Sparks of Music: A concert for two pianos, works for 4 and 8 hands

The Piano Quartet, comprised of Natalia Lezedova, Nina Ioannidou, Ivelina Ruseva, and Galina Dimova, will be performing their concert "Sparks of Music" on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 19:00 at the Markideio Theatre in Paphos. The quartet specializes in presenting masterpieces for four and eight hands on two pianos.

The quartet was formed after a successful collaboration during the "Winter Festival" in Paphos in 2017, where the musicians discovered a shared expressive style. Their diverse backgrounds contribute to a multicultural repertoire, encompassing works for four, six, and eight hands. Since then, they have given notable performances at various venues, including the Technopolis 20, ARTE Music Academy, Rialto Theatre in Limassol, Pallas Theatre in Nicosia, Markideio Theatre in Paphos and the Cyprus Wine Museum. Their last concert was within the framework of The Piano Tour, organised by the Avantgarde Foundation. It was held with great success in June 2023, around the area of the sea caves in Pegeia, and at the same time it was broadcast live on the internet.

The programme includes transcriptions for eight hands, such as the overture by Mikhail Glinka' Ruslan and Ludmila, Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, William Gillock's Champagne Toccata and Astor Piazzolla's iconic work Escualo. Additionally, the quartet commissioned Greek composer Dimitris Tsoukas for a special arrangement of Manos Hadjidakis' songs, for eight hands on two pianos. The programme also features arrangements for four hands, showcasing pieces from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite, a transcription of the Cypriot composer Nicolas Economou, Arno Babajanian's "Armenian Rhapsody", a selection from Richard Rodney Bennett's Four Piece Suite, the Prelude from Suite for two pianos, op.6 by Dmitri Shostakovich and "La nuit... L'amour" from Suite No. 1 Op. 5 (Fantaisie-Tableaux) for two pianos by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Finally, Natalia Lezedova's composition, "The Bumblebee Dance," will have its world premiere during the concert.

The Piano Quartet was formed to counteract the solitary nature of piano preparation. The members emphasize the collaborative aspect of their performances, where all pianists are equal, sharing the spotlight and working together to create a rich and balanced sound. There are many examples of great pianists who have pursued collaborations with other pianists in their careers, with Nicolas Economou's ground-breaking collaboration on 1983's "On Four Pianos" being a prime example.

The upcoming concert promises not only an aural delight but also a visually captivating experience. The quartet encourages audiences not to miss the opportunity to witness the orchestral sound produced by one hundred and seventy-six black and white keys, played by four talented pianists on two pianos.

Sponsors: Aristo Developers, Droushiotis Certified Public Accountants

Supporter: Municipality of Paphos

Entrance: 15 euros / 10 euros (students)

Reservations essential at 70002420.

Few words about the performers

Natalia Lezedova

Natalia Lezedova is a graduate of the Musical Faculty of the Russian State Pedagogical University, and she also has postgraduate studies in "Musical Art" (2012). She attended an advanced training course from the Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (2013). Natalia is a laureate of five international competitions, among them: two first prizes as a performer-soloist (Saint Petersburg and Moscow, 2012), winner of the Grand-Prix of the music festival competition “Severnaya Venezia” (2012) and first prize laureate as a concertmaster (Music Competition in Performing Arts in Saint Petersburg, 2013). In recent years she has organised many concerts in Cyprus, most of them for charity, and she has collaborated with musicians from Russia, Cyprus, Italy, France, Germany, and UK. 

She was a jury member of the 3rd Avaton Young Performers Competition (Cyprus, Limassol, 2016), the S.E. Aphrodite Voice International Competition (Cyprus, 2023) and Jean Sibelius Fest Competition (Turku, Finland, 2023).

Natalia is the founder and artistic director of the Pancyprian Instrumental Music Youth Festival “Young Orpheus”.

Nina Ioannidou

Nina Ioannidou is of Greek origin. She was born in Stavropol, Russia and studied at the music college of V. I. SAFRONOVA. Later she obtained a piano diploma in Northern Greece at the Xanthi Conservatory, while in 2003 and 2004 she took part in the Panhellenic piano competition H.O.N. founded by Stefanos Lekkas in Athens where she won third and second prize, respectively. Since 2008, she has lived permanently in Paphos where she teaches piano, participates in musical ensembles, concerts, and other artistic events. She also accompanied choirs at the annual Hadjidakis Festival in Greece.

