Semyon Bychkov: I played 8 years Soviet volleyball
OrchestrasThe Russian-born conductor of the Czech Philharmonic tells David Krauss in Speaking Soundly that he learned to manage pre-concert tension by playing volleyball from age 10 to 18 with Dynamo Leningrad.
‘My piano teacher was furious,’ he says. ‘Somehow I never injured my fingers.’
On his very first day in New York, he met two nieces of Rachmaninov, one of them Tchaikovsky’s god-daughter….
Listen here.
I’ll never forget hearing his Shostakovich 5 with BPO: intense, with a singular vision of absolute stark horror. It blew me away. For a while it seemed like it was not viewed as a favorable interpretation; glad it is now seen as the masterpiece it is.
Love what he is doing with Czech Phil! Always been a passionate group, but he has brought a new level of clarity and confidence to them.
I will never forget his great special concert with the Isreal Philharmonic right after 7.10 . I can still see him standing on the stage and speaking with huge excitement and love to the audience.
He should have stuck to volleyball
You certainly should.
I am always baffled by these kinds of remarks.
another low life here – you should stick to porridge