From January 2020
Konstantin Manaev is artistic director of the concert series Fürstenwalder Musikzyklus in Brandenburg.
19 January 2020 // 17.00h
52th Fürstenwalder Musikzyklus
Brandenburg // Germany
BETWEEN THE WORLDS
Konstantin Manaev - cello
Julia Smirnova - violin
„Passionate, ardent and full of flourishing might Manaev’s sound, intonation and virtuosity are outstanding“ Stefan Pieper | Klassik heute
CDs | gwk-records
Konstantin Manaev began learning Cello with 1. Suite of J. S. Bach. When he was six years old, his mother, a pianist, played him the piano prelude from 1. Suite of Bach and he felt totally electrified and wanted to repeat the melody immediately. But his mother argued: ‚Kostjuscha, if you like to play this, you must learn to play cello, because Bach composed the piece for cello, not for piano.‘ Within a week he had a small 1/8 cello and began practicing Bach.“
Three years later, Konstantin Manaev played at the „New Names“ concert in Japan. From that moment on he was sure he would become a cellist. “Since that time, music has been my faith and my religion.”
In 2016, Konstantin Manaev experienced another remarkable event with Bach’s Suite no. 1: After the concert for the commemoration of the murdered jews of Europe in Berlin, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Manaev for this special work as an encore – much to the pleasure of the attending audience.
Born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Konstantin Manaev began his studies at the Special- Music-School at the Moscow Conservatory under Kyrill Rodin and later at Carl Maria von Weber Conservatory in Dresden at Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and at the Academy of Music in Basel at Ivan Monighetti, who played a large part in promoting his musical individuality and force of interpretation.
Konstantin Manaev inspires his audience worldwide and has earned much praise for his concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Zurich, Vienna, Milan, St. Petersburg and Tokyo. He made his orchestra debut at the Berlin Philharmonie with Berliner Camerata in 2014. His debut at Tonhalle Zurich with the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester was in 2011.
Partners in Chamber music are e.g.: Benjamin Kim, Sol Gabetta, François Benda, Bruno Giuranna, Misha Maisky, Felix Renggli, Yury Revich, Radovan Vlatkovic, as well as composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina and Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.
Konstantin Manaevs concert repertoire ranges from early baroque up to modern works. Many modern composers dedicate him new works: Johanna Doderer, Alexandra Filonenko, Aziza Sadikova, Alexey Sioumak and Gordon Hamilton.
Two special recordings from the label GWK Records give evidence of his versatility:
„Three Cello-Concertos from Philipp Emanuel Bach, accompanied by the Camerata Berlin, are breath-taking events. „[...] Remote from all historic arrangements, far from every convention, with his instrument the cellist unchains a degree of freedom, which is seldom heard! Sensitive whispering pianissimi, fascinating lyricism, deep grumbling basses, dizzying rollercoaster rides: Manaev is a sovereign master of his instrument and able to call from it all possibilities of virtuosity, impulsiveness, intensity and lyrical smoothness. Manaev’s C. P. E. Bach, ideal assisted by the Camerata Berlin, lives by never diminishing espressivo.“
Remy Franck | Pizzicato, Luxemburg.
Konstantin Manaev has played compositions by Aserbaidshan composer Frangis Ali-Sade, as first-recording „Counteractions (Yanar Daǧ) for violoncello and accordion” as well as „Oyan! for violoncello solo”.
Both CDs have been discussed in the European press, e.g. Klassik heute (DE), The Strad Magazin (UK), Anaclase Magazin (FR) and Pizzicato (LU), Melomano Magazin (SP) as „outstanding records“.
He play one Cello of Johannes Theodorus Cuypers (1762) and one modern Instrument of Yury Pochekin.