Moscow-born, Berlin-based pianist Alexander Malofeev makes his VSO debut, September 12 and 13

With several major award wins under his belt, the 23-year-old is among the leading pianists of his generation

By emily lyth

Alexander Malofeev. Photo by Liudmila Malofeeva

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at the Orpheum on September 12 and 13 at 7:30 pm

AT AGE 13, Moscow-born pianist Alexander Malofeev won the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. Now, after spending the last decade refining his skills, he’s making his Vancouver Symphony Orchestra debut with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, one of the composer’s most popular pieces.

Currently based in Berlin, Malofeev is one of his generation’s leading pianists. He has won awards at several major competitions, including the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo in Italy, and the Grand Piano Competition at the International Competition for Young Pianists in Moscow.

Malofeev has performed alongside symphonies at festivals and concert halls from Tokyo to Amsterdam. For the VSO’s turn, it will host the young star at the Orpheum on September 12 and 13 at 7:30 pm, with music director Otto Tausk conducting.

In addition to Tchaikovsky’s work, the program will include Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra. Most audience members will recognize the piece’s epic fanfare, “Sunrise”, from the ape scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (and from a recent reference to the sci-fi film in the opening scene of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie). Rounding things out is Missy Mazzoli’s whimsically looping Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres).

The upcoming concert is the first of the VSO’s 2025-26 season.  

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