Article: Remembering George and Virginia Neikrug

New review by Richard Renfield following my concert with Lydia Frumkin on 20th February 2021

Tanya Anisimova ... The Cello of our times.

translated from Russian by Julia LaVilla-Nossova (читайте русскую версию здесь)

Tanya Anisimova ... The Cello of our times.

It is strange to hear statements such as “she is on stage again.” Today, Tanya has been and will always be on stage. Each of her new concert appearances adds new facets to her image as a performer. Her performance of the Kreutzer Sonata, today, has clearly demonstrated the correctness of her belief that a transcription that is the closest to the composer’s original score- despite all of the difficulties associated with that - always sounds more vivid and more profound than transcriptions that have been especially adapted for cello.

When she plays pieces written for other instruments, Tanya Anisimova preserves the “cello quality” of her sound in the best sense of the word – and, thus, her performance acquires new shades of meaning, enriches the emotional palette of the music, and, the piece that has been performed many times before, suddenly acquires new life.
Needless to say, being a performer at this level implies having an impeccable command of the instrument which she proves time and again in her programs that frequently comprise rarely performed pieces, such as Bach’s Chaconne, various virtuoso pieces originally written for violin, and her own arrangements of ancient cello sonatas. She easily overcomes significant technical difficulties because, for her, they simply don’t exist – on the contrary, they help her bring out and uncover the artistic concept of a piece.
The diversity of today’s concert program demonstrates the ease with which Tanya immerses herself in the world of completely different styles and epochs. Her interpretation of Ginastera’s music was a true feast to my ears. In my opinion, it was a rare alignment of the composer’s concept and Tanya’s own perception of the music, which was refracted in the richly ornamented patterns of this piece. I hear manifestations of an extraordinary improvisational talent in her performance when, with her instrument in hand, she magically and instantaneously creates a unique world of improvisation. Her constant search for the new is an integral part of her whole creative life: it would suffice to remember her recording of all of Bach’s violin sonatas and partitas.

Her stage appearance is always devoid of external mannerisms aimed to impress and look good in a blow-up frame. Her means of expression are minimal and scant, but they emerge precisely at the right time and precisely in the right place, brilliantly highlighting ininnermost thoughts of the composer.

It would be incredibly unfair not to highlight the performance of Lydia Frumkin, a loyal partner of the gifted cello player, who has played with Tanya for many years. Her presence in the Kreuzer Sonata in many ways streamlined and predetermined the brilliant performance of this piece. Tanya Anisimova is very fortunate to have met this wonderful pianist who possesses all of the remarkable qualities of the Russian piano school. It is truly amazing that Lydia Frumkin was imparting a completely different color of sound to each piece which we have heard today. At times, her sound procurements were reminiscent of the “long Russian bow” which has always distinguished the Russian cello school from the others. We are eagerly awaiting new concert appearances of this unique musical duo.

Igor Ivanovich Gavrysh

Moscow Conservatory' Cello Professor

Peoples Artist of Russia
March 2021