×
Events
  • Aglaia Graf Concert

One of the first events of the Days of Swiss Culture became the concert of Aglaia Graf, a young piano player, composer, teacher, award winner of international music contests. She performed in Magnezit Cultural Center September 28.

It was the evening of beautifully performed music representing different countries, epochs, calling to the deepest emotions and at the same time really intimate and close, due to the program that was specifically developed for Satka.

The first part of the concert included works of W. Mozart and C. Debussy, and after a small entracte Aglaia addressed the spectators with the offer worth listening to enjoy music to the fullest extent and immerse in the worlds created by great composers:

- I choose Grieg plays for my students because they are short and develop creative imagination very well, – Aglaia explains. - So I offer all spectators to close their eyes and immerse in the magic world of Edward Grieg’s music.

The final part of the solo performance included works of Sergey Rachmaninoff. Aglaia comments on her choice saying that after her first time in Russia this year she just fell in love with our country and Russian composers.

- Russia is great and very beautiful, I have started studying Russian composers. But it is Rachmaninoff’s creativity that is closest to me, besides, his works match Grieg’s creativity, his miniature plays perfectly. And Rachmaninoff gives great, powerful development to complete the concert, – the performer says.

The spectators highly appreciated virtuosity of the young piano player, with applause frequently outvoicing the plaudit. And the guest from Switzerland gave us an encore to her first performance of Glinka’s “Skylark” adopted by Balakirev, the piece she had learnt for the Satka's concert.

- This concert program was prepared specially for Satka. Of course, I had performed many of these plays before, but this selection and scope of music plays – for the first time, and I had studied Glinka’s piece specially for my visit to Satka, – Aglaia shared answering several questions after the concert.

- There were very many children in the hall, with most of them being music school students. What would you wish to the children, who study music?

- I want to remind them that playing a music instrument is a great happiness. And they must not forget about it and must enjoy music. Of course, it requires lots of efforts as well, you have to work and develop yourself constantly. But music and the instrument is your friend. There are life situations when friends come and go, while music is always with you, it’s like home, and it’s very important. I was really glad to see so many young people in the concert today. It’s not always that you see so many children and young people in the concert hall in Europe. I am happy!

- You have a creative family. Last year, your brother Florian visited the Urals presenting his project. Is it a coincidence that you also came to the Urals?

- It is entirely by accident! I knew that my brother had visited Russia, but I didn’t know that he had been here. Yesterday I wrote him a message that I was in Satka, and this is how I learnt that he had been here, too.

- And is there a site or a hall of your dreams, where you would like to perform?

- I dream to study more Russian music and to perform in Russia more often.

Also, during her visit to Satka, Aglaia Graf showed young Satka’s performers the technique of “enjoying” the music. The master class took place during the Days of Swiss Culture.

Master class participants included five students of Satka’s children art school No. 1 and the piano duet from Bakal’s children art school. Young, but quite hardworking in mastering piano play techniques, the performers have already gained success in the contests of different level. That is why, facing quite mature performers, Aglaia didn’t have to teach music basics. On the contrary, after performance by a student she first of all paid compliments to them highlighting personal merits of every student. Then she asked to repeat the piece or its fragment, and during her detailed feedback session she explained how the melody could be delivered in a more emotional way.

 

Aglaia Graf is a Swiss piano player, composer and teacher, laureate of international music contests, award winner of recognized music prizes. She is well-known to the public in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and China. In April 2018, she performed in Russia for the first time in the Chamber Hall of the State Chapel of Saint Petersburg, and September of this year, during the Days of Swiss Culture in Russia, Satka’s spectators could enjoy her virtuous and sensuous performance during the concert.

At the age of 14, Aglaia entered the Basel Conservatoire, class of prof.  Adrian Oetike. Having graduated in 2007 with the excellent diploma, she continued gaining proficiency in Vienna and Paris. She attended master classes of Andras Schiff, Paul Badura-Skoda, Klaus Helwig, Dmitry Bashkirov, Andrzej Jasiński, Zoltan Kocsis, Geoffrey Swann and other musicians.

Her years of study were marked with multiple victories in the contests (Jeunesse Musicale in Switzerland, Jugend musiziert in Germany, Citta di Cantù in Italy and others), as well as scholarship allowances and grants for young musicians. In 2006, Aglaia Graf was awarded with the European recognized cultural prize.

Solo concerts of the piano player enjoy success in many countries of Europe and Asia: in the festivals in Lucerne, Davos, Yehudi Menuhin in Gstaad, Les Muséiques in Basel, Dino Ciani Festival in Italy. In spring 2018, Aglaia performed in Russia for the first time. In the forthcoming concert season she will again visit our country to give concerts.

Chamber music takes a considerable part in Aglaia Graf creativity. The piano player often performs chamber programs duett with his father Peter-Lucas Graf, a flute player. In 2005, they recorded a СD with flute sonatas of I. S. Bach. Since 2012, she has been constantly playing duett with Benjamin Gregor-Smith, an English cello player. Their ensemble has become a prize winner of several European contests of chamber music.

In addition to active solo concerts Aglaia Graf often performs with orchestras. She had a chance to work with such music teams as Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, symphonic orchestras of Basel, Goettingen, Wurzburg, Constanta, youth symphonic orchestra of Munich, the British National Wind Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphonic Orchestra (China) and others. Her repertoire includes concerts of Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Grieg, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Bartok.

Aglaia Graf is a talented many-sided musician. In addition to successfully evolving solo career, she has been involved in composing and performs her own compositions in the concerts. In 2014, she has composed Odysseus in accordance with the order of PRO GELVETIA Foundation, with the piece first performed in Adelboden Festival and broadcasted over SRF 2 radio.

Photo by Elena Nikitina and Natalya Uphimtseva.