Accompanied by Moscow Virtuosi, then 11 years old Aimi Kobayashi performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major, K. 537, generally known as the “Coronation” Concerto at the Svetlanov Hall (Moscow International House of Music), Moscow. Conductor: Vladimir Spivakov. The concert was a part of the Christmas concerts and specially called “The evening with Mozart” and held on December 24, 2006. As an encore she played Frédéric Chopin’s Impromptu No. 1 (the second video below). The press conference afterwards was covered by three TV stations and 33 newspapers. Her appearance was sponsored by the AADGT, and the concert was a great success. This was Kobayashi’s orchestral debut abroad.
The concerto was completed on 24 February 1788. The nickname “Coronation” is derived from his playing of the work at the time of the coronation of Leopold II (5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) as Holy Roman Emperor in October 1790 in Frankfurt am Main.
There are three movements (with the starting times in the video):
- 00:25 Allegro D major common time
- 14:28 (Larghetto) A major cut time
- 20:30 (Allegretto) D major 2/4
Encore: Frédéric Chopin’s Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29. The “first” Impromptu was composed in 1837. It is in three parts, the middle being in the key of F minor. A perpetuum mobile in triplets accompanies the piece.
Aimi Kobayashi
Aimi Kobayashi (born September 23, 1995) is a Japanese classical pianist. She started learning the piano at the age of three, played with an orchestra at age seven, and has been receiving tutelage from Yuko Ninomiya since the age of eight. She gave her first abroad orchestral concert in 2006 when she was 11 (the concert above).
Kobayashi’s awards include three Yamaguchi Prefecture “Glory Culture Prize” and the special Frédéric Chopin passport from the Polish government. She has performed in France, Brazil, Poland, Russia, South Korea, the United States, and Japan in venues such as the Salle Cortot (Paris), Svetlanov Hall (Moscow), Suntory Hall (Japan), and all three halls of the Carnegie Hall Complex (New York City). AADGT (the American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented), a New York-based non-profit organization, has supported Kobayashi for many years.
Moscow Virtuosi
State Chamber Orchestra “Moscow Virtuosi” is a Soviet and Russian orchestra founded in 1979 by Vladimir Spivakov who has been the orchestra’s conductor, soloist and creative director ever since.
In 1982, the orchestra received the name “State Chamber Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR “Moscow Virtuosi”. Since 1989, “Moscow Virtuosi” have participated annually in the International Music Festival in Colmar, France, where Maestro Spivakov is the Artistic Director.
In 1990, upon invitation of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the orchestra have left to Spain, but kept performing both in Russia and all over the world. In 1999, the orchestra returned to Russia.
In 2003, the orchestra received their own headquarters at Moscow International House of Music, where Vladimir Spivakov is one of the co-founders.
Sources
- Aimi Kobayashi on wikipedia
- Piano Concerto No. 26 (Mozart) on wikipedia
- Moscow Virtuosi on wikipedia
- Impromptu No. 1 (Chopin) on wikipedia
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