The pianist Elena Melnikova was born in 1982 in Novosibirsk, Russia. She received her first piano lessons at the age of five. In 1989, she was accepted at the special music school for gifted students in Novosibirsk, where she studied with Meri Lebenzon. In 1994 Elena was awarded the second prize at the Vladimir Krainev competition in Kharkov and the first prize at the Citta di Marsala international piano competition. She also received the first prize at the 1995 International Tchaikovsky competition for young musicians in Sendai, Japan. In 1999 Elena entered the State University of Music and Drama in Hanover, where she became a student of Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. In 2001 she won the first ZF Musik Award in Friedrichshafen. Elena has a successful solo career; she has been performing in Italy, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, and Austria. She’s also a passionate chamber music player.
We have created a three-piece playlist of Elena’s recordings that allows listeners to appreciate the different aspects of her talent. First, you can hear Bach’s Chaconne from violin Partita No. 2 in d minor in Busoni’s transcription. Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana follows. The selection concludes with her crisp, fresh interpretation of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 ("Pathetique"). To listen, click here.
September 13, 2010
The pianist Elena Melnikova was born in 1982 in Novosibirsk, Russia. She received her first piano lessons at the age of five. In 1989, she was accepted at the special music school for gifted students in Novosibirsk, where she studied with Meri Lebenzon. In 1994 Elena was awarded the second prize at the Vladimir Krainev competition in Kharkov and the first prize at the Citta di Marsala international piano competition. She also received the first prize at the 1995 International Tchaikovsky competition for young musicians in Sendai, Japan. In 1999 Elena entered the State University of Music and Drama in Hanover, where she became a student of Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. In 2001 she won the first ZF Musik Award in Friedrichshafen. Elena has a successful solo career; she has been performing in Italy, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, and Austria. She’s also a passionate chamber music player.
We have created a three-piece playlist of Elena’s recordings that allows listeners to appreciate the different aspects of her talent. First, you can hear Bach’s Chaconne from violin Partita No. 2 in d minor in Busoni’s transcription. Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana follows. The selection concludes with her crisp, fresh interpretation of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 ("Pathetique"). To listen, click here.