Violinist Alena Baeva’s New Album, “Fantasy”

Released on Alpha Classics, the album features works by Schubert, Stravinsky, Schumann, and Messiaen

 

Performing with pianist Vadym Kholodenko on her new album, violinist Alena Baeva joins Alpha Classics, where she has recorded exclusively since 2023. “Fantasy” is the first project of her multi-disc deal with the label.

On the album, the duo performs Schubert’s Fantasy for violin and piano, composed a year before his death; Stravinsky’s miniatures in a collection entitled Divertimento; Messiaen’s Fantaisie; and Schumann’s Die Märchenbilder.

Baeva took her first violin lessons at the age of five with Olga Danilova. At age 10, she studied with Eduard Grach at the Central School of Music and the State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. She also took lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich, Boris Garlitsky, Seiji Ozawa, and Shlomo Mintz.

Her accolades include the Grand Prix at the 12th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition, the 2004 Moscow International Niccolò Paganini Competition, and the Gold Medal at the 2007 Sendai International Violin Competition.

This season, she makes her North American debuts, including with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony. She has worked with conductors including Teodor Currentzis, Charles Dutoit, Gustavo Gimeno, Marek Janowski, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Tomáš Netopil, and Hugh Wolff.  

Her chamber music partners have included Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Daishin Kashimoto, Misha Maisky, Lawrence Power, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Tabea Zimmermann, and the Belcea Quartet. A 2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, Kholodenko is her regular sonata partner, with whom she has performed for over a decade.

In 2022, her recording of the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2 was named the “Recording of the Month” title by BBC Music Magazine. Her other recordings have been featured on the Melodiya Records and the Arthaus Musik labels.

Baeva plays on the 1738 “ex-William Kroll” Guarneri del Gesù — on generous loan from an anonymous patron, with the assistance of J&A Beares.

“I am thrilled to announce our exciting collaboration with @alpha_classics … Everything about this project was — and is — a dream,” Baeva posted on Facebook. “Cannot be more grateful and happy, and eager to share this recording with all of you. And what a privilege it is to play this unbelievable music together with Vadym Kholodenko. I am truly honored to be part of this amazing journey to result in a joint outcome — a beautiful work of such incredibly talented and inspiring people.”

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

A video about the album can be viewed below.