Like most toddlers, the young Alexander Kobrin sometimes cried when he was unhappy. But unlike most parents, Kobrin’s mom and dad had an easy solution: by simply turning on the classical radio station, little Alex would instantly become content. In
Like most toddlers, the young Alexander Kobrin sometimes cried when he was unhappy. But unlike most parents, Kobrin’s mom and dad had an easy solution: by simply turning on the classical radio station, little Alex would instantly become content.
In fact, his musical gifts gradually became so abundantly apparent that his father, an elementary school music teacher, decided to apply his five-year-old son to Moscow’s prestigious Gnessin Music Academy. Thirty years and thousands of hours of practice later, Kobrin ranks among the top pianists in the world.
On Friday, Kauai audiences will have the rare opportunity to hear Kobrin and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra on a program of Beethoven and Dvorak at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center. The orchestra will be in the capable hands of conductor Michael Stern, son of the late concert great, Isaac Stern.
Kobrin’s career trajectory took him to the upper reaches of the classical music world when he took first prize in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2005. Since then, he has performed with a veritable Who’s Who of American and international orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, and the BBC National Orchestra.
In a recent telephone interview, Kobrin described the rigors of his 13 years at the Gnessin Academy, but pointed out that he was never forced to practice. “It was really like a second family to me. We were all involved in the same activities, we all knew that it was tough, and we all supported each other. I made friends there that I know I will have for the rest of my life.”
On Friday, Kobrin and the HSO will take up the many challenges of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 in C minor, including the deceptively simple- sounding slow movement.
“It’s so difficult because it’s so pure,” Kobrin explained. “It has to sing from the heart of the performer. There can’t be anything forced about it.”
This is Kobrin’s first visit to Hawaii, which will include a solo recital in Honolulu. Asked whether he will be performing an encore or two on Friday, Kobrin chuckled and said, “That totally depends on the response of the audience.”
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online from the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra or at the Performing Arts Center Box Office.
Info: (808) 946-8742
