Alexander Melnikov

Alexander Melnikov conjures music out of anything with keys. As a child, this Russian keyboard omnivore had Sviatoslav Richter as his guiding light. Aged twelve, he was already performing Rachmaninov's First Piano Concerto. Later, Elisso Wirssaladze became one of his most important guides to the modern grand piano. When he was around eighteen, he discovered the pianoforte under the stimulus of Andreas Staier. To this day, the pianoforte is still an integral part of his existence as a musician. In October 2012, Melnikov made international news with a concert that he was allowed to give on the original Anton Walter pianoforte that had once belonged to Mozart, for which the instrument was temporarily returned to Mozart's former house on Vienna's Domgasse. Modern grand piano or pianoforte? Melnikov knows both worlds through and through, and refuses to choose one over the other. During this lecture recital, he will be outlining their advantages and disadvantages to you. Using Mozart's 'Fantasie in C', KV475, and his 'Adagio in B', KV540, Melnikov demonstrates the challenges that a performer faces and how he deals with questions of dynamics, articulation and pedal use on both instruments.