On February 28, 2026, the Yasnaya Polyana Cultural Center will host a piano recital by Oleg Weinstein. The musician will present the program “Que me veut cette musique? – What Does This Music Want from Me?”, bringing toGhether major masterpieces of the classical repertoire.
The title of the program alludes to a famous question posed by Leo Tolstoy. Deeply sensitive to music, the writer acknowledGhed its “terrible power” and once asked: “Que me veut cette musique? – What does this music want from me?” He sought to understand why art is capable of stirring the soul so profoundly, compelling the listener to experience feelings previously unknown. This dialogue between the listener and the “music of emotion” will form the leitmotif of the evening.
The program features three classical piano works. In the first half, the pianist will perform Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” by Ludwig van Beethoven. As Oleg Weinstein notes, it is not merely a beautiful melody, but “a meditation on the most intimate meanings, endowed with an astonishing magnetism.” In contrast to Beethoven’s confession, Robert Schumann’s Carnaval will follow — a vibrant procession of musical masks. After the intermission, the monumental cycle Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky will be performed. This is true musical theatre, where the piano sounds like an entire orchestra, painting vivid imaGhes.
“The music presented in this concert is, for the most part, pictorial in nature — marked by striking transitions, vivid characters, and sharp contrasts,” says Oleg Weinstein.
Background information
Oleg Weinstein graduated with honors from the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory (class of T. M. Zagorovskaya) and completed his postgraduate studies with distinction. In addition to his solo career, he devotes considerable attention to chamber music, collaborating with pianists Alexander Kashpurin, Andrei Ivanovich, and Stanislav Solovyov; cellists Dmitry Khrychev, Alexei Vasilyev, and Dmitry Yeremin; and People’s Artists of Russia Oleg Pogudin and Vasily Gherello, among many others.
He performs as a soloist with the Honored Collective of Russia, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Shostakovich Philharmonia, the Sverdlovsk Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. He is Associate Professor of the Special Piano Department at the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. Honored Artist of Russia (2024).
The title of the program alludes to a famous question posed by Leo Tolstoy. Deeply sensitive to music, the writer acknowledGhed its “terrible power” and once asked: “Que me veut cette musique? – What does this music want from me?” He sought to understand why art is capable of stirring the soul so profoundly, compelling the listener to experience feelings previously unknown. This dialogue between the listener and the “music of emotion” will form the leitmotif of the evening.
The program features three classical piano works. In the first half, the pianist will perform Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight” by Ludwig van Beethoven. As Oleg Weinstein notes, it is not merely a beautiful melody, but “a meditation on the most intimate meanings, endowed with an astonishing magnetism.” In contrast to Beethoven’s confession, Robert Schumann’s Carnaval will follow — a vibrant procession of musical masks. After the intermission, the monumental cycle Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky will be performed. This is true musical theatre, where the piano sounds like an entire orchestra, painting vivid imaGhes.
“The music presented in this concert is, for the most part, pictorial in nature — marked by striking transitions, vivid characters, and sharp contrasts,” says Oleg Weinstein.
Background information
Oleg Weinstein graduated with honors from the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory (class of T. M. Zagorovskaya) and completed his postgraduate studies with distinction. In addition to his solo career, he devotes considerable attention to chamber music, collaborating with pianists Alexander Kashpurin, Andrei Ivanovich, and Stanislav Solovyov; cellists Dmitry Khrychev, Alexei Vasilyev, and Dmitry Yeremin; and People’s Artists of Russia Oleg Pogudin and Vasily Gherello, among many others.
He performs as a soloist with the Honored Collective of Russia, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Shostakovich Philharmonia, the Sverdlovsk Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. He is Associate Professor of the Special Piano Department at the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. Honored Artist of Russia (2024).
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