In their ISO debuts earlier this month, pianist Alexandra Dariescu and conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya performed legendary composer and pedagogue Nadia Boulanger’s newly-discovered Fantaisie variée, composed in 1912.
Dariescu was the first pianist to perform this work in the United States. Yankovskaya also leads music by Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko and Tchaikovsky’s heart-wrenching Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique.”
Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Slavic masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 17 operas.
Dariescu has performed to critical acclaim with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Oslo Philharmonic, European Union Youth Orchestra, Houston, Detroit and Utah Symphony Orchestras, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Sydney, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, among many others.
Reporter photos by Nik Roberts