Press release
The award will be given to Nikolai Tokarev during a gala concert with the Philharmonia of the Nations under the musical direction of Prof. Justus Frantz. The Prix Montblanc is endowed with 10,000 USD and the Montblanc Donation Pen Arturo Toscanini. This remarkable fountain pen edition honours outstanding personalities in the world of classical music and, at the same time, serves to promote new cultural and artistic projects, thanks to the donation made with each purchase.
The fourth Prix Montblanc for a young talented pianist
Since 2005 Montblanc is honouring young emerging instrumentalists in the classical music world. After the young violinist Tianwa Yang who was awarded the Prix Montblanc for the first time during the Montblanc Friendship Tour 2006 in Beijing, after the 2007 winner, the young pianist Natasha Paremski and after the 2008 winner, the 23-year-old Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova, now in 2009 the jury has chosen Nikolai Tokarev. Among the jury members are Prof. Justus Frantz, who is also musical director of the Philharmonia of the Nations, internationally acclaimed percussionist Prof. Li Biao as well as music professor, composer and concert pianist Prof. Jürgen Christ and Lutz Bethge, CEO Montblanc International.
This years Prix Montblanc winner 2009, the 26-year-old Moscow virtuoso pianist Nikolai Tokarev, is seen as one of the great discoveries in contemporary piano playing. At the age of just six he made his debut in the concert hall, performing Mendelsohn-Bartholdy's First Piano Concerto. Then, as a 14-year-old, he began his international career and has subsequently delighted audiences all over the globe. He is a regular guest player at international festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
His remarkable success in both live performances and the recording studio – his debut CD "No. 1" earned him the Echo Klassik award for the best newcomer in 2008 – is founded on a breathtaking combination of his supreme technical skill and his obvious delight in playing. His style is both powerful and expressive yet also sensitive, allowing him to master musically and technically the most complex pieces with supreme ease. He himself remains modest, claiming that, "the technique is just a vehicle to give voice to my innermost thoughts and emotions."
At the gala concert by the Philharmonia of the Nations on 27 October 2009 Nikolai Tokarev will be performing Rachmaninow's Piano Concerto d-Moll Nr.3 op.30. International VIP guests such as Montblanc Brand Ambassador Eva Green as well as Michael and Pat York, actor Clemens Schick, topmodel Franziska Knuppe, Minu Barati-Fischer, designers Ivan Strano, Klaus Unrath and Jette Joop will be attending the gala concert. The highlight of the varied programme will be the presentation of the Prix Montblanc 2009 to this year's winner, Nikolai Tokarev.
Montblanc as founding sponsor and patron of the Philharmonia of the Nations – musical cosmopolitans from four continents
Montblanc has its roots in writing culture and therefore sees a particular obligation to its own cultural commitment. One of the multi-faceted projects initiated by Montblanc is the Philharmonia of the Nations, founded in 1995 and based on an idea that Leonard Bernstein and Lord Yehudi Menuhin once had and inspired by the credo “Let's make music as friends”.
Particularly talented young musicians, currently from 40 nations and four continents and led by founder and conductor Justus Frantz, make up this unconventional ensemble, which has been named by the New York Times as one of the ten best orchestras in the world. By striving for musical excellence and epitomizing creative collaboration between nationalities and cultures, they convey a message of peace and harmony which is understood the world over.
