Piano virtuoso Behzod Abduraimov plays without reservation
The Uzbek-born artist has selected four of his favourite pieces to perform with Vancouver Recital Society
Internationally recognized pianist Behzod Aburaimov is coming back to Vancouver. Photo by Evgeny Eutykhov
Vancouver Recital Society presents Behzod Aburaimov on November 9 at 7 pm at the Orpheum Theatre.
WHEN STIR CATCHES up with internationally acclaimed pianist Behzod Aburaimov, he has just wrapped up performances as part of the Tour of National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan in Dubai. He was playing in two of the city’s most exclusive venues, the Dubai Opera and the Theatre at the Mall of the Emirates. The musician’s calendar is the envy of anyone with the travel bug; he has appeared with esteemed groups such as Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, Israel Philharmonic, and many more. His 2021-22 season also happens to include a local stop, thanks to an invitation from Vancouver Recital Society.
The show came about after the organization was forced to find a replacement for Alexander Malofeev. Malofeev had received the Russian Sputnik vaccine, which is not one of the vaccines recognized by the federal government; he wouldn’t be able to enter Canada. Abduraimov, whose 2020 performance was quashed by COVID, was VRS’s first pick.
After winning the 2009 London International Piano Competition with a knockout rendition of Prokofiev’s 3rd Concerto, VRS invited him to perform here in 2012. The Tashkent, Uzbekistan native has been back several times since, and he sounds just as excited about the upcoming concerts as local fans are.
“It will be my fifth time to play for Vancouver Recital Society audiences, and Vancouver has become a very special place for me,” Abduraimov tells Stir. “I’m immensely happy to be back.”
Abduraimov began taking piano lessons when he was five at Uspensky State Central Lyceum in his home city. However, his exposure to music started well before that, right at home.
“My mother is a piano teacher and my sister was also studying music back then, so I was surrounded by the sounds of piano since I was a toddler,” Abduraimov says. “Classical music immediately became a huge inspiration since my mother introduced me to great recordings of legendary musicians at a young ag, and started teaching me piano.
“This actually sprung up my great love to music and particularly to piano,” he says. “Playing an instrument professionally is a lifelong journey of learning and discovering. There is always a great deal of challenge as well as incredible enjoyment, and I would say discipline and full dedication is the key.”
Behzod Abduraimov.
After winning that prestigious 2009 competition, Abduraimov studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University, Missouri, where he is artist in residence. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Kölner Philharmonie, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, to name a few, while his festival appearances include Aspen, Verbier, Rheingau, La Roque Antheron, and Lucerne. In recital, Abduraimov has taken the stage several times at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
Here’s how the New York Times once described his artistry: “With prodigious technique and rhapsodic flair, Mr. Abduraimov dispatched the work’s challenges, including burst upon burst of arm-blurring octaves, with eerie command.”
When he joins VRS at the Orpheum, Abduraimov will perform four works: Scarlatti’s Sonata in B minor, K. 27 and Sonata in D major, K. 96, Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The reason he chose these particular pieces is simple.
“I’ve selected these pieces for a Vancouver recital simply because I enjoy them the most,” Abduraimov says. “Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition are highly imaginative and give the performer freedom to make music according to actual images and description. Schumann’s Kreisleriana is a fascinating set of fantasies full of contrasts, from most dramatic even eccentric to extreme intimacy and most divine melodies. And in my opinion having two lovely Scarlatti sonatas is a wonderful way to open a recital and immerse yourself into the Baroque era before these two romantic giants.”
Like every other performing artist, Abduraimov is relieved and overjoyed to be back touring after the unimaginable global pandemic pause. He also has a renewed sense of energy.
“Performing on stage requires a tremendous amount of physical and emotional output,” he explains. “Indeed, it was horrible to see that all scheduled performances for months ahead had collapsed so quickly. On the other hand, after years of constantly touring the world, I’ve used this time to recover both physically and emotionally, while of course learning new repertoire and finding new hobbies.
“I don’t have a particular plan on how to prepare for a concert besides practising, but my consciousness prepares, he says. “On a concert day at a certain hour, I have to bring these pieces alive with no reservations.”
For more information, see Vancouver Recital Society.
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