Alexandra Knight

Artist Manager
+44 (0) 7515 879 123
alexandra@knightclassical.com

Johan Pieters

Artist Services Manager
johan@knightclassical.com

Knight Classical represents Alena Baeva for worldwide general management.

Alena Baeva

Violinist

Highlights

Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Ensemble Resonanz
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Gävle Symfoniorkester
Göteborgs Symfoniker
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
London Philharmonic Orchestra
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana
Orchestra of the 18th Century
Orchestra Sinfónica Nazionale della RAI
Orchestre National de Lyon
Orchestre National du Capitôle de Toulouse
Orquesta Sinfónica de la RTVE
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich

Video

#spotlight

#CriticsChoice

Ysaÿe Violin Sonata No. 5, L’Aurore

Mark Simpson – An Essay of Love

Szymanowski Violin Concerto No.1
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
From Prizewinner to Performer
Schumann Violin Concerto
Bruch Scottish Fantasy with Noam Zur & Israel Camerata
Alena Baeva & Vadym Kholodenko: Conversations in Music
Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.2 (Valery Gergiev) [2014]
Beethoven: ‘Kreutzer’ Violin Sonata, Op.47 (Vadym Kholodenko) [2020]
Britten Violin Concerto [2020]
Strauss Violin Concerto (Paavo Järvi) [2020]
Alena Baeva & Vadym Kholodenko – Tchaikovsky Melodie

Biography

Described as “a magnetic presence” and “a constantly fascinating sound technician” (New York Classical Review), violinist Alena Baeva is considered one of the most exciting, versatile, and alluring soloists active on the world stage today.

Baeva’s career as an international soloist of the highest renown has grown at an extraordinary pace over recent seasons.  European highlights include appearances with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie BremenGöteborgs SymfonikerLondon Philharmonic OrchestraOrchestre National d’Île de FranceOrchestre National du Capitôle de ToulouseRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and in recital at the Wigmore Hall.  In Asia, recent and upcoming performances include those with the Hong Kong Philharmonic OrchestraNHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others.  She makes a series of major North American debuts in the 2023/2024 season, including with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony.Read More

Baeva enjoys strong musical partnerships with many of the world’s leading conductors, and has the pleasure of working with such renowned maestros as Teodor CurrentzisCharles DutoitGustavo GimenoMarek JanowskiPaavo JärviVladimir JurowskiTomáš Netopil, and Hugh Wolff.  Chamber music holds a particularly special place in her musical life, where she enjoys collaborations with such esteemed artists as Martha ArgerichYuri BashmetDaishin KashimotoMisha MaiskyLawrence PowerJean-Guihen QueyrasTabea Zimmermann, and the Belcea Quartet.  Her regular sonata partner is the celebrated Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko (2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist), with whom she has established a dedicated musical partnership of more than a decade.

Possessing an extraordinary memory and passionate musical curiosity, Baeva holds an already vast and rapidly expanding active repertoire, including over fifty violin concerti.  She is a champion of lesser-known works alongside the more mainstream violin literature, with recent performances promoting such composers as BacewiczKaraevKarłowicz, and Silvestrov.  She enjoys a long-standing and rewarding relationship with the Orchestra of the XVIII Century, performing and recording a variety of repertoire on period instruments.  Their 2022 recording (Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2) was crowned ‘Recording of the Month’ by BBC Music Magazine, who declared it to be “essential listening”.

Baeva’s wider discography is extensive, and reflects the impressive breadth of her repertoire.  Recordings include Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.2 (part of the Mariinsky Theatre/Valery Gergiev box-set DVD collection, released by Arthaus Musik in 2015); the Karłowicz Violin Concerto (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 2018); and the Schumann Violin Concerto and original (1844) version of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (for Melodiya Records, 2020).

Since 2023, Baeva records exclusively for leading label Alpha Classics.  The first project of her multi-disc deal with the label is released in February 2024.

Alena Baeva took her first violin lessons at the age of five under renowned pedagogue Olga Danilova, before moving to Moscow, Russia, at the age of 10 to study with Professor Eduard Grach at the Central School of Music and the State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire.  In addition to her formal education, she took lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich and Boris Garlitsky, in Switzerland with Seiji Ozawa, and in Israel with Shlomo Mintz (at Keshet Eilon Music Center).

At only 16 years of age, Baeva won the Grand Prix at the 12th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition (2001), as well as the Prize for Best Performance of a Contemporary Work.  Following this, she went on to take the Grand Prix at the Moscow International Niccolò Paganini Competition (2004), including a Special Prize allowing her to perform on the 1723 Wieniawski Stradivari for one year, and was awarded both the Gold Medal and the Audience Prize at the Sendai International Violin Competition (2007).

Since 2010, Alena Baeva resides in Luxembourg with her husband and three children, and plays on the “ex-William Kroll” Guarneri del Gesù of 1738 – on generous loan from an anonymous patron, with the kind assistance of J&A Beares.

