Born in Los-Angeles, U.S., you left your home country as a child to get educated abroad. Why? Is young pianists’ primary education really that bad in America?

I was born into a family of musicians; both of my parents play the piano. American by birth, I incorporate my father’s Chinese heritage (he was born in Peking) and my mother’s Russian origins. Knowing that in America, despite its plethora of undergraduate and graduate music colleges, there are no special children’s schools, my parents decided to send me to my maternal grandmother’s care in Moscow. They still reside in L.A.

It catches one’s eye that a bulk of your repertory consists of dance music. You often perform Goyescas by Enrique Granados and Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka: Three Fragments from the Ballet. And the way you move when you play is rather peculiar. Isn’t there any connection to the world of choreography?

I was doing ballet for nine years, not to mention ballroom dances. This must have affected the way I move at the piano. However, everything I do when I play is subconscious. I’m hardly ever mindful of how I move. My hands only follow the thoughts that emerge in my mind, thoughts I want to express. .

You’ve done a series of very interesting photos and even seated for painted portraits. Are you connected to the world of visual arts as well?

I’ve been very sensitive to visuals since childhood, attracted to all things beautiful: people, landscapes, objects, whatever. One of my most striking childhood experiences, back then in the U.S., was going to a museum of modern arts with my parents. There was an exhibition of kinetic sculptures there, so fascinating that I spent hours glancing at each of them in awe. I’ve also always been carrying a camera with me, taking pictures of all the interesting objects around me. I’m a great fan of photography, I’ve shot a lot of landscapes on film and I keep revisiting my collection: it helps me with my work. I am no professional, though, and I only shoot when I need to capture certain moments. Sometimes these photos, in their turn, stimulate my creativity at the piano.

As for the painted portraits, they came unexpectedly. After the Tchaikovsky competition, I was interviewed by an art critic who did a few photos of me and, apparently, later gave the pictures to the artist Vladimir Mushura who used them as references for his oil-on-canvas works. It was amazing! I never thought of having a painted portrait. I haven’t seen these paintings live yet, but I’ve heard there has been an exhibition somewhere. The artist also sent me another work, Autumn Road, as a gift. It is painted in a Chinese manner.

What is your favorite pastime?

Besides music, I enjoy many other art forms, and I love going to theaters and museums. Visiting local museums is an essential part of all my voyages. A couple of years ago, in Barcelona, I fulfilled my long-cherished dream of visiting the Dalí Museum that exhibits the artist’s paintings as well as his jewelry. Seen live, these objects were astonishing. I still remember every little detail: the iconic eyeball, the elephant, and little diamond crosses. I believe that a person of art has to have a diverse background — or any person, for that matter. It simply makes one’s life more colorful… Anyway, it’s crucial for us people of art, for everything that surrounds us affects our inspiration and nourishes our imagination, providing new ideas.

Seems that you enjoy playing at the museums a great deal.

I do, and at other unusual venues as well. In February, I did a concert at an exhibition hall of the Hermitage, a former warehouse and a former power plant turned into concert halls. The Hermitage is a very problematic venue: the acoustics there are very tricky, everything reverberates under the high ceilings. Playing there takes a lot of caution, but the atmosphere is really rewarding.

Do you choose programs for such venues with regard to the acoustics primarily?

Sure. I try to study the acoustics beforehand. You wouldn’t want to play Debussy where the reverberation is high. I also never offer the same program twice.

Some musicians manage to master two conservatory majors one by one or even at the same time. Have you ever thought of getting another major in music?

I don’t know, and I’m not thinking about it right now, though I’ve always been interested in orchestra conducting. I might take it up later. It will enhance my performance as a pianist, sharpening my sense of rhythm and making me feel the heartbeat of the orchestra as a living breathing thing. I love orchestral music beyond measure.

You won your international award by playing Britten’s Piano Concerto in the finale. This was a bold decision!

You’d expect one to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto N.1 or Prokofiev’s N.3 at c competition, but pieces like these are overperformed, so I decided to try something less expected. Britten’s music actually shocked me: I must say I never heard anything like that before. It was thrilling to work on this Concerto, and I had absolutely no fear of making a wrong decision. It’s a shame this piece is rarely performed. I hope this will change.

Doesn’t it annoy you that entrepreneurs normally want pianists to perform the same old classical repertory?

I’m absolutely okay with playing anything that is required of me. Anyway, I keep studying the music I like. I’m young and I feel the need for a diverse development, mastering diverse artistic styles. Some mature pianists tend to limit themselves to certain composers. As of now, I’d rather go into something I’m less interested in if it helps me grow as a professional. And I always try to play any piece as it were for the first time. That’s what you always do on stage, as a musician or as an actor, regardless. Even in a years-long-running ballet production, dancers do their roles anew each night.

How do you manage to stay outside of interpretation cliches among today’s availability of recordings that stay in memory? Is it even possible not to be tempted to follow other performers?

I get a lot of help from my conservatory teacher Natalia Trull. She pushes me in the right direction. At the conservatory we are taught composers’ styles and the dos and don’ts of certain types of music. If we start with flaunting our individuality and counting on our own serendipity, we can easily go astray. It comes in its time, growing organically from this background: your individual manner, your oun sound. I don’t mind the so-called cliches, I sometimes even get inspired by them. Some of them are really very good. I listen to recordings a lot, trying to absorb the best there is and use it in my own performances.

How did you come to the impressionist composers?

I’m currently in the entire Impressionism movement. I admire Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. Impressionist music has been in my life for about two years now: I encountered it when I was asked to play a Debussy etude in a concert. At that time I wasn’t playing a lot of Debussy, but after that etude I began to study his music closer, both his chamber and orchestral works. I quickly sensed the congeniality of its spirit and language. Then I moved on to studying the music of Ravel and other impressionists, and now it is a decent part of my repertory.

What are your plans for the nearest future, performing-wise?

In November I’ll be performing together with maestro Justus Frantz and the Philharmonie der Nationen orchestra with a tour of 15 concerts in some of the greatest concert halls like Tonhalle Zurich, Berlin Philhamonie and Salzburg Festival House. I’ll be performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73, called the Emperor Concerto, and I have to say I’m very excited to take part in such a great tour, because I’ve always wanted to perform at these venues, and now it’s like my dream is coming true, so I’m very happy and looking forward to these performances.

Does your Chinese heritage manifest itself anyhow?

I can’t tell if it does. I might not be aware. Next June I’m doing my first tour of China. My father is coming with me, he will help me communicate: I’m not that good at Mandarin. In America I spoke English primarily, with my father speaking Mandarin to me at home. At the end of the day, I identify as an American with a Russian soul. I’m totally more of a Russian than a Chinese. At the same time, I have a lot of Chinese friends at the conservatory and I’m keen on Chinese culture, but I want to go to China to learn it from within.