By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter
Young virtuoso Alexander Melnikov is returning to Seoul to present his flamboyant techniques and unique interpretation of piano numbers.
Melnikov, 34, often dubbed one of true successors of the Russian pianism along with Evgeny Kissin, will hold a concert in the Seoul Arts Center on April 28. It will be his fourth visit to Korea.
He will present Frederik Chopin’s 8 preludes (Op.28), Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes (Op.13), Alexander Scriabine’s ``Fantasie’’ (Op.28) and Sergei Prokofiev Sonata No. 6. Prokofiev numbers are his specialty in his wide range of repertoires.
Melnikov, born in Moscow in 1973, began his music studies at age 6 at Moscow’s Central Music School. A number of prizes at renowned international piano competitions such as the Schumann International Piano Competition in 1989 and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 1991 put him up on the map.
However, Melnikov’s special artistic ties with the late Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) gave him more opportunities. When Richter became too debilitated to perform in 1994, he put the then-21-year-old Melnikov on the stage at the International Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in Germany instead of himself. Richter regularly invited Melnikov to participate in his festivals in Moscow and his chamber music festival in Grange du Meslay.
The young Russian virtuoso, whose amazing techniques and innate musicality are often compared with those of legendary Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1989) and Martha Argerich, has taught at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Britain since 2002.
Tickets cost from 20,000 won to 70,000 won. For more information, call 1588-7890 or 1544-1555.