On November 8, 2024, the third concert of violin students from the Zakhar Bron School of Music took place at the Palace of the Republic in Chișinău, as part of the school’s ongoing collaboration with the National Philharmonic of Moldova under the baton of Chief Conductor Maestro Mihail Agafița.
Three young violinists from the ZBSM Professional Programme – Kimia Corke (13), Nina Gringolts (16) and Sophie Branson (18) – presented their interpretations of three masterpieces of the violin repertoire: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 1 by Sergei Prokofiev, and Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms.
Kimia Corke, the youngest soloist of the evening, performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major—a work that may appear light on the surface but requires exceptional purity of intonation, refined taste, and deep understanding of Classical style.
In the first movement, Kimia demonstrated a clear, noble tone and natural phrasing. She established a subtle dialogue with the orchestra, allowing the solo part to blend organically into the overall musical texture.
The second movement became the emotional centre of her interpretation: restrained, deeply expressive lyricism, delicate dynamic nuances, and inner concentration created a sense of chamber intimacy.
The finale was light, elegant, and full of dance-like character. Kimia handled the fast passages with confidence, maintaining clarity of sound and musical expression. Contrasting sections were delivered with vividness and musical artistry, and the overall performance was marked by stylistic integrity and maturity.
The audience responded with great enthusiasm to all three performances, noting not only the high technical level of the violinists, but also their musical maturity, expressiveness, and deep understanding of style—qualities particularly remarkable at such a young age.
Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto is one of the key works of the 20th-century violin repertoire. It combines delicate lyricism, grotesque elements, and inner tension, requiring from the soloist not only technical mastery but also a refined sense of style.
In Nina’s interpretation, the first movement unfolded like a fragile, almost dreamlike vision. She captured its poetic and elusive character, shaping the musical narrative with great sensitivity to orchestral colour and ensemble.
In the second movement, she demonstrated brilliant virtuosity, choosing a very fast tempo while maintaining precision and clarity.
The final movement became a natural continuation of the first—more mature and introspective in character—ending with an almost weightless fading of sound, which Nina conveyed with remarkable artistic subtlety.
As part of her preparation for an upcoming performance at the Tonhalle Zurich, Sophie performed the first movement of Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto—one of the greatest works of the Romantic violin repertoire. It was shaped with a clear architectural vision and a strong sense of direction, combining structural clarity with expressive depth, while the virtuosity remained fully integrated into the musical discourse, culminating in a cadenza that was both grounded and richly expressive.
Sophie, Nina, and Kimia study violin at the Zakhar Bron School of Music in Zurich in the class of Liana Tretiakova, the school’s founder and lead violin teacher.
Sophie began her musical journey with Liana at the age of three and a half, in 2010—the year the school was founded. Over the past fourteen years, Liana has guided her from the very first steps to the most demanding professional repertoire, including Brahms’ Violin Concerto.
Nina, the daughter of world-renowned violinist Ilya Gringolts, joined the school eleven years ago, in 2013. Like her father, she aspires to become a soloist and sees her future on the concert stage.
Kimia, a bright and exceptionally talented young violinist, began studying with Liana just four years ago, in 2020, and has made remarkable progress since then. Despite living in the canton of Geneva, her family travels to Zurich every week for her lessons, returning home the same day.
Performing with a symphony orchestra is one of the most important stages in a young musician’s development. It requires not only technical readiness, but also inner confidence, the ability to listen, and the capacity to lead a large group of musicians.
Such concerts represent a significant step toward a professional career—and for ZBSM students, they are not an exception, but an essential part of their artistic and musical growth.
We are very proud that our students have the unique opportunity to perform with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Moldova, and we look forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration in the future.
Tags: Kimia Corke, Liana Tretiakova, Nina Gringolts, Sophie Branson, With Video
Categories: Concerts with Orchestra
