Zlatomir Fung (above, in a Matt Dine photo) has won First Prize in the cello division at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition. Established in 1958, and held every four years in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Competition has - over time - added categories of cello and voice to the initial competitions for pianists and violinists.
Earlier this year, I had the great pleasure of attending Mr. Fung's New York recital debut under the auspices of Young Concert Artists. It was an outstanding evening of music-making, and it did not surprise me in the least to learn today that the young cellist has seized the top prize at the Tchaikovsky: he's simply phenomenal.
Mr. Fung and pianist Tengku Irfan played Gabriel Fauré's Après un rêve as an encore at their Merkin Hall YCA recital in February of this year. Listen to it here.
~ Oberon