Meet Boris Giltburg

Ahead of his recital on 16 October, Russian-born Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg took a break form his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

What are you looking forward to about coming to Cambridge? Have you played here before?
I have played in Cambridge many times! Both recitals, chamber music and concerti (at the Corn Exchange). I really love the atmosphere of the town, and always sense a bit of regret for not having had the opportunity to be a student there.

Also, from a purely hedonistic point of view, the Cambridge burnt cream, especially as served at the University Arms hotel, is to die for. 

What is it about Rachmaninov that appeals so much to you as a pianist (and as a listener)?
Everything: his stunningly beautiful melodies, the harmonies – rich and utterly satisfying, the intricate multi-layered counterpoint, the complete emotional saturation, the incomparable aural imagination, the hardly-believable piano writing… and the way the sum of it all indelibly lodges itself into your heart and mind and soul. 

What do the Rachmaninov Preludes mean to you personally?
Two of the preludes – the G major and E flat major – were among the first pieces I have heard my grandma play for me as a kid – that was my first encounter with Rachmaninov. But as a cycle, the 24 Preludes are one of my favourite programmes to perform. It took Rachmaninov 18 years to write them, and they form a mirror to his development as a composer; from the lush, pure Romanticism of Op. 23, to the much more modern-leaning Op. 32. 

How can the audience expect to feel after this concert?
It would be very presumptuous of me to make predictions to that effect! But the idea of the programme is a kind of dialogue between two titans of Romanticism – each unique in their musical language and both pouring every ounce of their genius into their greatest works, of which the programme is a representative selection. So my hope would be that the music leaves the audience touched, moved and exhilarated – and at the very least, help them forget their daily troubles or worries, and allow the music to transport them wherever it may. 

What music do you enjoy listening to for relaxation rather than work?
I still mostly listen to classical music, but to everything apart from piano! That is, symphonic music, choral, lied, string quartets, etc. I also like older jazz (Fats Waller, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, and of course Ella Fitzgerald) – and a bit of rock and pop too! Have really enjoyed Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and some of the recent Taylor Swift albums. 

What other skills do you have outside of piano?
I’m a hobby photographer (I’ve got a blog here, though it hasn’t been updated since 2022: bgiltphotos.wordpress.com); I love baking – various sourdough breads, macarons, cheesecakes, brownies…; and I love translating poetry – currently working on a cycle of 12 sonnets by Leah Goldberg, one of Israel’s greatest poets but virtually unknown outside Israel; this is for a bilingual edition to be published next year.