Ivelina Ruseva

Ivelina Ruseva was born in Ruse, Bulgaria. She began piano lessons at the age of seven and three years later she was accepted in the music school "Vesselin Stoyanov" in Ruse. In 1992, she entered the National Music Academy "Pancho Vladigerov" in Sofia from which she graduated with honors in 1997. She participated in many concerts and competitions for solo piano during her studies. In 2019 Ivelina completed her Masters degree in Piano Performance under the supervision of Prof. Ludmil Angelov at the New Bulgarian University in Sofia. She has been living in Paphos since 1999 where she teaches the piano and continues her performer’s career playing in concerts as a soloist and a chamber musician. Since 2019, she has been teaching at the Paphos Music School.

Galina Dimova

Born in Chirpan, Bulgaria, she studied piano at the Hristina Morfova Music Lyceum in Stara Zagora and graduated in 1990 from the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Art in Plovdiv with an M.A. in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy. In 2017, Galina obtained a PhD on the piano compositions of Cypriot pianist and composer Nicolas Economou under the advisory of Professor Dr. Romeo Smilkov. She presented her work at the International Scientific Conference of Art and Education in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2014); Modus-Modi-Modality - European University, Nicosia, Cyprus (2017); Moesgaard Museum – Aarhus, Denmark (2017) and many other institutions. She has authored multiple publications in English, Greek and Bulgarian.

Galina performs extensively as a soloist and is an avid chamber musician. She has given numerous solo recitals, took part in the concert Five Steps into the Future (2017) as part of the Paphos 2017 Cultural Capital of Europe, Francophonie (2017), Piano Synergies (2018), J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.5 (2019), From Theory to Practice (2019), Clara Schumann - 200th Anniversary of her Birth (2019), Homage to Bach (2021), Piano Encounters (2023) and many others. In July 2021, she was a musician-in-residence in NES, Skagaströnd, Iceland, where she performed Sonitus Borealis, a multidisciplinary collaboration between visual and sound artists, poets, writers, and musicians. Galina initiated the project Musical Bridges: The Piano Quartet in 2019 and performed in all major concert venues in Cyprus. In June 2023, The Piano Quartet performed in front of Edro III Shipwreck as part of The Piano Tour, organized by Avantgarde Cultural Foundation. Galina is a regular guest at festivals in Cyprus such as the Winter Music Festival, Bach Festival, and others. She has been a jury member in international piano competitions and collaborates regularly as a performer and composer with video artist Yiannos Economou.

Galina is the Head of Music at The International School of Paphos and a piano tutor at the Paphos Music Schools.

Programme of the Concert:

1. Overture to the opera 'Ruslan and Ludmila' by Mikhail Glinka, 8 hands, two pianos

2. Waltz from the ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 8 hands, two pianos

3. 'Overture', 'March', 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy', 'Trepak', 'Dance of the Reed Flutes', 'Waltz of the Flowers', from the ballet "The Nutcracker" by P.I. Tchaikovsky, 4 hands, two pianos, transcription by Nikolas Economou - Ivelina Ruseva and Galina Dimova

4. La nuit... L'amour from Suite No. 1 Op. 5 (Fantaisie-Tableaux) for 2 pianos by Sergei Rachmaninoff - Natalia Lezedova and Nina Ioannidou

5. Prelude from Suite for Two Pianos in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 6 by Dmitri Shostakovich, 4 hands, two pianos - Natalia Lezedova and Nina Ioannidou

Interval

6. 'Champagne Toccata' by William Gillock, 8 hands, two pianos

7. 'Escualo' by Astor Piazzolla, 8 hands, two pianos

8. 'Armenian Rhapsody' by Arno Babajanian, 4 hands, two pianos - Natalia Lezedova and Nina Ioannidou

9. 'Samba Triste' and 'Finale' from 'Four Piece Suite' by Richard Rodney Bennett, 4 hands, two pianos - Natalia Lezedova and Nina Ioannidou

10. When the Clouds Come, Wide Sea, The Waltz of the Lost Dreams by Manos Hadjidakis, 8 hands, two pianos, transcription by Dimitris Tsoukas

11. The Bumblebee Dance by Natalia Lezedova, for 8 hands on one piano