Two brilliant young talents from Eastern Europe, Giorgi Gigashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia, 2000) and Valentin Malinin (Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, 2001), not only represent but indeed embody imagined and possible worlds, as well as existential perspectives tied to the figure and role of the artist. Although both are professional pianists, they are complete musicians: each, in a highly personal and markedly different manner, also draws on the enchantment of the human voice to evoke the legacy and future of music. Their pianism is, in both cases, spellbinding and magnetic — rich in history, in newfound awareness, and in stylistic balances and positions that are decidedly original, offering a reflection on the meaning of the human condition.
Keywords: Giorgi Gigashvili; Valentin Malinin; Piano Music; Interpretation; Artist’s role