Programme:
A. Shor:
Violin Sonata No. 1
F. Schubert:
Violin Sonata in A Major, D. 574 "Grand Duo"
A. Shor:
Piano trio No. 2
S. Rachmaninov:
Elegiac trio No. 1
A. Shor:
Violin Sonata No. 1
F. Schubert:
Violin Sonata in A Major, D. 574 "Grand Duo"
A. Shor:
Piano trio No. 2
S. Rachmaninov:
Elegiac trio No. 1
Andrey Baranov
Violin
Andrey Baranov is one of the most accomplished violinists of his generation, renowned for his expressive artistry, technical mastery, and compelling stage presence. He enjoys an international career as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing regularly on leading stages and at prestigious festivals across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Baranov gained international recognition after winning the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in 2012, as well as the Benjamin Britten and Henri Marteau International Violin Competitions. He is also a prizewinner at over twenty other prestigious international competitions, including those held in Indianapolis, Sendai, Seoul, Qingdao, Pretoria, and Moscow.
Since his orchestral debut in 2005 with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, Baranov has performed with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, Camerata Salzburg, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, MusicAeterna Orchestra, and Sendai Philharmonic, among many others. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Teodor Currentzis, Yuri Temirkanov, Kent Nagano, Vladimir Fedoseev, Emmanuel Krivine, Walter Weller, Thomas Sanderling, Michael Sanderling, Alexander Vedernikov, and Michel Tabachnik.
As the founding first violinist of the David Oistrakh String Quartet, established in 2012, Baranov has become a prominent figure in the chamber music world. His chamber music partners have included celebrated artists such as Martha Argerich, Julian Rachlin, Boris Andrianov, Pierre Amoyal, Eliso Virsaladze, Alexander Buzlov, Daniel Austrich, Andrey Gugnin, Liana Isakadze, and Kirill Gerstein.
His album The Golden Violin, released by MUSO and featuring romantic violin repertoire, was awarded the Diapason d’Or in 2018.
In addition to his performing career, Baranov is a passionate educator. At just 23, he was appointed assistant to Pierre Amoyal at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne. He later served for several years as Professor of Violin at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Germany and at the Academia del Ridotto in Italy. He now devotes himself fully to performance, while continuing to give masterclasses worldwide.
Baranov was born in Saint Petersburg in 1986 and began playing the violin at the age of five. He studied at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in Saint Petersburg and at the Haute école de musique de Lausanne, under the guidance of Lev Ivaschenko, Vladimir Ovcharek, and Pierre Amoyal.
Andrey Gugnin
Piano
Moscow-born concert pianist Andrey Gugnin is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, who possesses an ‘extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination’ (Gramophone). In 2020, the BBC Music Magazine Awards named Andrey the winner of the Instrumental category for his recording of Shostakovich preludes and piano sonatas on Hyperion Records. Since winning the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016, Andrey has gone from strength to strength in concerts and recordings which exhibit his impassioned interpretations.
In demand as a concert soloist, Andrey has been invited to perform as a guest artist with notable orchestras across the globe, such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Andrey has performed on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Konzerthaus Berlin, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Carnegie Hall in New York, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Sydney Opera House, the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory, Mariinsky Concert Hall, the Louvre in Paris, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Andrey has also appeared at a number of international festivals, including the Verbier, Ruhr Piano, Mariinsky International, Dubrovnik Summer, Ohrid Summer and International Chopin festivals.
As a recording artist, Andrey has published a broad scope of repertoire, ranging from works for solo piano to concertos. His release of Liszt’s Transcendental Studies (Piano Classics, 2018) was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His recording of Shostakovich concertos (Delos International, 2007) was featured in the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Bridge of Spies. His most recent disc, Holberg Suite - Ballade & Lyric Pieces, was released in May 2024 with Hyperion.
In February 2024, Andrey won the 'Classic Piano' International Piano Competition awarding him a prize of €100,000 for his final performance of Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto. Further winnings include future performances with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the Armenian State Symphony.
Andrey took his first lessons with Natalia Smirnova, who laid the foundations for his studies with Olga Mechetina, Valery Kastelsky, Lev Naumov, Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Naboré and Vera Gornostayeva.
Highlights of Andrey’s 2024/2025 season include performances with orchestras such as La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Del Teatro Goldoni, and most recently in June 2025, with the Johannesburg Philharmonic and the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic as part of his tour in South Africa. Later this season, he will return to New York as part of the Bard Music Festival, and will also be undertaking a tour across Japan and Australia.
Khachaturian Trio
Armenia
Khachaturian Trio was founded as the trio “Arsika” in 1999. The ensemble had tours in over 100 cities in 40 countries, performed in most famous concert halls, such as Musikverein, Wien, Laiezhalle, Hamburg, Gewandhaus, Leipzig, Gasteig-Philharmonie, Munich, Purcell Room, London, Suntory hall, Tokyo, Koerner Hall, Toronto. Participated in a number of prestigious festivals - the Festival de las Artes (Costa Rica), Festival International Cervantino (Mexico), "Russiche Kammermusikfest" in Hamburg, Malta International Music Festival to name a few. Trio’s performances have been frequently broadcasted by TV and Radio.
Nine CDs, dedicated to Armenian and Russian music, were recorded by musicians, including CD with music of Khachaturian and Maltese composer Alexey Shor, released by Sony, mono-CD of Alexandre Arutyunyan's music, double CD, dedicated to chamber music of Aram Khachaturian, trios by Tchaikovsky, Arensky (d-moll), Babadjanyan, Schostakovich (e-moll), CD, dedicated to the music of Armenian modern composers (Adjemian, Babayan, Chaushian), two CDs with most famous Armenian classical pieces.
The musical critics highly praise Khachaturian Trio’s virtuous performances, subtle sense of style, warmest sound, brilliant and deep musicality. From 2006 the Trio has been performing in the following members: Armine Grigoryan – piano, Karen Shahgaldyan – violin, Karen Kocharyan – cello. Members of the Trio are involved in pedagogic activity giving master classes in music schools of various regions of Armenia. The Trio performs actively, during these years Khachaturian Trio has played about 70 concerts in a season.
In 2008 the ensemble was renamed after the outstanding Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
In 2010 the musicians together with Aram Khachaturian’s close friend, benefactor Assadour Guzelian, established Classical Music Development Foundation, which helped them to improve their educational and charity activity.