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CSOtv
CSOradio
This season, acclaimed pianist Evgeny Kissin will return to Chicago for a double-header of sorts. In a rare orchestral outing, he will join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for two concerts April 16 and 18, conducted by Andrey Boreyko, in which Kissin will perform concertos by Mozart and Scriabin.
A month later, Kissin will offer an SCP Piano recital on May 17, with a program of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Liszt.
In a recent interview with the Czech publication Opera Plus, Kissin discussed how his choice of repertoire has evolved over time. “I’ve always loved Chopin. [In Chicago, he will perform five mazurkas by Chopin.] With other composers, my preferences have shifted throughout my life. But Chopin has remained constant — he’s always felt the closest to me. I used to be very fond of Brahms, but a few years ago, I found myself gravitating more toward Schubert. I now prefer him.”
For the last decade, the Russian-born Kissin has lived in Prague, where this season he is artist-in-residence with the Czech Philharmonic. “It’s a great honor for me," he said. “The Czech Philharmonic is a wonderful orchestra.”
While in Prague, he has explored more Czech music. “I’ve performed Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, several times,” he said. “Once, I played Smetana’s Vltava in a four-hands version with András Schiff. I took the upper part. We also performed eight of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, and for those, we swapped, I played the lower part.”
Kissin reports that he’s happy living in Prague. “Yes, very much so,” he said. “My wife, Karina Arzumanova [a childhood friend he married in 2017], has lived here for 23 years.” He last performed in Russia “before the pandemic. I gave a concert at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.” On whether he plans to go back: “Of course not.”
Now 54 years old, Kissin reveals that he has mapped out his next decades. “I have had a fixed plan since my youth, extending to 2050,” he said. “I have a list of what I want to learn, though sometimes I must revise it. Now I know that certain pieces must be learned while I still have strength, because later it will no longer be possible. A few years ago, I unexpectedly learned both of Liszt’s piano concertos — later, it could have been a huge effort. Strength diminishes; we only have a limited amount. Now I choose only my most beloved pieces, and I hope to live long enough to learn them all.”
