Mikhail Simonyan
Releases Debut Recording of Prokofiev Sonatas on Delos with pianist Alexei Podkorytov
January 27, 2009
"Prokofiev Sonatas for
Violin and Piano" (Delos 3385)
Worldwide CD Release Date:
January 27, 2009
Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a
Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80
"breadth, lyricism and fleet technique"
The New York Times
"an exceptional young artist"
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette
New York, NY On January 27, 2009, violinist Mikhail Simonyan, hailed as having "a flawless, liquid line and ravishing tone" by The Washington Post, will see the release of his debut album, featuring the Prokofiev Sonatas for Violin and Piano, on Delos Recordings. Mr. Simonyan has collaborated with Russian pianist Alexei Podkorytov and Grammy Award-winning producer Adam Abeshouse for this much-anticipated recording of Prokofiev's two protean masterpieces.
At just 22 years of age, Mikhail Simonyan is already recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. The Miami Herald declared, "Mikhail Simonyan . . . played with the poise, perfection and inner burning fire of a master like David Oistrakh in his prime on a good night." Performing and recording both Prokofiev Violin Sonatas is an undertaking near and dear to Mr. Simonyan's heart. He worked intensely on this repertoire with his mentor, violinist Victor Danchenko, a student of the great David Oistrakh for whom both sonatas were written.
Regarding his undertaking of Prokofiev's First Violin Sonata, Mr. Simonyan remarks, "Mr. Danchenko was in the Soviet Union during the war, so he passed along the ideas. He told me a lot about living in the Soviet Union during the war years, and that helped me to understand all the details of the music, to understand how sad this music is. Emotionally, it's one of the hardest pieces for me to play on stage, because as soon as I play the first note, my mind immediately goes there"
Mr. Simonyan's recording is already being met with critical acclaim. Julian Haylock of The Strad raves, "Simonyan's tonal and intonational purity, coupled with a ravishing range of expressive colours, illuminates this extraordinary work with laser beam accuracy."
Mr. Simonyan, who hails from Novosibirsk (the same city that Vadim Repin and Maxim Vengerov call home), began to study the violin at the age of five. As part of the first generation of artists to forge careers in an era with substantially decreased government support, he has blazed a trail for young musicians in Russia. In 1999, at 13, Mr. Simonyan made his acclaimed New York debut at Lincoln Center with the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (ARYO) and his debut in St. Petersburg, Russia at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre in ARYO's joint concert with the Mariinsky Youth Orchestra, performing the Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1 (which he had just learned for the occasion).
Current and upcoming concert season highlights for Mr. Simonyan include a debut at the Berlin Philharmonie; his debut at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, performing the Bruch Violin Concerto; a recital during the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Musikfestival in Germany as part of the "Junge Elite" concert series; appearances with the Seoul Philharmonic, the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Musikverein, the New Jersey Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Vancouver Symphony; and recitals in the United States and Russia.
Mr. Simonyan has earned first prize awards at the All-Russia Competition in Saint Petersburg, the Siberian Violin Competition, the National Prize Prizvanie in Moscow, and the Salon de Virtuosi in New York. He is a winner of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Award, and received the 2000 Virtuoso of the Year award in Saint Petersburg. In 2003, the National Academy of Achievement selected him for an award in the Performing Arts. In 2005, he received the highest level of recognition when President Putin received him at the Kremlin, in acknowledgment of his status as one of Russia's most promising young musicians.
Mr. Simonyan has performed with, among others, the Russian National Orchestra, the Kirov Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, the Novosibirsk Philharmonic, and the Moscow Virtuosi. He has worked with conductors Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev, Leonard Slatkin, Constantine Orbelian, Vladimir Spivakov, Arnold Katz, Kristjan Järvi, Leon Botstein, and the late Yehudi Menuhin.
In 2004, Mr. Simonyan made his debut with the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre under Maestro Valery Gergiev in Eduoard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE, and at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Also in 2004, he made his subscription debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Maestro Gergiev. He also soloed with Maestro Constantine Orbelian at the Moscow State Conservatory's Great Hall, and in Saint Petersburg with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic. In addition, he was selected to appear at the Horatio Alger Awards Dinner in Washington DC. In spring of 2004, he performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at SUNY Performing Arts Center with the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra.
In the autumn of 2004, after studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Mr. Simonyan returned to Russia and was immediately in demand by the leading orchestras of his home country. After his debut with the Russian National Orchestra, the Moscow Times wrote, " he seems destined to be ranked on the same Superstar level as fellow Novosibirsk natives Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin." During the 2004-2005 concert season, he also made his debut at Vienna's Musikverein as soloist with Maestro Kristjan Järvi and the Tonkünstler Orchestra, and performed a highly acclaimed solo recital debut in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center.
Mr. Simonyan continues to work with Victor Danchenko in the United States and now lives in Philadelphia. He is managed worldwide by Tanja Dorn at IMG Artists. For more information, please visit www.mikhailsimonyanviolin.com.
ABOUT PIANIST ALEXEI PODKORYTOV:
Pianist Alexei Podkorytov has been lauded by The NewYork Times for his great assurance and the breadth of his interpretive skills. Born in Novosibirsk, he began studying piano at the age of four. He gave his first public performance at age eight and during the same year he made his debut with the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. He has continued to perform throughout Russia as a recital pianist and as a soloist with numerous orchestras, and his touring credits include solo recitals and performances in Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Estonia, Armenia, Russia and the United States. Mr. Podkorytov received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Oxana Yablonskaya.
