He is called a child prodigy and a virtuoso, one of the best pianists of our time. Evgeny Kissin has a phenomenal talent, thanks to which he is often compared to Mozart. Already at the first performance, Evgeny Kissin impressed the audience with a magnificent performance of the most difficult compositions, earning critical acclaim.
The childhood and youth of the musician Yevgeny Kissin
Evgeny Igorevich Kisin was born on October 10, 1971 in the family of an engineer and piano teacher. The older sister learned to play the piano. And the parents did not plan to send the younger one to the music school. Considered engineering and technical circles. However, fate decreed otherwise. From the earliest years, little Zhenya listened to music and the game of his sister with his mother for a long time. At the age of 3, he sat down at the piano and began to play by ear. Parents realized that the child was destined for a life connected with music.
At the age of 6, the boy entered the Gnesinka. The famous Anna Kantor became his teacher. She immediately realized that a 6-year-old boy is not an ordinary child and a great future awaits him. At an early age, he performed difficult compositions, but did not know musical notation.
The question arose of how to teach him notes. The boy was stubborn and played only what he liked, playing the melody. But a talented teacher found an approach in a short time. And the future virtuoso thoroughly mastered the technique. He also showed a love for poetry - he recited huge poems by heart.
Despite his love of music, the boy had many other hobbies. He spent much of his time as an ordinary child. I played football with friends, collected soldiers and badges.
Musical activity of Evgeny Kissin
At the age of 10, the boy made his debut on the professional stage. He gave a concert Mozart accompanied by an orchestra. After that, everyone started talking about the little genius Kisine. Performances at the conservatory followed with compositions by famous classics. A few years later, the novice pianist was noticed by foreign producers. In 1985, he went on tour in Japan and Europe. Then there were Great Britain and the United States. The success was incredible, and Zhenya Kissin became a star.
They say that Eugene has a special gift. He does not just perform difficult compositions. The pianist penetrates deep into each melody, revealing it in an incredible way. The sincerity of emotions and experiences during performances every time interests the audience. They say about Kisin that he is a romantic.
Now Eugene is one of the most sought-after and highly paid pianists in the world. He continues to tour with performances in Switzerland, Italy and the States. He occasionally appears on television and radio programs.
The personal life of pianist Yevgeny Kissin
The musician does not like to talk much about this topic, which has led to many rumors. Once he told that he had a significant number of novels. But he had no desire to share such information with the public. Therefore, he carefully concealed it from the public.
Kissin met his wife Karina Arzumanova as a child. But the nature of the relationship changed much later. The lovers got married in 2017 and have been living in the Czech Republic ever since. The spouses do not have common children, but they are raising Karina's children from their first marriage.
The musician believes that respect, love and freedom play a significant role in relations between people. The latter for him is more about creativity, the ability to realize oneself and conquer new heights.
Interesting Facts
The musician first had the surname of his father - Otman. But he was often teased as a child because of his Jewish roots. Therefore, the parents decided to change his surname to his mother's.
Evgeny Kissin is engaged not only in performance, but also in composing music. Nevertheless, the pianist admits that it is difficult to combine these two activities. He composes in fits and starts, which stretches the process for years.
At the moment, the pianist has Israeli citizenship.
His beloved teacher and mentor Anna Kantor is already at a very mature age. The pianist considers her a member of his family, so he took her to Prague, where he lives with his family. Kisin's mother takes care of the teacher.
Among his contemporaries, he notes Gubaidulina and Kurtag.
The musician talked about seeing the colors of music. For him, each note is painted in its own color.
The pianist practices the piano almost every day. The exception is the days after the concerts. There are also periods once a year when he may not touch the instrument for several weeks.
Awards
Evgeny Kissin has many awards and prizes. His talent was recognized all over the world. He has the following awards and titles:
- Italian award in the category "Best Pianist of the Year";
- Shostakovich Prize;
- two Grammy awards in 2006 and 2010;
- the title of "Honorary Doctor of Music" (Munich);
- inducted into the Gramophone Classical Music Hall of Fame;
- Order of Honor of the Republic of Armenia.
