On 31st March, two of classical music's most accomplished and well-known artists, Maxim Vengerov and Evgeny Kissin, performed a duo recital programme at the Dubai Opera House as part of the CC Forum, marking their inaugural performance together since first meeting at the opening ceremony of the renowned Tchaikovsky Competition in 1986. The concert featured music by Brahms, Kreisler, Rachmaninoff and contemporary composer Alexey Shor, in an ambitious, albeit temporary, return to concert activities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The concert was organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) and Berin-Iglesias Art.
Grammy Award-winning Maxim Vengerov is widely regarded as one of the finest violinists in the world, a child prodigy who would win First Prize in the Junior Wieniawski Competition in Poland at the age of ten, before later going on to secure first place in the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition at the age of fifteen. He is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his career, including a Classical Brit Award, two Gramophone awards, five Edison Classical Music Awards, two ECHO awards and a World Economic Forum Crystal award.
Evgeny Kissin enjoys a well-earned reputation as one of the classical world's most authentic and interesting pianists, showing prodigious ability from a young age and gaining worldwide acclaim at the age of twelve performing Chopin's first and second piano concertos in Moscow. An album recording followed soon afterwards, as well as numerous international tours including Japan, the USA and Europe. He is recipient of the 1991 Musician of the Year Prize from the Chigiana Academy of Music in Siena, as well as two of the Russian Federation's highest cultural honours, the Triumph and Shostakovich awards.
The concert was no less than one would expect from these titans of classical music, their performance an engaging and powerful one that provided a perfect cadence to the day's proceedings. Beginning with Lonely Sail, an offering from contemporary composer Alexey Shor, the pair continued with two works by Brahms: Sonata No. 2 in A Major and Hungarian Dance No. 1. These were followed by Fritz Kreisler's Chinese Tambourine, with Rachmaninoff's Vocalise closing the concert. Following the evening's performance, both artists were presented with awards "For Outstanding Achievements in Building the Cross-cultural Bridges through the Art".
Aside from the musical successes of the performance, it is worth noting the considerable organisational achievements of the European Foundation for Support of Culture and Berin-Iglesias Art in bringing this concert to bear. Calling the event "a considerable achievement", Maxim Vengerov spoke of his work with the EUFSC and in particular its president, Konstantin Ishkhanov, whom he described as, "...quite special because he has a good 'musical radar' and good taste. I'm glad he's doing what he's doing in the world and I thank him for his support because he's doing a lot of great, worthy things."
Thanking the Dubai Opera House for hosting the concert, Jorges Iglesias, of Berin-Iglesias Art, said: "It's incredible, not just in terms of its obvious prestige, but also due to the acoustics and technologies employed. It's a new venue, but an enormously sophisticated one of the highest quality."
"This concert in Dubai not only represents the highest standards of classical music performance, but also what is possible when people work together to bring about positive change in the world. On behalf of myself and everyone at the European Foundation for Support of Culture I would like to speak of our pride supporting this concert and being involved in such a worthwhile event. Maxim Vengerov and Evgeny Kissin are two of the greatest artists of our generation, and it was a pleasure to work with them and help support their first performance together here in Dubai. I would also like to extend my thanks to Maxim Berin and Jorge Iglesias for their work in helping to bring this project to life, I look forward to many more successful collaborations in the future." - Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture.
To find out more about Maxim Vengerov and Evgeny Kissin, head to their official websites.