Arcadi Volodos
Encyclopedia
Arcadi Volodos (born February 24, 1972) is a Russia
n pianist
. His first name is sometimes transliterated Arcady or Arkady. Volodos is renowned both for his technical mastery of the instrument's virtuosic
repertoire (particularly that of Rachmaninoff
, Liszt
and his recordings of transcriptions by Vladimir Horowitz
) and for his notoriously technically difficult arrangements of various classical pieces, such as Mozart's Rondo Alla Turka.
in 1972, he began his musical training studying voice, following the example of his parents, who were singers, and later shifted his emphasis to conducting
while a student at the Capilla M. Glinka School and the St. Petersburg Conservatory
. Though he had played the piano
from the age of eight, he did not devote himself to serious study of the instrument until 1987. His formal piano training took place at the Moscow Conservatory
with Galina Eguiazarova
. Volodos also studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jacques Rouvier
. In Madrid, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía
with Dimitri Bashkirow
.
Despite the relative brevity of his formal studies, Volodos has been naturally and rapidly propelled into the elite pantheon of the world's most important pianists. Thomas Frost, the producer of many of Horowitz's recordings, and producer of Volodos' recordings for Sony Classical
, has said that Volodos "has everything: imagination, colour, passion and a phenomenal technique to carry out his ideas."
Volodos received the German award "ECHO Klassik" as the best instrumentalist of 2003 and also the Gramophone Award 2010 for Best instrumental recording of the year for his CD "Volodos in Vienna".
, with his flawless technical ability and his renditions of notoriously difficult arrangements of pieces. A particular example was of his arrangement of Mozart
's Rondo Alla Turca in which he paraphrased the movement to produce considerable demands on the performer; playing a melody
and a counter melody with the right hand, and large chords and rapid leaps with the left. Another notable transcription written by Volodos was his arrangement of Polka Italienne, a lesser known duet by Sergei Rachmaninoff
which is a commonly requested encore piece at his recitals. Despite the fact that this piece is a duet, he is more than capable of playing both parts at an extremely rapid pace. He is also known for reviving Horowitz
's transcriptions of Carmen - from the opera by Bizet
- and of Liszt
's Hungarian Rhapsodies
Nos. 2 and 15 ("Rákóczi March").
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. His first name is sometimes transliterated Arcady or Arkady. Volodos is renowned both for his technical mastery of the instrument's virtuosic
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
repertoire (particularly that of Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
and his recordings of transcriptions by Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
) and for his notoriously technically difficult arrangements of various classical pieces, such as Mozart's Rondo Alla Turka.
Biography
Born in LeningradSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1972, he began his musical training studying voice, following the example of his parents, who were singers, and later shifted his emphasis to conducting
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
while a student at the Capilla M. Glinka School and the St. Petersburg Conservatory
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory is a music school in Saint Petersburg. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members and 1,400 students.-History:...
. Though he had played the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
from the age of eight, he did not devote himself to serious study of the instrument until 1987. His formal piano training took place at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
with Galina Eguiazarova
Galina Eguiazarova
- Biography :Eguiazarova was born in Russia and studied at the Moscow Conservatoire in Moscow, where she was a disciple of Alexander Goldenweiser. Since 1961 she has devoted herseself to teaching, first in Moscow and later in Madrid at the Queen Sofía College of Music .She was the teacher of Maria...
. Volodos also studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jacques Rouvier
Jacques Rouvier
Jacques Rouvier is a French pianist. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with Jean Hubeau, Vlado Perlemuter, and Pierre Sancan. He took two Premiers Prix : in piano performance and in chamber music .Rouvier was remarkably successful at piano competitions in his youth...
. In Madrid, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía
Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía
The Queen Sofía College of Music is a private music college founded in Madrid, Spain, in 1991 by Paloma O'Shea...
with Dimitri Bashkirow
Dimitri Bashkirow
Dmitri Bashkirov is a Russian pianist and educator.Bashkirov became an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1968 and aPeople's Artist of the RSFSR in 1990.-References:...
.
Despite the relative brevity of his formal studies, Volodos has been naturally and rapidly propelled into the elite pantheon of the world's most important pianists. Thomas Frost, the producer of many of Horowitz's recordings, and producer of Volodos' recordings for Sony Classical
Sony Classical Records
Sony Classical Records was started in 1927 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of the American Columbia Records. In 1948, it issued the first commercially successful long-playing 12" record...
, has said that Volodos "has everything: imagination, colour, passion and a phenomenal technique to carry out his ideas."
Volodos received the German award "ECHO Klassik" as the best instrumentalist of 2003 and also the Gramophone Award 2010 for Best instrumental recording of the year for his CD "Volodos in Vienna".
Noted transcriptions
Volodos has been claimed as being a modern-day HorowitzVladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
, with his flawless technical ability and his renditions of notoriously difficult arrangements of pieces. A particular example was of his arrangement of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Rondo Alla Turca in which he paraphrased the movement to produce considerable demands on the performer; playing a melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
and a counter melody with the right hand, and large chords and rapid leaps with the left. Another notable transcription written by Volodos was his arrangement of Polka Italienne, a lesser known duet by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
which is a commonly requested encore piece at his recitals. Despite the fact that this piece is a duet, he is more than capable of playing both parts at an extremely rapid pace. He is also known for reviving Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
's transcriptions of Carmen - from the opera by Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
- and of Liszt
Liszt
Liszt is a Hungarian surname. Notable persons with that surname include:* Franz Liszt , Hungarian composer and pianist* Adam Liszt , father of Franz Liszt* Anna Liszt , mother of Franz Liszt...
's Hungarian Rhapsodies
Hungarian Rhapsodies
Hungarian Rhapsody redirects here. For the 1979 Hungarian film Hungarian Rhapsody . For the 1928 German film Ungarische Rhapsodie.The Hungarian Rhapsodies, S.244, R106, is a set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes, composed by Franz Liszt during 1846-1853, and later in 1882 and 1885...
Nos. 2 and 15 ("Rákóczi March").
Recordings
- Volodos: Piano Transcriptions (1997)
- Volodos, Live at Carnegie Hall (Recorded October 21, 1998, released 1999)
- Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 & Solo Piano Works (2000)
- Schubert - Piano Sonatas (2002)
- Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 / Rachmaninoff - Solo Piano Works (2003)
- Volodos plays Liszt (2007)
- Volodos in Vienna (2010) Recorded live on March 1, 2009 (works of Skryabin, Ravel, Schumann and Liszt).