Nina Kotova quotes Konstantin Sergeievich Stanislavsky, the originator of a system of training and preparing actors, who said that “Cliché and convention are the chains that enslave performers and deprive them of their artistic freedom.”

About the music on her new Delos album, Nina Kotova writes:

“Although the Variations on a Rococo Theme showcase cellistic virtuosity, a thoughtful interpretation of the score is key to a truly deep understanding of the music. A refined sense of style encapsulated in the work’s title, ‘Rococo,’ is required to capture the elegance, depth, and poeticism of Tchaikovsky’s music. The music does not tolerate interpretive clichés imbued with sweetness, lightness, and an emphasis on the performer’s own personality.

Pre-Order

“The theme is said to be in the rococo style, yet it also reflects the purity of Russian melodicism. There are certainly references to the rococo style in both the music and its structure, but the work is in its essence, full, spirited, warm, and Slavic. The very first sounds of the orchestral introduction with its melodic intervals set the Romantic mood for the entire score, recalling the musical verse of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin.

“From the first phrases of the recording session with conductor Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseyev, his clear vision and powerful interpretive insight into honoring Tchaikovsky’s intentions were reassuring of my own beliefs. For me, the journey of recording Tchaikovsky in his homeland with a great conductor reaffirmed the true purpose of making music.”