1. What is the first experience you remember with music?
- Rachmaninov Prelude g-moll op.23 played by the student of my mother. The energy of this music was amazing. I dreamed to play it one day by myself.
2. What musical personality do you think most influenced your career?
- Larisa Dedova, my professor in Moscow who now teaches in United States. She is an excellent pianist, incredible person and very beautiful and clever woman.
She brought me to Moscow from my native town . I always wanted to be like her. Also Nikolai Lugansky with whom I studied later.
3. What was the style or composer you liked study when you were young?
-I was crazy about Chopin and Rachmaninov.
4. What repertoire are more comfortable today for you?
- I feel lots of attraction about Beethoven and Shubert. But romantic style still takes a large part in my repertoire.
5. Tell us, please, any anecdote about piano (in a course, or concert ...)
- I played recently in Portugal and one day later - in the south of France, the distance is around 2000 km. In Portugal I saw young couple who spoke French. I thought they spend there vacation in Portugal. But one day later I go to the stage and I see in the first row the same people!!!
I thought that I am getting crazy. After the concert they explain me that they were travelling all the night long by car to follow me....
6. What do you think of the current situation of teaching piano and music?
- I think that there is a difference between teaching piano and teaching music. I prefer to teach music.
7. What are your favorite musicians?
-Depends on the repertoire. But Grigory Sokolov can create a miracle with each piece he plays.
8. Do you think it is useful to know resources about improvisation? Why?
- it is useful. Improvisation brings the liberty in the relation of the pianist and the piano.
9. How much important is for you developing creativity in a pianist?
-For me the creativity of pi. anist starts from his intelligence and curiosity for all kinds of art.
10. What musical projects do you have in mind?
-New programmes and my students.
11. What advice or recommendations would give now a piano beginner?
-Dont be afraid to be different. Search the sound which will be unique each time. Remember the the keyboard of a piano is not a keyboard of the computer. And listen lots of different music and musiciens.
