They say:

“Rysanov presented himself as a brilliant virtuoso with a rare beautiful sound and showed impressive musical intelligence.”  Die Rheinpfalz

Photo: Felix Broede











































They say:

"...her power and temperament remind me of Martha Argerich..." Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow

"...Most outstanding...superbly controlled technique and commanding musicality throughout... astonishing..."
Yorkshire Post (at the Leeds Piano Competition)

Saturday 8th November 2008 at 7:30pm at Moor Park School

MAXIM RYSANOV, viola
KATYA APEKISHEVA, piano

Brahms Viola Sonata in E flat, Op. 120 No. 2
Bridge: There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook
Britten: Lachrymae
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 G Major Op. 78 (arr. for viola)
Brahms: Viola Sonata in F minor Op. 120 No. 1


Maxim Rysanov

Maxim Rysanov is undoubtedly one of the world’s best and most charismatic viola players.

He is regularly invited to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in the UK and abroad and has been a guest at many prestigious festivals and venues worldwide. He works regularly with artists such as Augustin Dumay, Martin Frost, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Lev Markiz, Viktoria Mullova, Julian Rachlin, Maxim Vengerov, the ASCH trio and others. He has performed concertos with orchestras worldwide such as English Chamber Orchestra, European Union Youth Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, China Philharmonic, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Bayerisches Kammerorchester and the Orchestre de Chambre de Wallonie.

Originally from the Ukraine, he is now based in London after having studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and prior to that at the Central Special Music School in Moscow. He is a prize-winner of several major international awards, including the Tertis and Geneva competitions and has been a BBC New Generation Artist from September 2007. Highlights of the forthcoming year include BBC concertos with the BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish orchestras in the next few months.

Maxim has a strong interest in new music and several works have been dedicated to him, including concertos by Dobrinka Tabakova and Elena Langer. He was also invited to perform the world premiere of a new Duo Concertante work for viola and cello by Artyom Vassiliev at the Spitalfields Festival with the Britten Sinfonia.

A recording project of Bach’s 2 and 3-Part Inventions with Janine Jansen and Torlef Thedeen on Decca includes an extensive world tour of the same repertoire. Other commercial recordings include the Schnittke Triple Concerto (Quartz), a concerto disc of Taverner and Kancheli (Onyx) and a recital disc with Evelyn Chang (Avie) which was universally acclaimed and named Gramophone Editor’s Choice.

Recent highlights include his debut in Japan and China in the trio arrangement of the J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations with Julian Rachlin and Mischa Maisky and a performance of Mozart’s Sinfonie Concertante with Augustin Dumay and the Orchestre Royale de Wallonie at the Beijing Festival. He also performed this key work in the viola repertoire with Janine Jansen and the European Union Youth Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy in London. He also made his orchestral debut in Germany performing the Bartok Concert for Viola with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and Tamas Vasary and featured as concerto soloist at the Mostly Mozart Festival at the Barbican Hall, London. He is also continuing the Goldberg Variations tour with performances at Europe’s most noted venues such as the South Bank Centre London, Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Vienna etc.

After a conducting fellowship at the Guildhall School of Music and winning the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Young Conductor scheme, Maxim also has a burgeoning career as a conductor.

Maxim is delighted to have a Giuseppe Guadagnini (1780) viola on extended loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation.


Katya Apekisheva

Born in Moscow into a family of musicians, Katya started to play the piano at the age of five and a year later entered the famous Gnessin School of Music where she was taught by Ada Traub and Anna Kantor. She continued her studies with Irina Berkovich at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem where she won an American-Israel Cultural Foundation Award and took second prize at the Young Talents Radio Competition performing Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

In 1994 Katya moved to London to study at the Royal College of Music with Irina Zaritskaya and the following year won the President's Rose Bowl for the most outstanding pianist of the year presented by HRH The Prince of Wales. In 1996 she won sixth prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition. The same year she was London Philharmonic/Pioneer Young Soloist of the Year which led to performances with London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In susbsequent years, Katya was presented with the Terence Judd Award for the Most Outstanding Pianist of the Year and took second prize at the Scottish International piano competition. She also won the Schubert prize at the AXA Dublin Piano Competition. Katya is a frequent guest at festivals including Gilmore (USA), Warwick, Thaxted, Grassington, Cheltenham, Bath, Perigord-Noir(France), 'Homecoming' and 'Crescendo' (Russia).

Katya has performed throught Russia, Italy, Germany, Holland, Israel, Turkey, USA, South Korea and Philippines, working with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic, CBSO, Philharmonia, Halle, Moscow Philharmonic and with such conductors as Alexander Lazarev, David Shallon, Alexander Rudin and Sir Simon Rattle.

As a chamber musician Katya collaborates regularly with ensembles including Tippett, Gabrieli and Belcea quartets, Covent Garden Soloists, Kandinsky and Gnessin trios and soloists Janine Jansen, Boris Brovtsyn, Jack Liebeck, Maxim Rysanov, Natalie Clein, Alexei Ogrinchuk and Boris Andrianov. She has made several recordings for BBC Radio 3 and has made a solo CD on the Master Musicians Label. In 2004 Katya released a CD with Jack Liebeck on Quartz which received high critical acclaim and was nominated fora Classical Brit Award.

In the past few months Katya has performed at Janine Jansen's Festival in Utrecht (Holland), the 'Homecoming' Festival in Moscow and the Bath International Festival. Her performances have included the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto with the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, a Wigmore Hall recital and a recital at Birmingham Symphony Hall with Jack Liebeck. She has also taken part in the Norwich and Norfolk Festival and 'Music in Country Churches' Festival performing with Natalie Clein.

Future plans include recitals with Natalie Clein, Jack Liebeck, recordings for BBC Radio 3 and a CD release with Maxim Rysanov and Boris Brovtsyn featuring the music of Brahms.