieve.

This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2024 issue of International Piano. Never miss an issue – subscribe today