Grigory Sokolov presents a protégée

Grigory Sokolov presents a protégée

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norman lebrecht

July 01, 2019

The Russian pianist has announced a Salzburg Festival premiere. Here’s the press release:

Grigory Sokolov & the Salzburg Festival present

ALEXANDRA DOVGAN

(SF, 1 July 2019) Born in 2007, Alexandra Dovgan brings an exceptional talent to the piano. Grigory Sokolov and the Salzburg Festival present the 11-year-old pianist in a concert on Wednesday, 31 July at 3 pm at the Main Auditorium of the Mozarteum Foundation.

Grigory Sokolov says about Alexandra Dovgan: “This is one of those rare occasions. The eleven-year-old pianist Alexandra Dovgan can hardly be called a wonder child, for while this is a wonder, it is not child’s play. What one hears is a performance by a grown-up individual and a person. It is a special pleasure for me to commend the art of her remarkable music teacher, Mira Marchenko. Yet there are things that cannot be taught and learned. Alexandra Dovgan’s talent is exceptionally harmonious. Her playing is honest and concentrated. I predict a great future for her…”

Free tickets to her concert are available starting on 6 July at the Salzburg Festival Shop.

photo: Oscar Tursunov

Comments

  • Gregor Tassie says:

    I heard her a couple of months ago in Kazan and she certainly is a phenomenal young talent, here is my interview with her

    http://seenandheard-international.com/2019/04/young-russian-pianist-alexandra-dovgan-in-conversation-with-gregor-tassie/

  • Alan says:

    If Sokolov thinks she’s good that’s good enough for me! unfortunately I’m not hitting Salzburg until the 13th August. Best of luck to her.

  • Fliszt says:

    They’re killing her. Children shouldn’t concertize, no matter how good they are. Becoming a woman and a stable adult should be the first priority. Exploiting a child and making her work is criminal.

    • Bruce says:

      Depends on the child. Menuhin, Midori, Mutter, Barenboim, Argerich etc. etc. all survived being “exploited” and went on to great careers as adults. Even kids who don’t go on to adult careers in music may not all be destroyed.

      • fliszt says:

        Midori, Barenboim & Argerich never toured heavily as children and weren’t exploited. They just played occasional concerts, which is OK. But Alexandra Dovgan has been yanked out of school and is playing regularly – that is hard work, and children shouldn’t work. As for Menuhin, his playing suffered later in life, so perhaps had been allowed to be a child, he wouldn’t have had problems later on.

    • esfir ross says:

      GS does good PR. The same he said about Aime Kobayashi and she didn’t prove his prophecy. AD doesn’t have instincts of wunderkind like E.Kissin, Midori. Mark my word

    • Gregor Tasssie says:

      Perhaps you should read my interview with her, she is doing something she wants to do and has the support of her family and school. No one is forcing her to do anything. I suppose someone is going to complain next about young teenage tennis players beating players 25 years older. There is absolutely nothing criminal about this.

  • Bonaventura Siciliano says:

    So will she break a few speed records like Chopeng Op10 no1 or the last movement of Rack 3? Can we look forward to the 501st recordings of all the standard repertoire? The world is holding its breath.

    • Music lover says:

      Right-another pianist to record the existing repertoire in a copy/paste way.
      I shall stick to the “old” ones
      Richer,barenboim etc

  • Aksell Lindvok says:

    Another appalling freak show. Wasn’t a 3-year old violinist on a few weeks back?

  • Yuliya Gorenman says:

    Alexandra Dovgan is a real deal. Her Rameau was magical, absolutely incredible. I would go listen to her play any day (with or without
    Sokolov’s blessings).

  • Karl says:

    AD is an extraordinary musician. The only danger to her is overexposure and performing too much. I hope her teacher and family know better than making a meal out of the allure of a child prodigy.

  • Brett says:

    Alexandra Dovgan is the best child musician I have ever heard. What makes her special is that she evidently understands and communicates what she’s playing, and is not just banging out the notes like 99.99% of them do.

    • Alex says:

      Alexandra Dovgan is the best child musician I have ever heard, also. I speak as one who has seen some of today’s preëminent musicians play as youngsters, including Hilary Hahn and Yuja Wang when they were students at Curtis giving free recitals.

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