Two of the foremost Russian pianists of our day combine forces in a program of duets by the great Russian composers including an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” an arrangement of Prokofiev’s suite from Cinderella, Rachmaninoff’s Suit no. 2 (opus 17) for two pianos, and Liszt’s “Reminiscences of Don Giovanni”.

Silver-medalist at the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Valery Kuleshov’s playing has been compared to the style of Vladimir Horowitz with vast dynamic contrasts, consisting of tremendous double-fortissimos followed by sudden delicate pianissimos.

Gold-medalist in no less than three international competitions, Maxim Mogilevsky has a distinguished pedigree of the finest Russian piano traditions and has appeared as soloist at the most prestigious concert venues, appearing with the greatest conductors and orchestras across the Americas, Columbia, France, the Netherlands, Russia and South Africa.

"Valery Kuleshov ... roared and whispered Liszt's bravura to the heavens, and I doubt whether the Six Paganini Etudes have often been given with such a gloriously spontaneous verve and glitter."
-The Gramophone (UK)

"He has everything: the fingers to negotiate the virtuoso repertory, the musicality and imagination to make the most familiar music sound fresh and compelling."
-New York Times

"I was delighted by your fantastic performances."
-Vladimir Horowitz

"Kuleshov is an aggressively confident performer, a technical wizard at the keyboard, and possesses supreme concentration skills. No doubt Vladimir Horowitz smiled from above and applauded, too."
-The Australian

Valery Kuleshov bio | Maxim Mogilevsky bio

Valery Kuleshov was born in 1962 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. At the age of seven, he entered the Central Musical School of the Moscow Conservatory. At the age of nine, he made his concert debut with a symphony orchestra in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. He earned his Master’s Degree at Gnessin Academy of Music and his Doctoral Degree from the State Jewish Academy, both in Moscow. He studied with some of the best Russian pianists, including Dmitry Bashkirov, Nikolai Petrov, and Vladimir Tropp. In addition, Mr. Kuleshov studied at the International Piano Foundation in Italy with the world’s most acclaimed piano teachers, including Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Leon Fleischer.

Mr. Kuleshov’s first major international success was at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy in 1987, where he was awarded second place. Valery also received the Gold Medal along with the first place winner. That year, he began intensive concert activity in Russia and abroad.

In his North American debut at the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1993, Russian pianist Valery Kuleshov was awarded the Silver Medal as well as the Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work, Ghost Waltzes, by American composer, Morton Gould. His performance in the final round prompted the Le Monde reviewer to exclaim, “What sound! What allure! What a musician!”

Valery Kuleshov has accomplished the unique and incredibly difficult work of writing out, from listening only to the LP recordings, Vladimir Horowitz’s unpublished piano transcriptions. After listening to the recordings of his transcriptions played by Mr. Kuleshov, Vladimir Horowitz wrote to the young musician: “I was not only delighted by your fantastic performances, but I congratulate you on your keen ear and great patience that were required to write out, note by note, the scores of these unpublished transcriptions, by listening to my recordings.” (October 6, 1987).

Valery Kuleshov’s performing art is based on the best Russian piano traditions. One can find in his playing emotional sincerity, rich colors, brilliant virtuosity, profound understanding of composers’ styles and freshness of interpretation. His playing has been compared to the style of Vladimir Horowitz with vast dynamic contrasts, consisting of tremendous double-fortissimos followed by sudden delicate pianissimos. Mostly he is attracted to the romantic music by Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninov. The great place in his concert programs belongs to Scriabin’s works, as well as classical and contemporary music.

In 1997, by decree of the President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, Valery Kuleshov was awarded the rare distinction “Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.”

In addition to maintaining an international performing schedule, Valery Kuleshov serves as artist-in-residence at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.

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Maxim Mogilevsky

Maxim Mogilevsky was the last pupil of Anaida Sumbatian, Vladimir Ashkenazy’s teacher. He made his debut at the age of 13 with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra led by Dimitry Kitaenko, and then studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory under Lev Naumov. He received a Tchaikovsky scholarship for studies at The Juilliard School with Bella Davidovich, and has also studied with Martha Argerich; he holds a master’s degree from Indiana University at South Bend, where he studied with Alexander Toradze. Mr. Mogilevsky worked as a visiting assistant professor at Oberlin Conservatory from 1996 to 2001.

Mr. Mogilevsky won the 1989 International Music Competition of Japan, 1992 Unisa Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, and 1995 International Piano Competition of Opporto, Portugal. He has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras, including the Bogotá, Seattle, Mendoza, New Jersey, and Fargo symphony orchestras; St Petersburg, Indiana University, Florida, New Japan, Belgian Radio and Television, and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras; St Petersburg and Gotham Chamber Orchestras; Orchestre National de France; and Mariinsky Orchestra. He has collaborated with conductors including Valery Gergiev, Gerard Schwarz, Alexander Dmitriev, and Seiji Ozawa, and has performed recitals at the Sydney, Ravinia, Stresa, Michelangeli, Easter, and White Nights, and other festivals. He and his wife, Svetlana Smolina, as the Mogilevsky/Smolina Duo, won the Grand Prize, Audience Prize, and Casadesus Award at the 2001 International Murray Dranoff Duo Piano Competition.

Maxim Mogilevsky’s future engagements include appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic led by Leif Segerstam; the Piano en Valois Festival in France, and the Red Sea Festival in Eilat, Israel; a tour to South America with the St Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra; recitals in Lisbon and in Strasbourg; and an appearance with Diana Vishneva at the New York City Ballet. Mr. Mogilevsky is currently a visting professor of piano at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

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