Andrey Gugnin Presents Special Version of Alexey Shor's 'Childhood Memories'

InClassica 2021 is the biggest and most ambitious music festival to ever take place in the Middle East, welcoming a staggering 37 world-renowned soloists, 7 celebrated orchestras and 12 leading conductors to Dubai for a 30-day celebration of sublime musicianship, world-class performance and international collaboration. InClassica is pleased to present the biggest names in classical music today, featuring performers from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, for an unrivalled programme of phenomenal concerts taking place at the Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena. The festival features a range of music from distinguished historical European composers, as well as works from the event’s Composer-in-Residence, Alexey Shor. 

Last night at InClassica

Childhood Memories
Coca-Cola Arena

Alexey Shor's Childhood Memories were premiered as a composition for piano solo. In this work, the composer reflects memories from his childhood as well as the daily life with his own children. Andrey Gugnin played the Shor's version for piano and symphonic orchestra that Alexey Shor arranged himself. Michael Francis and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz confronted this version of Shor's Childhood Memories with Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird.

Andrey Gugnin
 - What emotions do you feel after the concert? “The impressions are wonderful, the state is inspired. This is my first concert in Dubai. It's a pity that I don't have much time here at the festival, I just arrived and will return immediately. It's nice that the audience is very grateful and really accepts with warmth. This is important for the performer, especially since I know that the culture of classical music concerts is just emerging here. I hope that after InClassica, similar events will continue to be held here.” 
 - How was the preparation for the concert going? “We didn't have much time for rehearsals in Dubai, and Alexey Shor's work is quite voluminous, so even before the festival I came to the orchestra in Germany for additional rehearsals.So we started preparing for today's performance long before the festival. I think everything turned out well, I felt such a musical flow that kept our attention, and this is the most important thing.” 
 - How was your collaboration with the conductor? “When you are on stage, it is completely different from watching the conductor from the audience. Michael Francis is a real professional and master. In a short time we discussed and rehearsed all the moments.” 
 - A few words about the work that was performed today? “It's not the first time I've played this piece. Its complexity is partly due to the fact that there are many different parts in it, and they are all different in character and emotions, and you need to have time to rebuild. I especially respond to the movements “Melancholy "(it reflects this state well), as well as" The Last Days of Summer", there is a lot of humor and there is space for piano and artistic freedom. In general, the musical language here is clear and understandable, and the music itself leads you. Every time I play it, I feel happy.

Michael Francis
 - Can you tell us a bit about tonight’s programme? “Well initially what we thought was that we really wanted to bring music from our country, from Germany of course, and then, because this is quite an international festival as well we wanted to also honour that and be part of that as well...and of course ‘Firebird’ has the greatest send-off of all pieces. It was a great performance.”
 - How did the collaboration with Andrey go? “Terrific! What a great musician, he had the whole thing memorised, totally in control of it. It was a great piece by Alexey again, very appealing and the audience loves it every time and it’s very moving so it was very effective.”
 - Looking back, how has your stay at the festival been for you and the orchestra? “The orchestra is such a great group of people, they had four concerts in four days with four programmes, it was incredibly hard. It was really intense! We worked as hard as you can imagine and they sounded great so I’m really delighted with them. It was a really enjoyable experience overall though; the organizers looked after us extremely well, we all felt very valued and respected and looked after. The audiences were great as well so it was really lovely.”

Quotes From Those in Attendance: 

“The concert was truly amazing, I loved it! Two very contrasting pieces, and ‘The Firebird’ was simply extraordinary, bravo to everyone involved!” — audience member

“It was a fantastic concert, the soloist was brilliant and I enjoyed both pieces very much. The encore piece was great too, a really nice touch.” — audience member

“It was so nice to hear live music again! I’m really glad I made it tonight.” — audience member 

Tonight at InClassica*

Images of Nature
Coca-Cola Arena

Without any doubt, David Aaron Carpenter is one of the most outstanding violists of our time and, thus, the ideal soloist for Béla Bartók's late Concerto for viola and orchestra. Zoltán Kodály composed the Dances of Galánta, based on childhood memories and underlining how much Hungarian music owes to the creativity and virtuosity of the Romani people. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy wrote his concert overture Die Hebriden (The Hebrides) under the impression of a journey to Scotland. It brilliantly paints an image of nature and has therefore been considered an early example of a symphonic poem. Described as "a forceful and rhapsodic soloist" by the Los Angeles Times, Julia Zilberquit plays Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor together with the Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra under Arkady Feldman.

• Julia Zilberquit (piano)
• David Aaron Carpenter (viola)
• Arkady Feldman
• Kaliningrad Symphony Orchestra

*Full details (including quotes from performers and attendees) will be available tomorrow. For any enquiries regarding tonight’s performance, please contact us.

Organised by the European Foundation for Support of Culture and SAMIT Event Group, the 2021 Edition of the InClassica International Music Festival is currently underway, with daily concerts taking place until the 26th of September. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the official website at inclassica.com.