Pianist Evgeny Kissin Launches World Tour in Jerusalem 3 January 2011  Written by: Asher Krim World renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin will come to Israel for a single performance dedicated to the works of Frantz Liszt, marking the composer’s 200th birthday. The concert will take place on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at Binyanei Hauma – the Jerusalem International Convention Center. All profits from this special concert will be generously donated by Kissin to the nurturing of outstanding young pianists at the Jerusalem Music Centre. The event was initiated by Kissin, together with the President of the Jerusalem Music Centre Murray Perahia, Lady Annabelle Weidenfeld, members of the Centre’s advisory board, and the Jerusalem Foundation. In anticipation of Evgeny Kissin’s concert in Israel, Midnight East’s Asher Krim corresponded with the pianist: Asher Krim:  Which composer or piece has been inspiring you lately? Evgeny Kissin:  The ones I have been playing: I have devoted the year 2010 solely to Chopin and Schumann to pay tribute to their 200th anniversaries. Throughout 2011, I’ll be honouring Liszt’s 200th anniversary by playing an all-Liszt solo program all over the world (starting in Jerusalem). AK:  You studied piano solely under Anna Pavlovna Kantor. Were there any downsides to studying with one teacher? EK:  No, none whatsoever. And I can’t imagine what kind of “downsides” there can be in studying with one teacher – as long as the teacher is good, of course. AK:  What kind of music do you enjoy listening to? EK:  Any kind of music, as long as it’s good: classical, jazz, folklore, spiritual music, popular songs (Piaf, Dietrich, Aznavour etc.), Russian bards. AK:  Do you feel connected to any of today’s popular music? EK:  Not sure about today … although Aznavour still belongs to our time, as well. AK:  2011 marks Liszt’s 200th birthday. What place do you feel Liszt holds in today’s concert halls? EK:  As far as I know, a prominent one – although his non-piano music could (and should!) be performed more, in my opinion. AK:  Do you feel Liszt has transcended the Paganini-Virtuoso category? EK:  Yes, of course. He stands high above it. By the way, I believe that Paganini’s music doesn’t belong to the “virtuoso category” only, either. AK:  How has your work process changed over the years? EK:  Now I am able to do more than before – and I realize more and more how difficult it is to play piano! AK:  How many hours a day do you usually play? EK:  Every day is different; it depends on the amount of work I have to do on each particular day (although I often wish I could stretch the day to at least 48 hours in order to be able to do more!). AK:  When is the last time that you went through an entire day without playing piano? EK:  I usually don’t practice on the days that follow my concerts (unless, of course, I am performing on consecutive days). The concert in Jerusalem will launch Evgeny Kissin’s world tour with performances in distinguished venues such as La Scala, Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall. Concert Program: Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Ricordanza (Etude d’Execution Transcendante No. 9) Sonata in B-Minor Funerailles Vallee d’Obermann Venezia e Napoli (Gondoliera, Canzona, Tarantella) The concert will take place January 8, 2011 at 20:30 at Binyanei Hauma, the Jerusalem International Convention Center. Concert tickets may be purchased through Bimot: www.bimot.co.il or call 02-6237000. Source

World stars to be remembered M. Marjanovic | 20. 10. 2010. - 00:02h For a thirteenth year running Belgrade audiences will have a rare opportunity in the region to witness the Music Greats series, owing to the efforts by Ilija M. Kolarac Foundation’s Music Centre. Over the years this series has grown into Kolarac’s trademark event, while this year it opens 13 November. After a five-year absence, the event will once again showcase a concert by Evgeny Kissin – one of the globally most significant pianists. The Music Greats series will also feature concerts from Nobuyuki Tsujii, the Rubicon Quartet, the Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Bashmet on the violin and bandoneon master Richard Galliano.   "The previous visit of Evgeny Kissin in 2005 – who will open this year’s proceedings – was immensely popular and we even had to expand the hall’s capacity for the occasion," says Mirjana Lazarevic, the principal editor of the musical programme, announcing the beginning of preliminary ticket sales for the event.   The December concert will go to Tsujii, 21, one of the rare blind musicians who learns his score totally by ear. The Japanese pianist and composer began recognising music and playing simple tunes at the age of two, while he began taking piano lessons at four. Last year he was the laureate of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.   The marking of the 79th anniversary of the existence of Kolarac’s Great Hall will be in held in February with the appearance of Rubicon String Quartet, led by Roman Simovic, the concertmaster of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The quartet are unified by their love for chamber music literature, comprising violinists Simovic and Milos Petrovic, violist Branko Kabadaic and Dragan Djordjevic on the cello. A special appearance at this concert will come from Itamar Golan. March will see a concert from the Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Source

Vadim Repin and Evgeny Kissin will receive the Order of the Legion of Honour 　 06.12.2010 (Translated from Russian) (Not Verbatim) 　 Violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Evgeny Kissin will receive the Order of the Legion of Honour. Vadim Repin's award was presented after the concert in Paris' Salle Pleyel. Evgeny Kissin will receive his award in late December by the Ministry of Culture of France from the hands of the Minister Frederic Mitterrand. In this weekend the winner of both were in the room "Salle Pleyel" in the Year of Russia in France. Repin, together with Boris Berezovsky played "Five Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 35 and Sonata № 1 for violin and piano, op. 80 by Prokofiev, Janacek's Sonata and Ravel's Sonata. Evgeny Kissin concert took place on December 5. In program 4 ballads of Chopin, fantastic play, op. 12 and Schumann's Toccata. These days in the Year of Russia in France in Paris are the other Russian artists. December 3-5, in the theater on the Champs Elysees "Boris Eifman ballet troupe introduced ballet" Anna Karenina "to music by Tchaikovsky. A December 5 and 6 in the hall "Pleyel" Grand Symphony Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky conducted by Vladimir Fedoseev. December 5 sounded symphonic tale for children by Prokofiev "Peter and the Wolf", and on December 6 in the program overture "1812-Year" by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven's Symphony № 3 and suite for narrator and orchestra in Prokofiev's opera War and Peace "(party readers perform Pauline Kutepova and Mikhail Filippov). Source