This evening, the Parvis of the Basilica of Saint Michael Archangel – at 9:30 PM – will resonate with the notes of a sublime duo composed of two more unique than exceptional artists, Viktoria Mullova and Katia Labèque, who will perform in a concert destined to remain in the annals of the festival.
The program is as follows:
Prokofiev: Sonata in D major for solo violin Opus 115
Schumann: Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano in A minor Opus 105
Takemitsu: Distance de fée for violin and piano
Pärt: Fratres for violin and piano
Ravel: Sonata for violin and piano in G major
Viktoria Mullova
A child prodigy, the Russian-born violinist Viktoria Mullova began her musical journey at the age of 4, first at the Central Music School in Moscow, then at the Moscow Conservatory.
Winner of the Wieniawski (1976), Sibelius (1980), and especially the prestigious Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow in 1982, Viktoria Mullova began her remarkable career at 23. Her success propelled her abroad as early as 1983, when she took the opportunity to “defect to the West” during a tour in Finland.
Accompanied by her two violins – the Stradivarius “Julius Falk” from 1723 and the Guadagnini from 1750 –, her curiosity leads her from Baroque and classical music to the most contemporary influences in the world of fusion and experimental music.
All agree in praising her stylistic rigor and technical excellence.
Katia Labèque
The artistic journey of Katia Labèque is partly inseparable from that of her sister Marielle: 34 albums as a duo seal their fates. Born in Bayonne, Katia and Marielle grew up in Bordeaux where their father, a doctor, was also a member of the Opera choir. It was their mother, pianist Adda Cecchi, a former pupil of Marguerite Long, who gave them their first piano lessons at home. After passing an exam and each winning a first prize at the Paris Conservatory in 1968, the two young pianists decided to explore the four-hand repertoire for two pianos together.
Success has not prevented the two sisters from pursuing separate careers.
