Technopolis 20 Classics to Host Solo Piano Concert With Igor Andreev

The eagerly awaited new season of the Technopolis 20 Classics concert series is set to commence with an extraordinary solo piano performance by the acclaimed Russian pianist Igor Andreev. The concert will take place at Markidion Theatre, on the 13th of September 2024, at 8pm.

Igor Andreev, an impetuous pianist and sensitive musician, has been recognized for his exceptional abilities and deep passion for music. His talent has been acknowledged through numerous awards at major piano competitions, including the Concours de Genève in Switzerland, the UNISA competition in South Africa, and the Hamamatsu competition in Japan. A significant milestone in his career came with his victory at the prestigious 2018 Rina Sala Gallo competition in Monza, Italy, chaired by Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy. This win brought him widespread acclaim and numerous concert engagements, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in the classical music world.

The concert will feature a diverse programme, beginning with works by Alexander Scriabin, including three of his notable piano sonatas, which showcase his unique compositional style and expressive range. After a brief intermission, the program will continue with compositions by Franz Liszt, including his transcriptions of songs from Schubert's "Schwanengesang" and selections from his "Grandes études de Paganini," known for their technical brilliance and virtuosic demands.

Entrance: €20 | Information: 70002420 | Tickets online: https://www.soldoutticketbox.com/event/igor-andreev-solo-piano-2024?lang=en

Supporters: Pafos Municipality

Hospitality Sponsor: Coral Beach Hotel & Resort

Media Sponsor: Cyprus Mail

Sponsors: Photo Larko

Igor Andreev was born in Kaliningrad (former Soviet Union) and discovered his passion for the piano at the age of 5. After first musical impulses in Kaliningrad received from Vladimir Slobodyan, Igor was promoted at a young age at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg by Prof. Vladimir Suslov. He continued his studies at the University of the Arts in Berne in the class of Prof. Tomasz Herbut, where he devoted himself to the chamber music at the same time.

In 2017, Igor completed his Master Specialized studies at the Bern University of the Arts and received the Tschumi Prize for the best graduate. Since then, he was developing artistically with Konstantin Lifschitz in Lucerne, where Igor is currently working as his assistant, and with Vovka Ashkenazy in Lugano.

As a soloist and chamber musician Igor performs in concert halls throughout the world. He gives concerts as a soloist with symphony orchestras such as Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, L'Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, L'Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot, Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, Zakhar Bron Festival Orchester, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Kaliningrad State Symphonic Orchestra, Kaunas Chamber Orchestra and others.

Igor was a participant of programs of the Rotary club and Lions club of Germany and different projects of Gartow-Foundation. He was supported by the Foundation "Russian Performing Arts", a Federal scholarship of the Swiss Confederation, a scholarship from the Hirschmann Foundation and the Fondation Clavarte. He was also awarded the promotion prize of the Kiefer Hablitzel Foundation and the Rotary Excellence Prize (Lugano).

The list of Igor's successes includes main prizes in the international piano competitions like Liszt Competition in Weimar (2005), Competition of the Rotary clubs in Spain (2009), “3rd Classics in the Streets” Competition in Bad Ragaz (2012), “6. Concours International de Piano de Lyon” (2014), “69. Concours de Genève“ (2014), “9. Hamamatsu International Piano Competition” (2015), “13. UNISA International Piano Competition” (2016), “1. Manhattan International Music Competition" (2016), “4. Baltic International Piano Competition”, “Prix du Piano Bern” (2018), “2. Brescia Classica International Piano Competition” (2018), “4. City Acquaviva delle Fonti” International Piano Competition (2018), “8. Verona International Piano Competition” (2018) and “25. Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition” (2018).

In addition to the solo repertoire Igor Andreev pays much attention to chamber music. He is a prize winner of the Sviridov International Competition in St. Petersburg (2005), Shostakovich International Competition in Moscow (2010) and the “Three centuries of classical romances” international competition in St. Petersburg (2012). He expands these multifaceted activities by collaborating with professors like Antonio Meneses, Gertrud Weinmeister and Tianwa Yang as an accompanist at the Bern University of the Arts where he works since 2015. From the autumn semester 2021, Igor is also appointed as an assistant in the piano class of Prof. Tomasz Herbut and as a head of accompaniment and correpetition section of the music department.

Moreover, Igor is constantly interested in historical performance practice and devotes a large part of his art to pianoforte. So, he regularly appears on pianoforte with Gertrud Weinmeister, former solo violist of the Concentus Musicus Vienna under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, for example at the professor's concert at the Bern Conservatory in 2017 or at the Millstätter Music Weeks 2019 in Austria.

Due to his intense work and aspiration to historically informed interpretation, Igor was invited to prepare the long-awaited Urtext edition and completion of Michail Glinka's sonata for viola/ violin and piano commissioned by "Partitura" publishing house.

Published in February 2021, the work was awarded a grant from the Culture Commission of the City of Bern.

In 2022, together with Thomas Gerber, Igor successfully released his debut CD on NEOS with the world premiere recordings of works for two pianos by Joachim Raff (for his 200th birthday) and Paul Juon (for his 150th birthday). In 2023, another CD was released with premiere recordings of vocal works by Walter Furrer (1902-1978) together with Julia Frischknecht, soprano.

Igor also enjoys working as an event organizer. “He makes Bern a piano city” is how Der Bund and Die Berner Zeitung describe him. In 2019, Igor founded and directed the world's only piano trio festival Piano Trio Fest, in 2022 the Ensemble Sinfonietta Bern and from 2023 a piano series for young pianists at the Zentrum Paul Klee Bern, the Young Piano Series.

About Technopolis 20 Classics:

Technopolis 20 Classics is a distinguished concert series known for bringing world-class musicians to the vibrant cultural scene of Paphos. The series aims to enrich the local community by providing high-quality classical music performances and fostering an appreciation for the arts.

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