Russian into London: a fabulous violinist makes her debut
I’ve just had a terrific Skype chat with the young Russian violinist Alena Baeva , ahead of her London debut at the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday. She and I have a little Schumann-related project together in June in Oxford and it’s splendid to get to know her. Here she is, talking about her turbulent background in central Asia, her first-rate musical training, her passion for historical recordings and all we can learn from them, and a few particularly wonderful concertos… JD: Alena, you’ve recently been playing a very special piece in Katowice to mark 100 years of Polish independence… AB: It was a major event for me because I’d wanted to play the Karlowicz Concerto for a long time. It’s hardly played anywhere but Poland, which is a pity because it’s a great piece. It’s quite difficult! Someone brought it for me to play in a masterclass in Poland and I was fascinated. I’m happy we did it this summer. JD: Where are you from and where did you grow up? AB: That’s ...