Piano Cello Duo Vol. 1
Cèsar Franck — Sonata in A Major
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben moderato
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Felix Mendelssohn — Song without Words, Op. 109
Robert Kahn — Cello Sonata No.2, Op.56
I. Allegro appassionato
II. Andante tranquillo
III. Allegro energico
Igor Zubkovsky's Bio
Igor Zubkovsky started playing cello in his native Russia. He first appeared as a soloist with the Minsk State Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of twelve, performing the Haydn C Major Cello Concerto. Later, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Natalia Shakhovskaya, the Gold Medalist of the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition.
Mr. Zubkovsky won top prizes at international competitions, including the International Cello Competition in Minsk, Belarus (II prize), and the Tansman Competition in Lodz, Poland (Grand Prix). As a member of “The Brahms Trio” in Moscow, he won Second Prize at the Trapani, Italy and First Prize at the Weimar, Germany International Chamber Music Competitions. With a remarkable record of performances, awards and academic distinctions, Mr. Zubkovsky was awarded a full scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma.
Since 2003, Mr. Zubkovsky has been a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and continues to perform extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, at the prestigious Newport Music Festival, and has performed recitals in Massachusetts and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Live recordings of those concerts are frequently broadcast on TV and over the Internet. Recent engagements include performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with the West Chester University Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the Altoona Symphony. He has performed in a series of chamber music concerts in Paris with the Marquis Ensemble as well as performances at the Moscow Conservatory Rachmaninov Hall. Trio concerts with Anna Ouspenskaya and Elisabeth Adkins (as part of the “Levine Presents” performance series) were aired on WETA, Washington’s Classical Music Radio station.
Mr. Zubkovsky is the author of numerous arrangements and transcriptions of duets and trios featuring the cello. He premiered the Cello Sonata by Isaac Mikhnovsky and has several CD recordings to his credit.
Anna Ouspenskaya's Bio
Anna Ouspenskaya is one of the most recognized performing artists of the Washington, D.C. area. In 1991 she made her first trip to the United States, winning Second Prize in the Bach International Piano Competition in Washington, DC. Since that year Anna has been coming to the US every year to perform and give master classes which took her to 18 states. In 1993, Ms. Ouspenskaya became a finalist at the Bach International Piano Competition in Germany. She made her first CD with Altarus records, and her second is on its way on Ramsey records. Both CDs represent Russian music: the 1st of Rodion Shchedrin and the 2nd of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. An established chamber musician, Ms. Ouspenskaya has performed with principal members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.
Native of Yaroslavl, Russia, Anna was born to a family of professional musicians. At the age of seven she made her debut with the Yaroslavl Philharmonic playing Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D Major. She graduated from the Moscow Central Music School and earned her Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory. Before moving to the United States Ms. Ouspenskaya worked at Dudelange Conservatory in Luxembourg, also giving performances in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Scotland.
Ms. Ouspenskaya made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1999 and Kennedy Center debut in 2002; she performed Saint-Saens Fourth Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto in New York City and Washington, DC.
A committed teacher, Anna holds a private studio in her home, and she is on the piano faculty of Levine School of Music in Washington, DC. Her students won numerous awards in local and state piano competitions. Anna and her Music Studio were featured in the TV show Rock Your Block.