News

Reviews

“Presented in different tones in each piece of this unexpected programme, the notion of ‘fantasy’ seems as limitless as the art of the violinist who performs it. Franz Schubert’s kaleidoscopic opus 159 provides a primer of exceptional quality: Alena Baeva makes the melody emerge from a translucent horizon like a mirage which will gradually take shape. The understanding between Baeva and Kholodenko is such that we have the impression that, even when silent, the violin continues to express itself in the piano playing. The duo subsequently multiplies their tightrope walking feats: the bewitching virtuosity of Igor Stravinsky and the whispered dreaminess of Robert Schumann prepare the ground for the mystical exaltation of Olivier Messiaen.”
Le Monde

2024 (Review of FANTASY recording)

“Alena Baeva, making her New York Philharmonic debut, played with assertive beauty and vibrato so quick, at times, that it seemed to disappear. With her understated legato and handsomely voiced harmonies, she made things sound easy. In guttural passages, she indicated Britten’s intentions without compromising her ability to return to lyricism.”

The New York Times

2023 (New York Philharmonic debut)

“A mesmerizing performance by violinist Alena Baeva and spectacular playing from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.”

New York Classical Review

2023 (New York Philharmonic debut)

“Transfixing playing from Baeva, rendered with searing intensity and purity of tone.”

New York Classical Review

2023 (New York Philharmonic debut)

“It happens sometimes: music makes you forget everything else. You are drawn into a world where you sit at full throttle and follow every note, every detail, and don’t want it to end. That was the case with violinist Alena Baeva, who held the audience in an iron grip with her intense and sensitive playing. […] Two years ago, she completely knocked the audience over with her playing in Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto. This was, again, a complete hit from Alena Baeva.”

Arbetarbladet

2023

“Alena Baeva offered fairytale-like and enchanting violin playing, to say the least. Britten’s Violin Concerto […] rises to breathtaking heights, and Baeva vanquishes the dark landscape with sparkling arcs and swirls, topped off by breathtaking aerial acrobatics. A floating, ever-shifting vision.”
Gefle Dagblad

2023

“Baeva’s performance under the direction of Minasi, which created a revolutionary new Beethoven sound with dynamic contrasts and a wonderfully free choice of tempo, was a great moment for Ensemble Resonanz.”

Hamburger Abendblatt

2023

“Alena Baeva does everything, using the freedom in the tempo that Minasi gives her and throwing herself into the contrasts that he demands. The spectrum of her playing ranges from angular fortissimo to the most heartfelt singing. At some points it was as if she were playing just for herself: wonderfully quiet and tender. ”

NDR Kultur

2023

“Violinist Alena Baeva sparked storms of enthusiasm in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie: a breath-taking performance. Baeva is completely absorbed in her art but does not lose herself in self-expression, instead constantly maintaining dialogue with the orchestra. A brilliant soloist: you are almost afraid that the violin will catch fire! A fantastic performance that will not be forgotten.”

Der Opernfreund

2023

“You cannot fault Alena Baeva in her formidable interpretation of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.2: dazzling technique, and appropriate colours for the composer, whose sound world demands a certain roughness in some passages and cadences.”

Mirarte Cultura

2023

“There are soloists who distance themselves from this somber work, but Alena Baeva’s attitude towards Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.2 was so vital, dedicated, and warm that it maintained all its purity and all its expressiveness.”

Scherzo Critíca

2023

“Special mention should be made of the great violinist Alena Baeva, who was faced with a work in which technical mastery must be combined with character and sensitivity.  Baeva brought dazzling sparks to this individual work, imbuing every note with clarity and individual meaning.”

DiarioVasco Critíca

2023

“The opportunity to listen to a work such as Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.2 is always an important occasion and, from the first moment, it was clear that Alena Baeva was without question the correct choice of soloist.  She has a powerful sound and a suitably dark tonality, and demonstrated a warm phrasing that gave superb results as a whole.”

Diariode Navarra

2023

“In the hands of an artist like Baeva, apparently anything sounds interesting.  Her playing is mesmerizing…”

Aamulehti Kulttuuri

2023

“Thoroughly captivating … a showcase of commanding technique, brilliant clarity, and jam-packed with heart and soul”

BachTrack

2022

“Baeva charms – sensual and lyrical…. Her technique and tone polish every note and send it out to the audience like a lustrous gem.  She possesses awe-inspiring technique, and a tone that is soaring and entrancing.”

