Porto Pianofest on Tour arrives in the Douro Valley in Régua for the first time, highlighting the festival’s prestigious Artist in Residency Series of spectacular international talents with pianist Nikolay Pestov. This event underscores Porto Pianofest's commitment to sharing young musicians of high artistic level with new audiences, taking its performances to different municipalities in the region, especially outside the center of Porto city, fostering cultural exchange and strengthening ties with communities.

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Program Notes from the Artist:

In this program, I wanted to bring together works that reflect different aspects of my musical personality and the emotional worlds that are closest to me. I am particularly drawn to music that combines intellectual clarity with deep emotional expression, and this idea forms the foundation of the entire program. Bach’s Largo opens the recital with a sense of inner peace and spiritual reflection. Feinberg’s transcription is especially meaningful to me because it preserves the purity of Bach’s voice while allowing the piano to speak with profound expressiveness. I also have a personal connection to this work: I studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and spent many years as a student of Viktor Merzhanov, who himself studied in the class of Samuil Feinberg. This artistic lineage makes performing this transcription particularly significant for me, as it feels like a continuation of a musical tradition that has directly shaped my artistic identity.

Schumann’s Toccata then introduces a completely different energy—restless, passionate, and virtuosic—reflecting the freedom and intensity that I find in Romantic music. The second part of the program focuses on Russian repertoire, which is especially close to me in both language and expression. Tchaikovsky’s June (Barcarolle) is filled with poetry, nostalgia, and emotional warmth. The selected Rachmaninoff preludes reveal contrasting emotional states, ranging from intimate reflection to dramatic power and unstoppable momentum. The program concludes with the final movement of Prokofiev’s Sixth Sonata, a work that fascinates me with its rhythmic drive, bold character, and uncompromising energy. My teacher, Viktor Merzhanov, was the first pianist to record the Sixth Sonata on a gramophone record. He often shared with me his memories of meeting Prokofiev, visiting him at home, and discussing performances of the sonata with the composer himself. These stories gave me a unique personal connection to the work and continue to inspire my interpretation of it.

Together, these pieces form a journey from contemplation to action, from inner reflection to outward expression. Through this program, I hope to share not only the richness of these composers’ musical voices, but also my own artistic perspective, shaped by tradition, education, and personal experience as a performer.