Pianist Alexander Melnikov

»There are certain things we'll always remember. Like the older generation will remember when they landed on the moon, we all remember September 11th. For me, the Russian invasion in Ukraine on Februar 24 2022 was one of those… It was probably the worst morning of my life… Because I could just feel immediately: that's it, that's basically it for any hopes for anything normal, that's it for the Russian culture. And the Russian culture is what I am, whether we like it or not.«  – Alexander Melnikov

To mark his residency at the 2022 Beethovenfest, Alexander Melnikov appeared as a guest on the bee.contemporary podcast. Artistic Director Steven Walter visited the pianist and Boeing 737 pilot (no joke!) at his flat in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district and spoke to him about his youth in the vibrant Moscow of the 1970s. A city that Melnikov would no longer recognise today. Naturally, the conversation also turned to his programmes and projects at the 2022 Beethovenfest, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and what impact this has had on him as a Russian pianist who loves Russian (musical) culture and grew up immersed in it.

bee.contemporary is a podcasts by Beethovenfest Bonn. We invite guests from the areas of music, culture and society to talk to us about new artistic projects and contemporary discourse.