Since its inception under the guise of the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition in 1974, the Cleveland International Piano Competition has become one of the preeminent events of its kind, attracting a host of gifted artists from around the world, and putting Cleveland on the map as a destination for aspiring concert pianists. Perhaps its most distinguishing feature is that it affords the four finalists the opportunity to perform a concerto with The Cleveland Orchestra. I recently had a chance to catch up with Nikita Mndoyants, who captured first prize in 2016. Easygoing yet not without a palpable enthusiasm, Mndoyants touched on topics ranging from his triumph in Cleveland to the Russian tradition which he is proud to uphold, his dual life as an accomplished composer, and his packed schedule of upcoming engagements – notably including a Carnegie Hall debut on June 7.
The Carnegie Hall recital is certainly the high point amongst the long list of performances granted to the Competition winner, and Mndoyants describes it as a great event, and the most important for beginning a career, further commenting that is a great responsibility and honor to play in such a great venue. Adding to the sense of the occasion is the start of a partnership with the luxury fashion house Jeffrey Rüdes, who are providing the pianist’s suit and hosting a pre-concert reception in his honor at the flagship store in SoHo.
The program he has chosen is an interesting one, with a first half juxtaposing Beethoven’s late set of Bagetelles, Op.126 with Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze. Both are sets of diverse miniatures, and Mndoyants explains that in the Beethoven there is a clear connection to Schumann and the cycles of the Romantic composers, a link which he is keen to explore. The latter half is to open with Mndoyants’ own Variations on a Theme of Paganini, a composition dating from 2007 which he introduced to Cleveland audiences in the first round of the Competition. He mentions that he has been composing quite intensively and is thus eager to present this important element of his musical persona. The program concludes appropriately with a Russian work in the shape of Prokofiev’s mighty Piano Sonata no. 8 in B flat major, which the pianist notes is one of his favorites, as well as being Prokofiev’s “most deep sonata – like a symphony for piano”.
When asked about his experience competing in the Cleveland competition, Mndoyants’ spoke enthusiastically of its celebrated atmosphere, akin to performing in a big festival heightened by the ardent support of the audience. Moreover, Mndoyants’ remarks on the Competition’s “smart programming” that is “not very strict, [allowing you to] play works you like” as certainly evidenced by the wide range of repertoire he presented in the solo rounds – from Bach and Haydn to Taneyev and Prokofiev, by way of Schubert, Schumann, and Chopin. The two-pronged final rounds involve both chamber music – “one of my passions”, Mndoyants notes – with the Escher String Quartet, and the banner event of the concerto with The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey, the latter of which Mndoyants succinctly though aptly describes as a really important moment. He selected Beethoven’s lyrical Piano Concerto no. 4 in G major, a work for which he expressed a particular affinity, allowing him to feel the most free while performing and show his best sides.
I first encountered Mndoyants’ playing when a number of years ago I happened to come across a live recording of a recital he gave in Helsinki as a mere ten-year-old, and I was eager to ask him his memories of this. Referring to it as a remarkable event, Mndoyants explained that it was his first full-length recital; initially recorded for archival purposes, the positive reviews he garnered encouraged its eventual commercial release. Even from this early age, the program included some of his own compositions, a nascent sign of the composer-pianist duality he now exemplifies.