The innocent Mozart Sonata, quirkily accentuated Thomas Ades Mazurkas, and grand-scale tragical beauty of Scriabin’s Fantasy. With a fierce insight into her programme and excellent control of the instrument’s temperament she was performing on, Katya Apekisheva showcased the most alive and widest range of tones and colours. The mostly-Chopin second half was piano lovers’ paradise. There is always a danger in performing such well-known masterpieces because it could be a mere parade of Chopin’s beautiful melodies, nothing more. But Katya’s ability to digest and unlock them meant that we had a pleasurable ride of the characterful second half with the emotional tide. Most extraordinary was her unshakable confidence backed by the excellent technical ability and artistry to draw the audience into her musical world.
Katya Apekisheva, piano
- Mozart: Fantasie in D minor, K397
- Mozart: Sonata in F major, K332
- Thomas Ades: Three Mazurkas
- Scriabin: Fantasy in B minor, Op. 28
- Chopin: Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
- Szymanowski: Three Mazurkas
- Chopin: Three Mazurkas
- Chopin: Scherzo No. 2
Described as a "profoundly gifted artist" by Gramophone Magazine, Katya Apekisheva has earned her place as one of Europe's most renowned and gifted pianists.
Born in Moscow, into a family of musicians, she attended the Gnessin Music School for exceptionally gifted children making her stage debut at the age of 12. She continued her studies in Jerusalem at the Rubin Music Academy and later at the Royal College of Music in London.
From these auspicious beginnings she went on to be a Prizewinner of the Leeds International Piano competition and has gone on to enjoy a career performing with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, working with renowned conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, David Shallon, Jan Latham-Koenig and Alexander Lazarev.
Her latest disc is a collection of impromptus which International Piano called "a fascinating and engrossing album".
As a recording artist, Katya has received widespread critical acclaim for her interpretations from Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice award and International Piano Magazine’s Critics’ choice to Classic FM’s CD of the week as well as a Classical Brit award to name but a few. Katya’s discography includes solo and chamber works by Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Dvorak and Rachmaninov.
Recent and future highlights include performances in Russia, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Australia and at home in the UK at the Bath Mozart Fest, St. George’s Bristol and the prestigious Wigmore Hall – where she is a regular presence. Her intense artistry and delicacy makes Katya a most sought after collaborative pianist, working with artists such as Janine Jansen, Natalie Clein, Guy Johnston, Maxim Rysanov, Jack Liebeck, Boris Brovtsyn, Alexei Ogrinchouk and Nicholas Daniel and she appears regularly at major chamber music festivals around the world. Katya also has a highly successful and personally rewarding piano duo partnership with Charles Owen, performing regularly at festivals worldwide. Together they are co-Artistic Directors of the London Piano Festival which began in 2016.