On March 31, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory hosted a festive concert celebrating the anniversary of the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. The evening was dedicated to the brilliant music of the outstanding classical composer, whose 150th anniversary in 2023 was celebrated around the world. The program was presented by Anastasia Makhamendrikova (piano), a winner of first prizes at numerous prestigious competitions. The concert featured the State Kremlin Orchestra, conducted by one of Russia’s most sought-after young conductors, Konstantin Chudovsky.
The official partner of the concert was the Russian Musical Society (RMO), a cultural and educational public organization whose main mission is to preserve and develop the traditions established back in 1859: fostering musical culture throughout Russia, promoting classical music, supporting young talent, and developing music management in Russia. As part of its program supporting gifted performers, the RMO made a special contribution to the New Names International Charitable Foundation, whose scholarship recipient is the concert’s soloist, Anastasia Makhamendrikova.
Pianist Anastasia Makhamendrikova is a student at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and a pupil of renowned pianist Vladimir Ovchinnikov. Her name is well known to classical music lovers: Anastasia has made a strong impression at numerous international and Russian competitions and festivals, including the First International Youth Competition of Classical Solo Performance Nota Bene, the 10th International Tchaikovsky Youth Competition, the “Crystal Heart of the World” and “Musical Ascent” festivals, Grand Prize Virtuoso (United Kingdom), Pietro Argent (Italy), the Alexander Scriabin Competition (France), and many others. Despite her young age, the pianist has already performed at all major concert venues in Moscow, as well as at prestigious halls in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Malta, Italy, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Konstantin Chudovsky is a Russian conductor and laureate of the Triumph Youth Award (2011), a guest conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, Chief Conductor of Ural Opera Ballet since 2019, and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the State Kremlin Orchestra since 2020. He graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College with a degree in choral conducting, studying under Professor V. A. Bogdanovskaya, and from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he studied opera and symphonic conducting under Professor G. N. Rozhdestvensky. His repertoire includes more than 30 opera and ballet productions, as well as symphonic music.
The State Kremlin Orchestra was founded in 2019 and operates under the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation. Among the young ensemble’s principal missions are participation in official state events and major public and political occasions, as well as the active promotion of Russian classical music.
Concert program:
S. Rachmaninoff — Symphony No. 2
S. Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 2
