Dmitri Bashkirov

“Many good things.” I will always remember these words from the legendary Russian pianist Dmitri Bashkirov after our masterclass in Hamburg, where I performed Rachmaninoff’s Étude-Tableau in E-flat minor, Op. 39 No. 5. Naturally, he immediately proceeded to push me to my limits—but that was exactly what one expected from him.

After the class, I politely asked whether I could take his portrait, and he kindly agreed. As we worked, we spoke about Spain and A Coruña, a city he knew well, as well as his life in Madrid.