Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov -- also harpsichordist, dramatic interpreter, and barrier breaker --has just become the first-ever “fellow” of the newly-formed Cage Cunningham Fellowship. As the inaugural recipient, Lubimov will receive $50,000 as the 2016 winner, and will use the money to commission new works from five composers. The Baryshnikov Arts Center, which raised $1 million to establish the fellowship, recently announced Lubimov's selections: “Russian composers Anton Batagov, Pavel Karmanov, and Sergei Zagny, and American composers Bryce Dessner and Julia Wolfe.” By honoring Lubimov with the first-ever Cage Cunning Fellowship, the BAC pays homage to a tradition of innovation that has it roots in cross-continental rebellion.
Following the example of East-West bridge-builders like Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov was both praised and criticized for introducing pivotal Western works to Eastern audiences in the heart of the Cold War. Although Russia had a lot to teach the West in the way of music at the dawn of the 20th Century, a Khrushchev-era Soviet Union meant that, by the 1960s, there was a lot the West had to teach Russia.
Despite criticism from fellow Soviets, Lubimov toured with the works of Arnold Schoenberg, Pierre Boulez, and György Ligeti, and John Cage --- surely eye-openers to Russians who had never before heard the modernist developments from across the Iron Curtain. And, with composer John Cage frequently hailed as the poster child for the aforementioned modernists, it's no small wonder that, years later, Lubimov's brazen past aligned with the Cage Cunningham Fellowship's ideologies.
According to the New York Times, Mikhail Baryshnikov (the artistic director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center), referred to Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov as “a champion of risk-taking and an advocate for freedom of expression and creativity,” and therefore an “ideal fit” for the Cage Cunningham Fellowship award.
Today, Russian pianist Alexei Lubimov is known, equally, for his vast and highly varied repertoire as he is for his rebellious past. Whether Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, Modernist, or Contemporary -- you name it -- Lubimov’s done it all. Alan Kozinn of the New York Times, once described his interpretations of Classical and Romantic works as “commanding” and “broad-boned.” Listen to a performance of Beethoven’s “Waldstein” piano sonata below and tell us what you think. "Rebelliousness" often comes in the most subtle of forms.
