Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, plays a central role in this new CD release from one of the world’s most talented pianists, Temirzhan Yerzhanov. He is the first pianist to emerge from Kazakhstan who has attracted such acclaim. Since earning his position on the world stage Temirzhan has toured Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Czech Republic, China, India, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA.
The former capital city of Almaty is also linked to a period in the life of one of the major composers of the twentieth century, Sergei Prokofiev. Prokofiev was born in the Ukraine in 1891. During the Second World War he spent almost a year in Kazakhstan. It was a period in his life that saw a surge of creativity even by his prolific standards.
Prokofiev had originally arrived in Almaty to work on the soundtrack for Sergei Eisenstein’s film Ivan The Terrible. Whilst in the city he also composed the Cinderella ballet, the "Sonata For Flute And Piano," a number of other film soundtracks, and completed the score for the opera War And Peace.
In 2003 Temirzhan Yerzhanov attended a recital held in his home city, called Prokofiev, Almaty 1942-1943. The event featured three suites from Cinderella. The evening had a profound effect on the young piano virtuoso. For this, his second album, he pays his own homage to the great composer. Piano Transcriptions By Sergei Prokofiev is available through Con Brio Recordings, CBR 28454.
He came to notice by winning the First Prize and Gold Medal at the XI International Robert Schumann Piano Competition in Germany in 1993. Since then he has played at many of the world’s premier venues, and alongside many of its most renowned orchestras.
He originally studied in Moscow at the Central Music School and the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. In 2004 he left Russia for the Bay Area, San Francisco, to further his career in the United States. He has made a near instant impression in America, winning awards and accolades wherever he performs.
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