Philippe Chizhevsky. Mozart.

On April 25, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory hosted a concert by renowned conductor Philippe Chizhevsky and his ensemble Questa Musica, dedicated to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The program featured Piano Concerto No. 13 and Symphony No. 38, known as the “Prague Symphony.” The soloist was award-winning pianist Philippe Kopachevsky, a laureate of prestigious international competitions.

“By my deep conviction, Mozart is the highest, culminating point to which beauty has reached in the realm of music,” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky once said of the Austrian composer’s works. Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major is an undeniable confirmation of his words. Full of lightness and virtuoso brilliance, this three-movement concerto belongs to Mozart’s early Viennese concertos.

The “Prague” Symphony in D major is one of the four final symphonies of the composer’s mature period. Mozart wrote it to be performed in Prague, between the operas The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, which influenced the mood and character of the symphony itself. It combines the lyricism of Figaro with the fatalism of Don Giovanni, while the slow and dramatically powerful introduction to the symphony recalls the appearance of the Commendatore.

The “Prague” is one of Mozart’s most inventive and witty compositions, a kind of declaration of love to a city that genuinely adored the music of the great composer. Philippe Chizhevsky and his ensemble once again set out to reinterpret music familiar to everyone and, through a bold approach and unexpected accents, reveal this classic work from a new perspective.

The name of Philippe Chizhevsky is well known to everyone who follows Moscow’s musical life and major cultural events. A two-time winner of the Golden Mask theatre award for Best Opera Conductor (2019, 2022) and recipient of the BraVo International Music Award, Philippe Chizhevsky is known for the precision and originality of his interpretations.

Chizhevsky graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with degrees in Choral Conducting and Opera and Symphony Conducting. He actively collaborates with contemporary composers, theatre directors, and leading Russian and international orchestras. Since 2014, Philippe Chizhevsky has been a guest conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Philippe Kopachevsky is a soloist of the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic and a laureate of eight prestigious international competitions. A participant in international festivals, he regularly performs in numerous cities across Russia, as well as in Europe, North and South America. The pianist has gained particular recognition in Japan, where he recorded a Chopin album commissioned by NHK.

Kopachevsky graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and completed its postgraduate program under Sergei Dorensky, People's Artist of the RSFSR and professor.