Nelly Akopian-Tamarina (born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
) is a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
pianist.
Akopian-Tamarina had performed
Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
concertos publicly with orchestras by age 9. She studied with
Anaida Sumbatyan at the Moscow Central Music School. At the Moscow Conservatory she was one of the last students of
Alexander Goldenweiser, continuing with
Dmitri Bashkirov
Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bashkirov (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Башки́ров; November 1, 1931 – March 7, 2021) was a Russian pianist and academic teacher. Trained in his hometown Tbilisi and Moscow, he began an in ...
. She won the Gold Medal at the 1963
in
Zwickau
Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ...
. In 1974 she was awarded the Robert Schumann Prize. Akopian-Tamarina made several recordings for Melodiya, including the Chopin Preludes, op. 28, and the Piano Concerto of Robert Schumann, the last with the
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953. It is most associated wit ...
. Subsequently effaced from public life, blocked in the Soviet Union from giving concerts, she turned to painting, exhibiting her watercolours in Moscow.
Akopian-Tamarina made her London début at the
Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1983 playing Schumann and
Chopin. Other highlights of the eighties included the Brahms Piano Quintet with the Vienna Musikverein Quartet; and a series of “Romantic Fantasia” recitals in the
Amsterdam Concertgebouw. From 1989 to 2006 her commitments included an artistic consultancy at the
Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...
, masterclasses at the Pálfi Palace, and appointments in London at the
Royal Academy of Music and
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
. Dating from this period, her first British recording, of the Schumann Fantasy, was featured in Brilliant Classics’ 2009 collection ''Legendary Russian Pianists''.
In October 2002, following an absence of twenty-five years, she was invited back to Russia, appearing in the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Between 2008 and 2010 she gave a trilogy of recitals at the Wigmore Hall, dedicated to
Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
, Schumann,
Janáček and Chopin.
In 2017, her all-Brahms recording of the ''Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel'' and Ballades, Op. 10 was released on
Pentatone. These sessions were from 20 years earlier in
Snape Maltings
Snape Maltings is an arts complex on the banks of the River Alde at Snape, Suffolk, England. It is best known for its concert hall, which is one of the main sites of the annual Aldeburgh Festival.
The original purpose of the Maltings was the m ...
, and partly recorded surreptitiously, with Akopian-Tamarina unaware that the recording producer had returned to the studio for part of the sessions.
Select Discography
* Slavonic Reflections, In recital at Wigmore Hall.
PENTATONE PTC 5186756 (2020)
*
Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
- Ballades Op. 10 / Variations & Fugue on a theme by Handel Op. 24.
PENTATONE PTC 5186677 (2017)
*
Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
- Fantasy Op. 17 / Arabesque Op. 18.
BRILLIANT CLASSICS
Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also ...
9014/21 (2009)
References
External links
IMG Artists agency page on Nelly Akopian-TamarinaPentatone artist page on Nelly Akopian-Tamarina* https://www.chandos.net/chanimages/Booklets/PT6677.pdf Nelly Akopian-Tamarina
BBC Radio 4, 'Woman's Hour', 29 January 2008 programme on Nelly Akopian-TamarinaChurch, Michael 'From Russia with love rekindled' ''Independent'' 24 January 2008
* Fanning, David 'Slavonic Reflections', ''Gramophone'' January 2021
* Kociejowski, Marius ''God's Zoo''. Manchester: Carcanet Press, 2014.
Matthew-Walker, Robert ''Classical Source'' review of 23 March 2009 Wigmore Hall recitalMorrison, Bryce Handel Variations Op 24; Ballades Op 10 review of Pentatone CD''International Piano'' January/February 2018
''International Piano'' 2 December 2020
* Nicholas, Jeremy 'Sparkling Intensity', ''International Piano'' January/February 2021
* Orga, Ateş 'Nelly Akopian-Tamarina', ''Musical Opinion'' April/June 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akopian-Tamarina, Nelly
Living people
Russian classical pianists
Russian women pianists
Moscow Conservatory alumni
21st-century classical pianists
1941 births
Women classical pianists
21st-century women pianists