But since October, I’ve also been living in Moscow, as I’m an artist-in-residence at the Bolshoi Theater. For the last 11 years, I’ve been in Zurich, and I still have a lot of work here. HC: It sounds like you’re back and forth between Moscow and Zurich a lot. Then in March, it will be back to the craziness all over again. Starting in February, however, I have almost nothing-just a few concerts in Moscow-so I will stay there to work. So far, I’ve been on tour with the Glière Concerto, had solo recitals in Switzerland, my theater show in Moscow, and a huge Russian Ball in Rome. This year, I started working hard from the first of January, and I’ve had rehearsals and concerts every day this month. My dream schedule is to have one month full of work and the next month free to practice, to compose, and to think about new projects. Sasha Boldachev: Almost every month is different for me. What’s on your concert schedule for this month? Harp Column: Thanks for squeezing this interview into your incredibly busy travel schedule! In just the past couple of weeks, you’ve been to Zurich, Moscow, and Rome, and you’re about to fly to Los Angeles tomorrow. Boldachev performs on the new Salvi Delta harp as part of a recent theater piece that included three harps-the Delta, an old English harp, and a new Salvi Minerva pedal harp. Boldachev was gracious enough to do this interview in English, which is not his first language. As if his musical versatility weren’t impressive enough, he’s also multi-lingual. His compositional prowess allows him to be unrestricted in his repertoire choices, and his creative drive has led him in all musical directions-he is as comfortable playing film scores as he is transcribing opera fantasies. He continued his studies with Michel until earning his diploma from the Zurich University of the Arts.īoldachev’s music is as boundless as his traveling. He splits time between Moscow and Zurich when he isn’t traveling for other concert engagements (which he usually is).īorn and raised in Russia to a pianist mother and a philosopher father, at age 11 Boldachev’s exceptional musical talent caught the eye of French harpist Catherine Michel who invited him to come study with her. His travel schedule would leave even the most frequent of flyers out of breath. Planning a meeting with this guy is no easy task. Harp Column’s Elizabeth Jaxon caught up with Boldachev on a cold January afternoon in Zurich. You won’t want to stop there though, so be sure to check out his improvisational take on Bach’s Toccata and Fugue, and of course his medley of Star Wars themes with his latest ensemble Game of Tones.īut before you get lost down a YouTube wormhole of his videos, read our conversation with the man behind the music. Hearing him live isn’t an option for most, so start with his Petrushka transcription on YouTube, or maybe his fantasy on themes from Scheherazade. But now that you know his name, do yourself a favor and go listen to him play. This young Russian has, to this point, kept a fairly low profile in the United States, focusing his performing career mainly in Russia, Europe, and also partly in Asia. You may not have heard of Alexander “Sasha” Boldachev before.
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