Evelina Dobračeva, soprano & Natalia Gabunia, violin & Alexander Malter, piano

Natalia Gabunia, violin & Evelina Dobračeva, soprano & Alexander Malter, piano

Natalia Gabunia was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. A beautiful country surrounded by the Caucasus mountains and the Black Sea. Her father, Nodar Gabunia, a much-loved student of Khachaturian and Goldenweiser, was a brilliant pianist, composer and pedagogue. Guided by her exceptionally inspiring and dedicated teacher Konstantin Vardeli, she made her first steps as a violinist from an early age. By the time she was 12, she was performing with all major orchestras in Georgia, playing Mendelssohn, Lalo, Mozart and Brahms violin concertos. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she seized the moment and headed to Europe. First to Germany and later to Amsterdam, the city of her dreams, which became home to her and her family.

Natalia has been lucky to share the stage with great musicians such as Nelson Goerner, Vadim Repin, Maurice Bourgue, Nino Gvetadze and her husband, Wouter Vossen. She performed as a soloist with orchestras in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Georgia and Poland, recorded numerous CDs and made many television and radio appearances. She also enjoyed exploring the depth of the symphonic repertoire as a member of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and freelancing with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She is profoundly grateful to the Elise Mathilde Foundation for entrusting her to play their beautiful Zosimo Bergonzi violin (1760).

Over the years, she developed her own violin teaching method, based on a combination of the Russian school and European traditions. Close contact with the legendary pedagogue Zakhar Bron and many European colleagues has helped her along this road. At present, Natalia has a class full of talented and promising young violinists and meanwhile learning every day by teaching them.

A soprano of immensely promising talent, Evelina Dobračeva began her career singing under the tuition of Professor Norma Sharp, Snezana Brzakovic and Professor Julia Varady at the Hanns Eisler Music College in Berlin, and she has participated in masterclasses with Professor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Professor Thomas Quasthoff and Peter Konvitschny. Roles have included Micaela (Carmen), Violetta (La Traviata) at the Cologne Opera and Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte) for the Verbier Festival. Recent concert repertoire includes; Britten's War Requiem, Shostakovich Symphony No.14, Shostakovitch Opus 127, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Verdi’s Requiem, Britten The Poet's Echo and Brahms Ein Deutsche Requiem.

Other engagements also include a concert performance of Lokshin's Margarita's Songs with the Orchestra Verdi in Milan, under the direction of the late Rudolf Barshai and Strauss' Four Last Songs with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robin Ticciati.

Evelina’s discography includes Dargomyzhki's Rusalka recorded with the WDR in Cologne, conducted by Mikhail Jurowski and Britten’s War Requiem recorded with the Nederlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden. In 2014, she has added Rachmaninov Songs, recorded with the pianist Iain Burnside, released on Delphian records.

The 2015 season and beyond Evelina's engagements include; Tatjana (Eugene Onegin) for Theater St Gallen and Lisa (Queen of Spades) for the Bolshoi Theatre, Wozzeck with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and her debut in Puccini's Tosca with the Cincinnati Opera.

Pianist Alexander Malter was born in Moscow. During his student years with Tatjana Nikolajewa and Oxana Jablonskaja at the Tschaikovsky Conservatory his piano playing already gave evidence of the “beauty of sound, based on great musicality and individual warmth of tone” later praised by Arvo Pärt (the Estonian composer). After graduating in 1969 he intensified his concert activities as piano soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. By the mid1980s, concert engagements from the West were also numerous. In 1991 Malter moved to Germany, where he continues to be a much sought-after player. As well as the works of compatriots Tschaikovsky, Skyrabin, and Rachmaninov his particular strengths also include Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Liszt, in addition to contemporary music. With Christian Stadelmann and Dietmar Schwalke, he plays in the Vincent Trio of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Alexander Malter is co-founder and artistic director of the concert series at the Glienicke Castle in Berlin. In 2007 they celebrated their 10th anniversary. Since 2005 he has also been the artistic director of the International Festival of Chamber Music "Festival de Música Clásica Port de Sóller" in Mallorca.

Among numerous CDs and radio recordings the well-rehearsed CD “Alina”of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt which appeared on ECM label, is among the international bestsellers. Also noteworthy is his double CD from 2006 with works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Chopin, which comemorates the 100th Birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His CD with music influenced by Arvo Pärt for the Hollywood production "Fireflies in the Garden” was recorded on the Decca label.

Alexander Malters latest CD recording is: “Children’s Album” op. 39 ( original text ) by Peter Tchaikovsky and “Scenes from Childhood”, op. 15 by Robert Schumann.

Dirección artistica: Alexander Malter           Organización: Jos Kuiper