Russian Pianist Dazzles Cecilian Music Club

Russian Pianist Dazzles Cecilian Music Club

Vyacheslav Gryaznov is just getting started. On September 24th, he performed at the historic St. Peter’s Church in Freehold. The following morning he played for Cecilian Music Club members in Rumson. For 2016-17 he has concerts in New York, California, and Florida. As the Drozdoff Society’s Artist-in-Residence, he has additional performances planned, beginning at Hunter College in New York.

Mr. Gryaznov began his performance for the Cecilian Music Club with Beethoven’s “12 Variations on a Russian Dance” from the ballet “Waldmadchen.” This was followed by the eerily beautiful “Gaspard de la Nuit” by Ravel. The third piece, by composer Vladimir Drozdoff, was “Reflections on Chopin’s Urn.” This unique piece evokes both sorrow and joy, while containing echoes of Chopin’s own music. As Artist-in-Residence, Mr. Gryaznov is introducing this eloquent composer to American audiences. The performance concluded with the intensely powerful Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 2, Opus 36. The audience was on its feet before the last chord died away.

The Drozdoff Society was founded to preserve, perform, and publish the works of Vladimir Drozdoff, and to support the musicians who perform these works. For more information, contact Natasha O. Cherny, Founder and Co-President of the Drozdoff Society, and granddaughter of the composer, at 347-224-7577, at natasha@vladimirdrozdoff.com, or visit the Drozdoff Society on Facebook.

The Cecilian Music Club, founded in 1883, is an organization of teachers, performers, and music lovers, dedicated to the study and performance of classical music. For more information, or to become a member, visit our website at www.cecilianclub.org.