Erich Schickling Stiftung
Programme:
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
„Aus dem Böhmerwalde“ op.68
„Legenden“ op.59 for piano four hands
Gabriel Fauré (1843-1924)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
INTERVAL
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
The collaboration between Anna Zassimova and Christophe Sirodeau goes back to the „Catoire Konzerte“ concert series of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: both pianists were invited in the same season each to give a piano recital at the “Elphy”.
Their first joint recording „Dvorak – Legenden aus dem Böhmerwald“ was released in April 2021 on the Melism label. The album was broadcast straight away on Radio France and other radio stations and celebrated in the press: "In the lively hands of the Russian-French duo, Dvorak’s music sounds unusually piquant and unorthodox" – so said The Sunday Times, UK.
The concert pianist Anna Zassimova is also an art historian and holds a doctorate in musicology. Deutschlandfunk and other renowned radio stations have worked with her, and she appears regularly at international festivals. A native of Moscow, who now teaches at the music academy in Karlsruhe, she is also regarded as an outstanding interpreter of Chopin. "Her playing combines brilliant technique and soulful musicality – pianistic qualities that can be associated with the Russian piano school shaped by Heinrich Neuhaus and his master students Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels" – so said the Bayrische Rundfunk about Anna Zassimova's piano playing. Her solo album "Sonata Reminiscenza" (Hänssler Classic) was nominated for the Opus Klassik prize. In April 2022 the French label Melism released her latest CD recording with works by Brahms, Schumann, Liszt and Godowski.
The Parisian pianist Christophe Sirodeau has managed the balancing act of gaining international standing both as a sought-after instrumentalist and as a composer.
After the Salzburg competition his song "Létoile", set to verses by Arthur Rimbaud, was published by Universal Edition in Vienna. As a pianist he enjoys worldwide recognition for the depth and the intensity of his interpretations, which go hand in hand with a brilliant technique: "An understanding of the musical content and the style that would be hard to surpass ... phenomenal!" - MusicWeb international; "An immensely convincing interpreter." - The Guardian. In June 2020 the French label "Melism" released his latest CD recording, with works by Johannes Brahms.
The curiosity and the courage to present the audience with something that lies off the beaten track of the standard repertoire have been a hallmark of both musicians for years. Sirodeau played an important role in the rediscovery of the music of Samuil Feinberg, Viktor Ullmann and Hans Winterberg. The rediscovery of the Russian-French composer Georges Catoire is closely linked with Zassimova's name.