performances
18:00
Six Sonatas for Solo Violin by Eugène Ysaÿe performed by the inimitable Olga Volkova, winner of international competitions, concertmaster of the Mikhailovsky Theatre Orchestra and concertmaster of the musicAeterna Orchestra, will be performed on the NOVAT stage. This is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with one of the most virtuosic violin compositions, as well as to hear Antonio Stradivari's violin “Nestor” ex Rode (1735) live.
Olga Volkova gave her first recital at the age of 7. At the age of 10, she made her symphony orchestra debut, performing Bruch’s First Violin Concert. At the invitation of Mstislav Rostrapovich she relocated to Moscow and entered the Central Musical School of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. In 2009, she entered the Köln Musical High School where she studied under the supervision of Zakhar Bron and Barnabás Kelemen. In 2014, she also began to study at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels (class of Augustin Dumay). In 2016, Olga Volkova joined the Mariinsky Orchestra where she became the youngest concertmaster ever. She has appeared with Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Ziva, Joshua Weilerstein, Justus Frantz, Eliso Virsaladze, Vadim Repin, Vladimir Fedoseyev, and Teodor Currentzis among others. As a guest concertmaster, she appears with the North West German Philharmonic Orchestra, Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bonn Classical Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cologne Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and Philharmonia of the Nations. As a coach, she gives workshops in Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Belgium. In 2024, Six Sonatas by E. Ysaÿe performed by Olga Volkova were presented at the Diaghilev Festival (Perm), on the stage of the Mikhailovsky Theatre (St. Petersburg).
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was called the “king of the violin” by his contemporaries – during his lifetime he was the first violinist in the world with phenomenal virtuosity and subtle expressiveness of sound. He inspired many composers with his “perfect” game – E. Chausson, C. Franck, C. Debussy and others wrote for Ysaÿe.
Six Sonatas for Solo Violin are six musical portraits of famous virtuoso violinists, contemporaries of E. Ysaÿe - Joseph Szigeti, Jacques Thibault, Fritz Kreisler, Mathieu Crickboom, George Enescu, Manuel Quiroga. Ysaÿe wrote the cycle, being a master of the violin realm, at the age of 65. This is a result, a reflection, an attempt to comprehend the connection of times, epochs, traditions and genres, to determine his place in history among the creators. Each sonata requires incredible endurance, phenomenal virtuosity and actor's transformation from the performer.