V International Music Festival
Odessa Classics 2019

Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater

📅 June 1

Cyprien Katsaris (piano) Odessa Opera Theater Orchestra Conductor – Igor Shavruk

Cyprien Katsaris is a renowned French pianist, holder of numerous international awards. From a young age, Katsaris has filled concert halls—the artist’s first solo performance took place at the age of 15 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

The artist is mentioned in books such as “Great Pianists: from Mozart to the Present”, “Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie der Musik (MGG)” and several others. Katsaris’s discography includes more than 40 albums. He has performed all of Mozart’s concertos. His records have won numerous Best Recording of the Year awards in various countries; he has recorded for SONY, TELDEC, DECCA, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, and his own label PIANO 21.

He regularly holds numerous masterclasses in New York, Toronto, Salzburg, The Hague, Shanghai, and more. He is a UNESCO Artist for Peace, a recipient of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the French Order of Arts and Letters, among others. Katsaris gained special popularity for his performances of Viennese classical composers.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 2

Roby Lakatos and Ensemble Roby Lakatos (violin) Lisztes Jeno (cimbalom) Csikos Vilmos (double bass) Balog Laszlo (guitar) Boni Laszlo (second violin) Lakatos Robert Szakcsi (piano)

“The King of Gypsy Violin”, Roby Lakatos gathered a full house at ODESSA CLASSICS 2018. This virtuoso—representative of the star Lakatos dynasty of Romani musicians, who have been regarded as the world’s best violinists in popular music for over 150 years.

A graduate of the Bela Bartok Conservatory in Budapest, Lakatos has won awards both in classical violin music and in jazz and folk genres. His unique sound is the result of his academic education and the distinctive family music school.

“The Fastest Violinist in the World” (“Daily Telegraph”) has assembled brilliant instrumentalists in his ensemble. Together they have recorded 5 albums, 3 of which were with Deutsche Grammophon. Roby Lakatos himself has 16 albums to his name.

At ODESSA CLASSICS 2019, the Roby Lakatos Ensemble will present the program “The Best of Lakatos”.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 3

An Evening with Giya Kancheli Alexey Botvinov (piano) Polina Osetinskaya (piano) Julian Milkis (clarinet) Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Conductor – Igor Shavruk

Giya Kancheli is a living classic of symphonic, chamber, and choral music. Dozens of his works for orchestras and choirs are known not only in his native Georgia but also beyond. He has written music for more than 30 films and about 20 plays. Kancheli’s melodies are well-known to general audiences from films such as “Kin-dza-dza!” and “This Was Last Summer.” Kancheli’s music has already been performed as part of the ODESSA CLASSICS BATUMI WEEKEND, an out-of-town performance of the ODESSA CLASSICS festival, which took place in June 2018 in Batumi.

Despite his advanced age, Kancheli continues to write actively, and premieres of his works regularly take place at the world’s best concert venues.

Alexey Botvinov is a prominent Ukrainian pianist, one of the best in Europe for performing Rachmaninoff’s music. Botvinov’s touring map includes about 50 countries around the world (including musical direction of a performance at the famous La Scala theater).

He also holds the record for over 300 performances of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” one of the composer’s most challenging works.

Polina Osetinskaya became known to the public as a piano prodigy, beginning her performances at the age of five. Her achievements include performances at various concert venues in Europe and the USA, and participation in festivals such as “December Evenings,” “Crescendo,” “Stars of the White Nights,” Mainly Mozart Festival, and more.

Osetinskaya’s stage partners have included violinist Maxim Vengerov, conductors Saulius Sondeckis, Laurent Petitgirard, Vasily Sinaisky, Andrey Boreyko, Gerd Albrecht, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Thomas Sanderling, and others. Osetinskaya first performed at ODESSA CLASSICS in 2016.

Julian Milkis is a renowned Canadian soloist, chamber musician, and jazz performer, born in Odessa. Unique interpretations, exceptional virtuosity, and a distinctive, enchanting sound have earned this artist recognition from audiences and critics alike.

Julian Milkis performs on the world’s major stages, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Salle Pleyel and Salle Gaveau in Paris. The only student of the great Benny Goodman, Milkis studied in Canada and New York (Juilliard School). He has toured dozens of countries around the world, performing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra, Hamburg Mozarteum, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, L’Orchester Française Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver CBC Orchestra, Divertissement Chamber Orchestra, and others. He has closely collaborated with Giya Kancheli and Olivier Messiaen.

In 2016, Julian Milkis was knighted by the Order of Malta.

On June 2 at 15:00, the world premiere of the film about Giya Kancheli, “Silence Between Notes,” directed by Olga Antimoni (Canada), will take place at the Jewish Cultural Center “Beit Grand.”

Entrance to the premiere is free.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 4

Pietro De Maria (piano)

Pietro De Maria is a leading Italian pianist of his generation. He is the first Italian pianist to have performed all of Chopin’s works on the concert stage and recorded them for the famous recording label DECCA (13 discs).

Pietro De Maria was born in Venice in 1967. After receiving the International Press Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition (1990), he won First Prizes at the La Scala Competition in Milan (1990), the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich (1994), and the Mendelssohn Competition in Hamburg (1998).

The pianist leads an active concert life, performing with the world’s best orchestras and conductors such as Gary Bertini, Roberto Abbado, Daniele Gatti, Ton Koopman, Ingo Metzmacher, Marek Janowski, Alan Gilbert, and many others. Pietro De Maria is a professor at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (Rome) and the Mozarteum University (Salzburg).

