“Music helps children to see the world” Dmitry Kabalevsky was destined for a career in mathematics and economics, but his fascination with the arts steered his career in entirely different directions. Hailed by Soviet authorities as the guiding light of

Trios, Travelling and Teaching Moscow-born violinist Maria Milstein balances a successful solo career with the work of her chamber group the Van Baerle Trio. I speak to Maria in the days following a week with six concerts with the group,

‘It is a huge privilege and luxury to be able to have this life’ January’s Artist of the Month is Alina Pogostkina, a Russian-born German violinist storming the international stage. 2016 saw her playing with groups including the Philharmonia, Brno

An Uncompromising Vision Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, born on 24 October 1931 in Tschistopol, a small town on the Volga in the Tartar Republic of the USSR, has never been in doubt about her personal and musical identity and convictions. “I

The last link to traditional Russian music Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov (1864-1956) was a contemporary of Richard Strauss, and he lived to the ripe old age of 92. Born in Moscow, he became a U.S. citizen in 1949 and spent his

Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of his Birth Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) “There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C major” Sergei Prokofiev’s death on March 5, 1953, only hours before the passing of Josef Stalin, went almost

Pianist, Scholar and Composer When Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856-1915) attended the funeral of his student Alexander Scriabin in 1915, he caught a rather severe flu. Instead of taking proper medicine and rest, he continued to resist the virus and persisted

Agonies and Ecstasy! What happens when new neural connections within your brain break down the boundaries that normally exist between the senses? For one, hearing a particular musical note might cause you to see a particular color, or you may