We are delighted to welcome the celebrated violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Cédric Tiberghien to our concert series. Together they form one of the best-known violin and piano duos internationally, while individually they enjoy flourishing solo careers.
Cédric Tiberghien and Alina Ibragimova first met as members of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme in 2005. Immediately finding a rare musical and personal rapport, they performed together in a number of studio sessions and in concerts at the Wigmore Hall and at festivals around the UK. The unique partnership which developed between the two artists was picked up by ‘The Times’ who concluded its review of Cédric and Alina’s final recital as part of New Generation Artists, at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival, by commenting “Both of these players have the potential to conquer the world”.
The duo went on to perform throughout Europe and in North America, appearing in venues including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Theatre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Vancouver Recital Society, as well as a major Musica Viva tour of Australia. The duo is also a regular guest of the Wigmore Hall in London, where it presented an acclaimed complete cycle of the Beethoven violin sonatas in the 2009/10 season. Future plans include extensive touring in Asia (Taipei, Nagoya, Tokyo and Hong Kong), an appearance at the prestigious San Francisco Performances series, and a complete Mozart sonata cycle at the Wigmore Hall in London.
Cédric and Alina’s Beethoven cycle was recorded for a three-volume release on the ‘Wigmore Live’ label, attracting unanimous praise from the press. International Record Review gave each volume its 'Outstanding Recording' award, commenting that “In every way, it proves an extraordinary achievement”. The Times was equally enthusiastic: “Spontaneous, impulsive, young and fresh, the violinist Ibragimova and the pianist Tiberghien make an electrifying partnership”.
The duo’s other recordings are all available on Hyperion: its first release on the label featured the complete works by Szymanowski (2009), and was followed by a disc with Ravel’s complete works coupled with Lekeu’s Violin Sonata (2011), which both attracted renewed superlatives from the press: “Alina Ibragimova and Cédric Tiberghien have become today’s partnership of choice for violin and piano repertory”, ‘The Guardian’ commented on their Ravel release, while ‘The Times’ stated that “this CD is a joint triumph”.
Both Cédric and Alina enjoy flourishing careers as soloists, appearing with many of the world’s leading orchestras and as solo recitalists in some the most distinguished venues and festivals on the circuit.