Exclusive Interview with Vladimir Ashkenazy

On Thursday, August 12 2010, Artistic Director Nolan Gasser spoke with world-renowned pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy – whose brilliant new Decca recording of the complete Bach Partitas was just released. In this fascinating discussion, Maestro Ashkenazy discusses his approach to recording these keyboard masterworks – marked by his keen insights on interpretation, the genius of Bach’s writing, and the challenges he faced as a young Russian musician to penetrate into the music of such an “archetypal” Western composer. The two also discussed the Maestro’s celebrated conducting career, both his current activities as Principal Conductor with the Sydney Symphony, and his initial ascent – some 40 years ago – into this aspect of his amazing musical career. Don’t miss the reflections of one of classical music’s most gifted artists.

As an added bonus, Classical Archives and Decca Records are very pleased to offer a special promotion on 10 classic recordings of internationally acclaimed pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, featuring piano solo music and piano concertos by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, and Shostakovich. For a limited time, these albums are available at 20% off the normal retail price. Build your essential Vladimir Ashkenazy collection now.

“As long as the musical line is clear, and the ‘genius’ of the line is there, I think we shouldn’t disturb it too much, or embellish it too much. I really like very clear lines, generally, in my musical interpretation – so that’s why I use very few embellishments, as little as possible; because Bach’s music is so good, you don’t need to embellish it.” – Vladimir Ashkenazy