|
|||||||
|
Eleonora Bekova has received critical acclaim from many sources: “Lovely solid playing in which on the firm basis of Eleonora’s piano, the sisters all contribute colourful, truly overwhelming performances.” “Eleonora Bekova plays in a style that ideally matches Larin’s art as a singer, and if the piano sound in some works can sometimes seem delicate and slightly feminine, the four Mussorgsky songs with which the disc ends (Songs and Dances of Death) are performed with startling power, demonstrating the great depth of this pianist’s resources.” "Bekova's otherwise restrained accompaniment rises to inspired heights for Mussorgsky's music." “Eleonora Bekova’s inspired performance at the piano with playing that is revelatory both in the moods it evokes and in textures and layers it exposes…Her ability to suffuse even a pause with significance is profound.” “Eleonora Bekova plays with elegant refinement and great sensitivity.” “In partnership, Larin and Bekova bring out so much detail…. Each composer had his own distinctive voice, and here singer and pianist find a different sound for each.” “The pianist, Eleonora Bekova, delights us with the varied palette of colours and expressiveness of the piano accompaniment.” “Eleonora is a full-bodied player and her sense of drama gave Larin a cue he was happy to take.” “Russian culture has found remarkable expression in a new disc of vocal works by Rachmaninov. Sergei Larin performs them in duet with his regular partner, the well-known pianist Eleonora Bekova, who in sympathetic rapport with Larin, conveys the expressive sound language of the composer. We recommend this disc unreservedly.” “Eleonora Bekova is a marvellous accompanist; not only is she on the same wavelength with Larin, but she is a gifted technician and subtle interpreter…the more I hear this disc the more I am taken with Bekova’s playing.” “The inspired pianist, Eleonora Bekova…. Larin shows near perfection in the songs of intimate and concentrated tone, with a delicacy of expression and perfect accompaniment on the piano from Eleonora…. An absolute delight for the senses, thanks to the splendid work by these two performers.” “The Bekova Sisters deliver strong performance of considerable punch…. Eleonora delivers firm vivid support throughout.” “The oft-encountered problems of instrumental balance in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio somehow seem to sort themselves out for which credit is due to Eleonora’s awareness that it is all too easy for the piano to dominate this piece, the engineering, and to the performance that invites you to engage with it on an expressive level.” “Eleonora Bekova has come up trumps in this programme with three of Martinu’s most engaging piano works. The ‘Fantaisie et Toccata’ is permeated by an intense feeling of despair and anger, and is riddled with crunching dissonances and dislocated rhythms which are dispatched with brilliance by Bekova. She generates power in the slow and extended Fifth Prelude and is particularly touching in the halting juxtaposition of major and minor tonalities in the central movement of the piano sonata, arguably Martinu’s finest piano work. She masters the massive chordal writing of the outer movements with impressive control.” “’Fantasy and Toccata’ is a powerful expression of both technique and emotion. Bekova captures this intensity, the rhetorical gestures contained within a sure grasp of the larger structural issues. She certainly has the music’s measure of the Sonata and as for the shorter items, Bekova’s performances are first class. With excellent sound and skilful playing, this is a highly successful recital.” “Eleonora Bekova’s performances show a uniform and unswerving command. Her full-blooded sonority and technique proclaim her Moscow training and, musically enriched by her success in chamber music, she makes light of every difficulty. Whether in chic Parisian asides directed at jazz and ragtime (the First and Second Preludes), in the greater weight and substance of the Sonata or in a garland of encores including the perky, tantalizingly brief ‘Bagatelle’, her performances are of an exemplary quality. Chandos’s sound, too, makes this a prime issue.” “Eleonora Bekova is imaginative here and shares with Sergei Larin a keen sense for all this music”. “Eleonora Bekova accompanies sensitively… well sung and recorded.” “This is an excellent recital. The warmth and joy of Larin’s singing immediately captured my mind and ultimately my heart. Bekova’s piano playing is wholly euphonious and humane throughout. I eagerly await Volume 2.” “…This is a fascinating collection, a worthy successor to the first volume… he (Larin) sings with easy fluency and Eleonora Bekova ensures that even the simplest accompaniment never sounds dull.” “Introduced by Alain Dualt (the premier Verdi musicologist in France and presenter on RTL1), the recital of Sergei Larin with Eleonora Bekova created an evening of intense and sustained emotion from the romantic songs of the young Verdi to profound drama of the concluding Mussorgsky…Bekova is an exceptional pianist forming a perfect duo with Larin…This will remain the summit of this fourth ‘Eclats de Voix’ Festival.” “Eleonora Bekova is a first rate pianist with a performance of outstanding sensitivity, intelligence and grace.” “Eleonora Bekova is an emphatic collaborator in this lovely collection.” "Sergei Zhukov is one of the composers who experiment with modern techniques. A participant in the International Podium in Prague and the Charles Ives modern chamber music festival in the United States, this time he presented his original concerto for piano and orchestra, inspired by Osip Mandelshtam's poetry. The concerto is built on a stunning contrast between sound and silence. Sound emerging from silence generates acoustic spaces that evolve and undergo versatile transformations before dying away. The concerto was a huge success. Zhukov and pianist Eleonora Bekova received a thunderous ovation.” |
|||||||
|
Our sponsors
|
|
