Boris Andrianov, cello

Cellist Boris Andrianov is a winner of the bronze medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, First Prize-winner (including all special prizes) at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Zagreb, Croatia and is the first Russian cellist to become a laureate at the 6th International Rostropovich competition in Paris. His talent has been recognized by well-known musicians, such as Zubin Mehta – “his profound musicality and phrasing (that) impresses one almost immediately." and Daniil Shafran - "Boris Andrianov is probably one of the most talented cellists of Russia at present."

In 1991 Andrianov was granted a stipend and selected as a "New Names" artist. Together with other “New Names” musicians he gave concerts around the world. He has performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, in Saint James' Palace in London and for the United Nations Office in Geneva. In 1997, together with the pianist Alexei Goribol, Boris Andrianov became the laureate of the First International Competition of Dmitri Shostakovich in Germany. In 2003 he became a laureate of the First Isang Yun Cello Competition in Korea.

He has participated in many international festivals including the Colmar Festival in France, the Swedish Royal Festival, the International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo (Italy), the Dubrovnik Music Festival, the Ludwigsburg and Rheingau Music Festivals in Germany and the Davos Music Festival in Switzerland. He performs with numerous orchestras including the French National Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Croatian and Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestras, the Zagreb Soloist Orchestra, Russian State and Russian National Orchestras, the Polish and Vienna Chamber Orchestras, the Orchestras di Padova e del Veneto. He has performed with such conductors as Valery.Gergiev, Pavel.Kogan, Alexander Vedernikov and David Geringas. In 2003 he performed Penderecki’s Concerto Grosso for three cellos, conducted by the composer.

Boris Andrianov has performed in both halls of the Moscow Conservatory, Moscow Philharmonic Hall, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, the Concertgebouw, Tokyo Opera City, Tokyo Suntory Hall and the Vienna Konzerthaus. He performs chamber music with Yuri Bashmet, Menahem Pressler and Akiko Suwanai.

In response to Andrianov’s performance of the Boccherini cello concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berliner Tagesspiegel wrote, "A Young God" in 2001: "The young Russian student of the Hans Eisler Hochschule plays like a god: with heartbreaking, beautiful, softly-vibrating Belcanto-tone and masterly noblesse he turns an almost harmless Boccherini concerto into a small wonder of grace and discrete melancholy."

In 2002 the DELOS Record Label released a CD with music for cello and guitar with Andrianov and Dimitri Illariono. His CD of Rachmaninov and Shostakovich sonatas with Uri Urasin on the Quartz label received the Gramophone’s “Editor’s Choice”.

Boris Andrianov plays a Montagnana cello from Russian State Collection.

Website: borisandrianov.com

Alexander Kobrin, piano

Alexander Kobrin is the winner of numerous international piano competitions – notably the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He also won top prizes at the Neigauz, Busoni, Hamamatsu, Glasgow, Caltanissetta, and the Warsaw Chopin International Competitions, as well as receiving numerous special awards for his brilliant technique and musicality, and for emotionally engaging with the audience through music. The experience of hearing Alexander Kobrin live has been very well summed up by Nick Rogers, after hearing Alexander perform a Rachmaninov concerto: “Kobrin's dazzling dexterity certainly seemed supernatural to see, but his talent and performance [with the orchestra] was decidedly human”.

His biggest passion in life is for performance - and every year he adds new impressive collaborations to his ever-growing CV, touring extensively in Europe, Asia and the US. He has collaborated with many major orchestras such as New York Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Verdi, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Moscow Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Berliner Simphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Fort Worth Symphony, Florida West Coast Symphony, Fox Valley Symphony, Fairbanks Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony and Columbus Symphony Orchestras, his “awe-inspiringly assured” technique consistently admired by presenters.

His appearances worldwide have featured recitals and performances in many major halls, including the Louvre Auditorium and Saller Cortot in Paris, Wigmore Hall and Albert Hall in London, Munich Herkulesaal and Berliner Filarmonia Hall in Germany, Kennedy Centre in Washington, Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatoire, Sheung Wan Civic Centre in Hong Kong, as well as the Esplanade Concert Hall, Sala Verdi in Milan, and many others. He has also performed at Salle Gaveau, Paris, where both Mezzo and ARTE broadcast his recital. Alexander has also made appearances and given masterclasses at the Festival Musique dans le Grésivaudan and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival in Mannes as well as at the International Piano Series and the Busoni Festival, and has given a recital tour of Italy including cities such as Palermo and Varese.

Alexander also regularly undertakes recording projects working with various well-known labels (Quartz, King Records, Fondamenta, Harmonia Mundi). In addition to the Van Cliburn Competition disc for Harmonia Mundi (2005), three volumes of Essential Chopin and a Rachmaninov disk, he released a Brahms CD (op.79, op.116 & op.119) in the summer of 2010; a new disk of Haydn and Schumann is due to come out this season, and another large-scale project is planned for 2012.

Alexander Kobrin is the L. Rexford Whiddon Distinguished Chair in Piano at Schwob School of Music of Columbus State University.

Andrianov: “Geniuses are among us. Maybe they live next door and get on our nerves because they practice all day long. But we would probably never get the idea that one of those could be a new Rostropovich. If your neighbor plays cello and if his name is by chance Boris Andrianov then it is certain that soon you will see him only from far—on CD covers or on stages of big concert halls. The young Russian student of the Hanns-Eisler-Hochschule plays like a god: With heartbreaking, beautiful, softly-vibrating Belcanto-tone and masterly noblesse he turns an almost harmless Boccherini concerto into a small wonder of grace and discrete melancholy. In this gallant, dainty Ancien-Regime-Music where emotion always keep the contenance, Andrianov uses all finesses of virtuoso discourse without offending against good taste. Always pointing towards the inside even in virtuoso passages, this art of indication makes grand not only Andrianov’s playing but also Boccherini’s music.”

—Berliner Tagesspiegel

Kobrin: “The pianist commanded the keyboard with such songful purpose that not a single phrase escaped his fingers without expression and thoughtfulness.”

—The Washington Post

Rachmaninov - Romance (Winnipeg, October 2011)