Our European tour with maestro Gergiev and a unique orchestra begins! I am talking about National Youth Orchestra of the USA. The most important thing is that musicians in this orchestra are between the ages of 16 and 19 years old, US citizens or permanent residents from different states, who are not enrolled full-time in a college-level conservatory or music department on an instrumental performance major. For the first time auditions for this orchestra took place in 2013 under the initiative of Carnegie Hall and its executive and artistic director Sir Clive Gillinson (exceptionally creative and talented person), the inaugural guest conductor was Valery Gergiev. Their first tour with maestro Valery Gergiev and violinist Joshua Bell included concerts in Washington, DC, Moscow, St. Petersburg and London. ...

Crazy days go on! I am writing to you from “Don” federal highway. It is 240 kilometers from Lipetsk. And I’d like to say, that the highway is of perfect quality! Every day there are new stories, new stages, new audiences, new faces. About my adventures this week in brief. Today I perform in Lipetsk, then there is a week in Munich and Basel, which opens with concerts with Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and Valery Gergiev, then with Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Mariss Jansons. “Prometheus” by Skryabin, “Rhapsody in Blues” by Gershwin, “Variations on the Theme of Paganini” by Lutoslawsky will be performed. And on 15th of November you can watch live broadcast on Medici.TV of the concert, where we, Valery Gergiev and I will perform Second Concerto by S. Prokofiev. Turn on your TV and computers or watch it through mobile application on you Iphone or Android Phone! ...

15th of October became a big day for me. As I performed Second Concerto by Prokofiev in Yakutsk for the first time. And it was an absolute happiness! ...

It was an amazing day and a very special evening. The day before our concerts on 8th and 9th of October with maestro Jansons and Bavarian Radio Orchestra, which will be recorded on DVD and broadcast live on Medici.TV, Rodion Shchedrin invited us to dinner. I wish I could convey my sentiments, I feel during our conversation with these legendary people. For the first time I came here in 2004, during that visit I recorded Fifth Concerto by Shchedrin with Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Mariss Janons. Orchestra is one of top 5 in the world in quality, emotions and perfectionism to my mind. And today, 11 years later I am here again with Mariss Jansons and Rodion Shchedrin on the eve of season opening for Bavarian Radio Orchestra. ...

Pure Happiness! I’ve been to Irkutsk for full 18 days! It’s not happened since 1992. My feelings are too deep for words. Despite festival hectic time: a lot of concerts, events, physical and emotional strain – I accumulated a lot of energy for a year ahead. ...