A virtuoso is a rare person to come by. A virtuoso is someone who demonstrates a supreme mastery of the fine art of music, usually centered on one instrument. Santa Maria is lucky enough to be receiving not one, but three piano virtuosi in concert. The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s upcoming show “Piano for Six Hands” will feature the talents of Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky and their 13-year-old daughter Anastassia.
“It’s going to be a dynamite performance,” said George J. Majoue, executive director of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society. “Kirill has been working with us off and on for at least seven years.”
Kirill has performed several times as a soloist for the Philharmonic society, including a benefit dinner last year, solo recitals, and master classes. He’s also performed several times with the orchestra, including Chopin’s second piano concerto and a Tchaikovsky piano concerto.
“It’s always a very happy experience,” Gliadkovsky said. “I had a good time with them, a very good collaboration with the Maestro John Farrer. They are a great ensemble.”
This time around, Kirill is bringing his family with him. His wife Anna and he are both Russian-born and trained concert pianists who earned several awards and performed internationally. Of all places, they met in Canada one cold winter’s night. They were married and soon enough had a daughter they dubbed Anastassia.
“Our daughter was born in Los Angeles, so she is a California girl,” Kirill said.
Since they’re both naturally gifted pianists, Kirill and Anna had no choice but to give their daughter the gift of piano playing as well, a skill she took to like a duck to water. One has to wonder how much genetics comes into play when a prodigy appears, but Anastassia’s parents definitely gave her the perfect environment in which to flourish and learn as a pianist.
“We both taught her,” Kirill said, “but Anna taught her a lot more than I did because I have a full time job teaching piano at Southern Utah University.”
Anastassia, now 13, has gone on to win her own awards and perform internationally with renowned ensembles. But what the Gliadkovskys are bringing to Santa Maria is truly unique.
They’ll be demonstrating solo piano brilliance and duets, including collaborations between husband and wife, mother and daughter, and father and daughter.
Ever since the rise of piano music, there have been compositions for four hands, but very few for six hands. Attendees at this concert will hear Waltz and Romance by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
“There is an interesting story behind the composition,” Kirill said. “The 18-year-old Rachmaninoff was at a summer estate in the country at the time, and he had friends who were all musicians, and he wanted them to all make music together. He would sit in the middle, and he would be surrounded by pretty ladies and playing beautiful music.”
Kirill will talk about each piece before it’s played, giving insight into the time, place, and person who composed it. The program also includes selections from giants such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, George Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein.
The six-hand selections offer a rare view of piano music, and the Gliadkovskys make the content even more special. Not often does a family of such skill perform together.
“It’s the most wonderful feeling,” Kirill said. “I love music in all combinations, but when I play with my family, I feel inspired. It makes me proud for my daughter and my wife as well.
“It brings the family together in more ways than one,” he added.
The Gliadkovskys will have CDs for sale at the show, but they hope everyone comes out to support the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society.
“It’s important these days because it’s a fundraiser,” he said. “Music and art [have] always depended on support from different factions, even from Mozart’s and Bach’s time. Santa Maria really has a gem in its community; it’s such a wonderful community orchestra. If they come, they can keep providing this wonderful music to the community.”
The concert is at Grace Baptist Church where College and McCoy meet in Santa Maria. The hall can seat almost 600 people, and there’s no reason why Santa Maria can’t pack the house in support of the musical community and the awesome talent it can afford.
“We love Santa Maria,” Kirill said. “We love to bring our art to the people of Santa Maria; we hope they come to the concert and enjoy the music.”
Rockin’ downtown
The City of Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Department presents “Concerts in the Park,” featuring free performances by local bands. A special early evening concert is July 23 featuring DJ & The Set Free Band in concert at 5 p.m. in the McClelland Corridor of Downtown Santa Maria. More info: 925-0951, Ext. 260.
Music at the Maverick
The Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez is host to country band Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols on July 22 at 8:30 p.m., followed by DJPJ at 11:30 p.m. “Concert on the Deck” is July 23 at 3 p.m. Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols perform July 23 at 8:30 p.m., followed by DJPJ at 11:30 p.m. A “Special Sunday Night Concert” with the Chris Pelonis Band is July 24 at 7:30 p.m. ($20). Tickets are available at talesfromthetavern.com or 688-0383.
Contact Calendar Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2011.