An interview with Alina Ibragimova

Have you lived with the First Concerto for a long time?

Yes, I started working on it when I was a teenager at school here in England; my teacher was Russian and she made sure that I had all the historical background, that I read the novels that were being written at the time. Because her parents were in the War it didn’t seem so far away; I felt a connection to the suffering and the characters war brings out in people. I’ve played it regularly over the years, but what I found challenging when I was learning it was the sheer stamina; it almost needed physical training to be able to do it. I was quite skinny at the time and I found it all quite difficult. Tell us about playing the original cadenza…

We actually recorded both versions, because I’d never played the original before – Vladimir thought it might be fun to do. I like them both, but no one really knows the original version. I really loved playing it; it’s so raw and direct and very satisfying to play.

What was it like, recording in Moscow?

It was really special for me to go back and play with an orchestra in Moscow. I left there when I was ten and, while I’ve returned to play chamber music, I haven’t really played with orchestras there. I remembered the sound of the winds and the interpretation of this music. Vladimir had other projects there at the same time, so it was arranged slightly at the last minute. We did some sessions at night, but it really felt like everyone wanted to be there to make that extra effort and stay, which was amazing.