Magical Russia Duo Natalia

• Efrem Zimbalist (1889 - 1985):
• 1 Concert Phantasy on "Le coq d'or" (After Rimsky-Korsakov) 08:33
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893):
• 2 6 Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143: No. 6, Valse sentimentale (Arr. for Violin & Piano) 01:54
• Alexander Alyabiev (1787 - 1851):
• 3 Introduction & Theme with Variations (Arr. for Violin & Piano) 09:35
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): 2 Salon Pieces, Op. 6:
• 4 2 Salon Pieces, Op. 6: No. 1, Romance 05:51
• 5 2 Salon Pieces, Op. 6: No. 2, Hungarian Dance 05:17
• Anton Rubinstein (1829 - 1894): 9 Salon Pieces, Vol. 1, Op. 11:
• 6 9 Salon Pieces, Vol. 1, Op. 11: No. 1, Allegro apassionato 05:14
• 7 9 Salon Pieces, Vol. 1, Op. 11: No. 2, Andante 08:40
• 8 9 Salon Pieces, Vol. 1, Op. 11: No. 3, Allegro 05:37
• Mikhail Glinka (1804 - 1857):
• 9 Albumblatt 03:06
• Igor Stravinsky (1884 - 1971): Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano):
• 10 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): I. Introduction. Allegro moderato 02:33
• 11 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): II. Serenata. Larghetto 03:13
• 12 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): III. Tarantella. Vivace 02:33
• 13 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): IV. Gavotta con due variazioni 03:19
• 14 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): Va. Minuetto e finale. Moderato 01:17
• 15 Suite italienne (Version for Violin & Piano): Vb. Minuetto e finale. Finale 04:56
• Alexander Kopylov (1915 - 2010):
• 16 Souvenir de Peterhof, Op. 29 05:02
• Total Runtime 01:16:40

Info for Magical Russia

The violinist Natalia van der Mersch, née Steurer, comes from Essen/Germany. Her extraordinary musical talent was recognized and encouraged early on by important violin teachers. The Russian violin pedagogue Zakhar Bron, who is sought after worldwide, accepted her into his master class in Lübeck. She was then invited by the famous Russian violin virtuoso Igor Oistrakh to his newly founded master class at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where she completed her soloist training with the concert exam with great distinction.

The pianist Natalia Kovalzon was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. After first lessons in Omsk with Natalia Korolkova and at the State Academy of Music with Alla Ouritzkaya, she continued her studies at the National Conservatory of Kyrgyzstan with Elena Gavrilova. There she received her diplomas as pianist, chamber musician, piano teacher and piano accompanist. Master classes with Daniel Blumenthal and Tatevick Mokatshian completed her pianistic education. As a passionate chamber musician, the mother of two children regularly gives concerts with musicians in Luxembourg, Belgium and France; in this context she participated in the Rencontres musicales internationales d'Enghien in 2019, among others.

Duo Natalia:
Natalia van der Mersch, violin
Natalia Kovalzon, piano

Duo Natalia
Perhaps no other form of music demands a higher concentration of forces as chamber music. However once it is achieved, and the musicians have accomplished a unity of heart and mind, chamber music can truly become a fascination. Duo Natalia, founded by violinist Natalia van der Mersch and pianist Natalia Kovalzon, has achieved a harmony far beyond their identical first names. In 2018 Duo Natalia released their first album, La Folia, with works by Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Antonín Dvořák, Bela Bartók, Henryk Wieniawski and John Williams. The present recording dedicated to great Russian musicians such as Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rubinstein, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky.

Booklet for Magical Russia