Pianist Alexander Malofeev plays Rachmaninoff

Renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, whose rich association with the BSO dates back to his time as a TMC Fellow (1968-69), joins the remarkable young Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev in his BSO and Tanglewood debut for a concert of works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff and Copland.

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3., sparkling and lush, is known as one of the most beloved and challenging concertos in the repertoire, the BSO says. Aaron Copland’s orchestral music epitomizes a distinctly American sound that persists in the concert hall and in film soundtracks.

His Third Symphony, premiered by the BSO and Serge Koussevitzky in 1946, incorporates the bold and familiar Fanfare for the Common Man. The concert opens with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s brief, rousing Dubinushka, based on a tune he heard marching workers sing during the Russian Revolution of 1905 and not performed by the BSO since 1944.

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Michael Tilson Thomas is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra. Born in Los Angeles, he is the third generation of his family to pursue an artistic career.

His grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, were founding members of the Yiddish Theater in America; his father, Ted Thomas, was a producer at the Mercury Theater Company in New York before moving to Los Angeles where he worked in film and television; and his mother, Roberta Thomas, was the head of research for Columbia Pictures.

Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev has been performing to international acclaim since he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2014, at age thirteen. “… he demonstrated not only high technical accuracy but also an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability” (Amadeus). Malofeev has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation.

“The latest phenomenon of the Russian piano school” (Corriere della Sera), “Alexander Malofeev manifests the piano mastery of the new millennium in itself” (Il Giornale).

Alexander’s recent and appearances include a 2019 Asia tour with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala under Riccardo Chailly, with the Mariinsky Orchestra commemorating in St. Petersburg the 175th anniversary of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, concerts at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and with the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome.

“I first heard Malofeev when Valery Gergiev performed with him at the Teatro alla Scala three years ago,” Maestro Riccardo Chailly says. “He was only 14, and he amazed me with his talent. Because that is not just a child prodigy: he is very young, but already possesses depth and technical abilities, and also musical and mnemonic, which makes him an excellent interpreter of the 3rd Concert of Rachmaninov, which is a problem for many pianists in the world.” (Corriere della Sera, October 2019).