Cellos

Maxim Akchurin

In the orchestra since 2022

Maxim Akchurin was born in 2001 in Saint Petersburg. Since 2019 he has been a student of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory (the Honoured Artist of Russia, Associate Professor Alexei Massarsky’s class). He has performed with the musicAeterna orchestra since 2022.

He is the laureate of a number of youth contests, including the III prize of the Sviridov International Competition for Youth Performing Arts as a member of the ensemble (St. Petersburg, 2017) and the IV prize of the All-Russian Music Competition (Ufa, 2022).

He took part in master classes by Sergey Roldugin, Oleg Sendetsky, Denis Severin, and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt; master classes at the Kronberg Academy under Jens Peter Maintz (Germany, 2018), at the International Murren Summer Academy (Switzerland, 2018).

He has participated in the programmes of the St. Petersburg Music House since 2020.

He has performed in the concert halls of the Mariinsky Theatre, the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia, the State Academic Chapel, etc. He toured in Germany and Switzerland, participated in the concert programmes of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation, collaborated with such musicians as Graf Murzha, David Grimal, Kristóf Baráti, Naoko Sonoda, Christopher Chen.

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST PERFORMANCE WITH MUSICAETERNA?

At my first rehearsal with the orchestra we worked on Fauré's Requiem — it turned out that for me it was new music in a new ensemble, so the impressions, of course, were the brightest. Every time the maestro appears, the magic begins. As music comes to life, an endless flow of thoughts and colours appears. It always brings me great pleasure.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE BEFORE GOING ON STAGE?

Before going on stage I feel a mixture of joy and excitement. The joy of being able to show my many years of work, share my thoughts and feelings, the whole inner world. The excitement arises from the desire to show everything you are capable of, and an internal dialogue with myself helps me cope with my nerves.

WHAT PERIOD IN MUSIC DO YOU PREFER?

Personally, modern academic music is sometimes much less understandable to me than the music of Baroque or Classicism. Yet I believe that if the performer was still able to understand and live through the music he is playing, it will become closer to the listener, regardless of the era it was written in.

TELL ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT YOU PLAY.

Lately I have been playing a modern cello by the St. Petersburg master Roman Naumov. I'm just starting to familiarize myself with it, and this process is not fast at all, but very interesting. I've been looking for an instrument that would fit me perfectly for several years. For a long time I stuck with such a stereotype: it is necessary to look for an ancient instrument with a rich history — therefore, I did not look in the direction of modern masters. However, one day I went to Roman's workshop, and I really loved one cello — both for the convenience of playing it, and for the saturation of sound, and for the timbre.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COMPOSITIONS FOR SOLO CELLO?

Of course, Bach's suites - all without exception, I can't choose one favourite. As a cellist, you get to know this music as a child and continue to grow up with it all your life. Among my favourite works there are also Britten's First Suite and Kodály's Sonata.

musicAeterna orchestra events

October 11, 19:00

Moscow | Zaryadye Hall

Hændel. A Dedication Ceremony to George Frideric Handel

Georg Friedrich Handel (1685–1759)

Prelude

Augelletti, ruscelletti, the aria of Maria Kleopova from the oratorio La resurrezione, HWV 47 (1708)

Zadok the Priest, Coronation Anthem No. 1, HWV 258 (1727)

Disserratevi, o porte d’Averno, the aria of Angel from the oratorio La resurrezione, HWV 47 (1708)

Ah! Crudel nel pianto mio, the aria of Armida from the opera Rinaldo, HWV 78 (1711)

Overture to the opera Agrippina, HWV 6 (1709–1710)

As with Rosy Steps the Morn, the aria of Irina from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)

De torrente in via bibet, duet with chorus from the psalm Dixit Dominus, HWV 232 (1707)

Oh, Let the Merry Bells Ring Round, aria with chorus from the oratorio L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, HWV 55 (1740)

Pena tiranna, the aria of Dardano from the opera Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11 (1715)

Eternal Source of Light Divine, fragment from the cantata Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV 74 (1713)

Alla Hornpipe, No. 2 from the orchestral suite
The Water Music No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349 (1716–1717)

He Saw the Lovely Youth, chorus from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)

Piangerò la sorte mia, the aria of Cleopatra from the opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17 (1724)

Ah! Stigie larve — Vaghe pupille, the recitative and aria of Orlando from the opera Orlando, HWV 31 (1733)

O Love Divine, thou Source of Fame, chorus from the oratorio Theodora, HWV 68 (1750)

Sing Ye to the Lord, chorus with solo soprano from the oratorio Israel in Egypt, HWV 54 (1739)

Performers:

artists of the Anton Rubinstein Academy
Tatiana Bikmukhametova, soprano
Yulia Vakula, mezzo-soprano
Ksenia Dorodova, soprano
Diana Nosyreva, soprano
Iveta Simonyan, soprano
Sofia Tsygankova, soprano
Andrey Nemzer, countertenor, soloist and vocal coach of the Anton Rubinstein Academy
musicAeterna Choir and Orchestra
musicAeterna Dance troupe

Music Director and Conductor Teodor Currentzis
Stage Director Elizaveta Moroz
Choirmaster Vitaly Polonsky
Assistant Conductor Evgeny Vorobyov
Production Designer, Costume Designer Sergey Illarionov
Choreographer Valentina Lutsenko

Buy Ticket

October 15, 20:30

Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki Concert Hall