BachTrack

2022

“The sheer musical brilliance of Alena Baeva’s collaboration with the Orchestra of the 18th Century makes their performance essential listening.”
BBC Music Magazine

2022

“Baeva brings sweetness of tone, flowing hauntingly before taking off with exciting virtuosity.”
BBC Music Magazine

2021

“Utterly ravishing and full of melody, Alena Baeva immediately impressed with her tone. I can see why Järvi (among others) is a keen champion of her skills and musicianship – we shall certainly see and hear a lot more of this excellent young artist. Baeva had made her mark with great aplomb.”
Seen and Heard International

2021

Alena Baeva is a violinist of proven musicality and impeccable intonation…. In the cadenza [of the Britten Violin Concerto], she created one of the most attractive moments in concert history.  In a work full of connections, Baeva gave an entire articulatory lesson: you could not help but get carried away…

Scherzo.es

2020

“A miracle – music-making as an expression of sheer love”

The Arts Desk

2020

“Exuberant – Alena Baeva’s interpretation is impassioned and passionate, inexorably leading to a standing ovation from the audience of the RAI Auditorium. She reveals her personal imprint through an ever brilliant and light sound, accompanied by an enviable variety in vibrato and impeccable technical mastery.”
L’Ape musicale

2019

“The musical empathy between Baeva & Jurowski was evident, not just in tempos and moment-to-moment detail, but in the very character of the piece. There were muscularity and thrilling virtuosity aplenty, but there was also gentle, intimate playing, drawing the audience into passages with the emotional complexity of chamber music. […] In the second movement, Baeva became a delicate, distant voice, poetic and captivating. In the Finale she let rip – swaggering, heroic, and full of personality.”
The Strad

2019

“Fine technique and imaginative phrasing…. In the Canzonetta, her beautiful violin tone and her lovely shaping of Tchaikovsky’s song-like melodies marked her out as an outstanding player, and her account of the Finale was not only strikingly virtuosic but had a compelling quality of joyous abandon.”
Seen and Heard International

2018

“Everything about the performance seemed to get under the skin of this very familiar work, giving [the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto] more than a new lease of life. The first movement had poise and excitement in equal measure, with Alena Baeva demonstrating an exceptional evenness of tone across all the registers and an evident responsiveness to Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The brief slow movement was given the most sensitive account, hushed and romantic in the most tasteful manner. The finale was everything you’d want it to be, thrillingly fast and technically sure footed, as well as having a true heart in the gentler passages. So, this was an undoubtedly a top-notch performance, making this masterpiece sound even more like one of the composer’s greatest works.”
Bachtrack

2018 (★★★★★)

“Soloist Alena Baeva had a glowing tone, with which she held sensual command… she formed the sovereign centre of the enchanted world of Szymanowski.”
NRC Handelsblad

2018

“Baeva can sing with the violin – a constantly fascinating sound technician, with the highest rhythmic versatility.”
Badische Zeitung

2017

“Baeva was a magnetic presence, and the sound of her instrument, the fullness of tone, and her marvelously precise intonation were admirable and beautiful in and of themselves. Her strength and fire made the [Bacewicz] concerto sound like a masterpiece.”
New York Classical Review

2017

“The same calibre as Janine Jansen – gripping musicality, warm, sensual, flawless, and accurate.”
Eindhovens Dagblad

2017

Discography

Fantasy

Released February 2024 on Alpha Classics.

Schubert, Stravinsky, Schumann & Messiaen with Vadym Kholodenko

Mendelssohn, Schumann: Violin Concertos

Released June 2020 via Melodiya Records.

Alena Baeva, Persimfans Orchestra

Karłowicz: Symfonia "Odrodzenie", Violin Concerto

Released February 2019 by The Fryderyk Chopin Institute

Conductor: Grzegorz Nowak
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies & Concertos

Released April 2015 on Arthaus

Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Orchestra and Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre

Alena Baeva plays Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 2

Baczewicz - Szostakowicz

G. Bacewicz: Divertimento
D. Shostakovich: Violin concerto No.1 Op.77

Alena Baeva, violin
Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra
Massimiliano Caldi, conductor

Live recording of the opening concert of the Symphonic Season 2016/17 at the Olowianka Hall of the Gdansk/Danzig Concert Hall
November 2017
PFB Live

Schubert

Released May 2013 on Sony Music Entertainment Germany Gm

Schubert: Streichquartett Nr. 14 d-moll, Erlkönig & Sonate a-Moll für Arpeggione und Klavier, D. 821
Soloist: Yuri Bashmet

Alena Baeva participated in the Erlkönig recording

Poulenc, Debussy and Prokofiev Sonatas

Released May 2009 on Sendai Cultual Foundation

Top of the 3rd Sendai International Music Competition

Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Debussy: Sonata for Violin and Piano
Prokofiev: Sonata for Violin and Piano, No 1 in F minor, Op 80

Szymanowski Violin Concertos

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Violin Concerto No. 1 Op. 35 (1916)
Violin Concerto No. 2 Op. 61 (1933)

Bartok and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos

The 3rd Sendai International Music Competition

1-3 Bartok Violin Concerto No.2, Sz112
4-6 Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, op.35

Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by YAMASHITA Kazufumi (1-3)
Conducted by Pascal VERROT (4-6)

Alena Baeva

The Russian National Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Berglund
Recorded at the studio VGTRK “Culture” (June 2005)