Lately, Pietro De Maria frequently performs Bach’s music: his recordings of both volumes of “The Well-Tempered Clavier” and the “Goldberg Variations” were released by DECCA.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 5

Michael Guttman’s Project “Tango Sensations” Ivo De Greef (piano) Lysandre Donoso (bandoneon) Ariel Eberstein (double bass)

Violinist and conductor Michael Guttman is a favorite of the ODESSA CLASSICS audience. For several years he was the soloist and conductor of the festival’s open-air concerts.

Guttman studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the renowned Juilliard School in New York. In 1988, Guttman gave his first solo concert in New York, and later performed as a soloist at London’s Barbican Centre, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, and others. Over the years, Michael Guttman has played with famous performers and ensembles and has been a guest conductor of the Brussels Chamber Orchestra.

He is currently the leader of the Arriaga String Quartet and the “Michael Guttman Tango Quartet.” He is the music director of the Chamber Music Festival in Pietrasanta, Italy.

Michael Guttman is considered a virtuoso performer of tango music.

Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater

📅 June 6

Daniel Hope (violin) Alexey Botvinov (piano) Zurich Chamber Orchestra

Zurich Chamber Orchestra is undoubtedly one of the best chamber ensembles in the world. At different times, they have played with Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, James Galway, Mischa Maisky, and many other celebrated musicians. In 2017, the orchestra won the Echo Klassik award for two CDs in the Klassik ohne Grenzen (“Classics Without Borders”) category.

Daniel Hope is one of the best violinists in the world. He is an official artist of the largest record label, Deutsche Grammophon, a seven-time winner of the prestigious ECHO Klassik award, and a four-time Grammy nominee. Daniel Hope studied under Yehudi Menuhin and Zakhar Bron. Among other roles, Hope is the music director of two chamber orchestras: the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco.

The evening will begin with Vivaldi’s concerto for 4 violins and orchestra, where Daniel Hope will perform alongside three talented children—Sofiya Plakhtsynska (Lviv), Sandra Vasylkova (Kyiv), and Oleksandra Chekalenko (Odesa).

The arrival of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in Ukraine is a true recognition of ODESSA CLASSICS in Europe.
The tour of an orchestra of this level could not have taken place without the help of the Swiss Embassy.

Potemkin Stairs. Open-Air Concert

📅 June 7

Daniel Hope (violin) Alexey Botvinov (piano) Zurich Chamber Orchestra

Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra will perform music by Vivaldi, Grieg, and Gershwin. This concert promises to be one of the most exciting events of ODESSA CLASSICS 2019. Gershwin’s music will be presented in an arrangement specially made for this concert.

Additionally, for the second time in the history of ODESSA CLASSICS, the winner of the Serafima Mogilevskaya Children’s Piano Competition will perform during the open-air concert. The winner’s name will be announced on May 27.

• Concert Program – Grieg, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin
• FREE ENTRY

Last year, the open-air concert gathered over 10,000 spectators.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 8

Jing Zhao (cello) Alexey Botvinov (piano) Zurich Chamber Orchestra

The Zurich Chamber Orchestra is considered the gold standard for performing Mozart’s music. Enthusiasts from all over the world come to hear their rendition of the classics.

Jing Zhao is the winner of the 1st Prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Germany, a student of the famous Japanese cellist Ryosuke Hori, and Mstislav Rostropovich. In January 2007, she performed chamber music for the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito. She has performed with leading orchestras around the world and with conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Muti, and Lorin Maazel.

The cellist has 5 albums to her credit.

Odesa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 9

Maisky Trio Mischa Maisky (cello) Lily Maisky (piano) Sasha Maisky (violin)

For over three decades, Mischa Maisky has been a leading cellist on the world stage.

Mischa Maisky is a laureate of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the only student of two 20th-century cello legends, Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Maisky first performed in the United States at Carnegie Hall in 1973, and in 1976 he performed in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1982, he recorded his first album with Deutsche Grammophon.

He has performed with pianists Martha Argerich, Radu Lupu, violinists Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Repin, Maxim Vengerov, conductors Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Giuseppe Sinopoli. The artist’s discography includes over 30 albums.

In addition to Mischa Maisky himself, the Maisky Trio features his adult children, Lily Maisky (piano) and Sasha Maisky (violin).

• Program Curator – Myroslava Kotorovych

“PILGRIMS” Music as a Journey
04.06		“Leipzig” An Evening of Poetry with Bach’s Music	Borys Khersonsky (poetry)
			Yevhen Kostrystsky (violin)
			Olena Zhukova (harpsichord)
05.06		“Vingt Regards” Messiaen “Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus”	Antonii Baryshevskyi (piano)
07.06		“Love Letter” Silvestrov and Polyova	Inna Halatenko (soprano)
			Oleh Bezborodko (piano)
			Myroslava Kotorovych (violin)
08.06		“Orient & Occident” Bach, Noda, Prati, Vitali, Kolodub	Kenta Igarashi (saxophone)
			Kristina Pukhalska (violin)
			Olena Zhukova (harpsichord)
			Chamber Ensemble “ARTEKHATTA”

Odessa Regional Philharmonic

📅 June 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 at 18:00 (one hour before the start of the concerts)

Another European festival tradition has arrived in Odessa!

• Free lectures by Kyiv art historian Natalia Chamorova.
• Listen to classical music thoughtfully, understanding what, how, and why!

Access to the lecture – with concert tickets.