«Vladimir Tonkha is a musician who conveys his entire being, his very soul, through sound. I perceive such power of dedication and love for sound, such music-making, as a religious act. As a communion with God».
These words by the distinguished composer Sofia Gubaidulina could serve as a preface to the entire performing career of Vladimir Tonkha.
Music critics in many European countries, as well as in the USA, Japan, and Canada, where Tonkha has performed, have frequently highlighted not only his virtuosity, temperament, and the persuasiveness of his interpretations but, above all, the sonic qualities of his playing. They have noted his unique ability to create an atmosphere of intense focus in the concert hall, fostering a sense of listener participation that transforms a performance into a shared experience, uniting the composer, the performer, and the audience.
The scope of Vladimir Tonkha’s activities is remarkably broad. He performs solo and symphonic concerts and is highly active in chamber music, including his work with the «Moscow Cello Quartet», which he founded. The ensemble received high praise from Mstislav Rostropovich: «I know this quartet very well; I have met with them both in Russia and in France. It is a wonderful ensemble with outstanding achievements».
Tonkha has successfully performed solo, symphonic, and chamber programs in England, Italy, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the USA, Japan, Canada, and many other countries. His performance venues include the Great and Small Halls of the Moscow Conservatory, the Grand and Small Halls of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw (Netherlands), the Gewandhaus, the Cologne Philharmonic, Suntory Hall (Japan), and many others.
Tonkha has collaborated with some of the greatest musicians of our time, including Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Valery Gergiev, Eric Klas, Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer, Irina Arkhipova, Yuji Takahashi, Tatiana Grindenko, Oleg Yanchenko, and many others. Vladimir Tonkha is recognized in Russia and abroad as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music. He is the first performer of a vast number of new works.
Many composers strive to entrust their works to him, confident that his mastery will ensure the most perfect realization of their artistic vision. More than 60 works by leading contemporary composers have been dedicated to Vladimir Tonkha, including pieces by Sofia Gubaidulina, Yuji Takahashi, Kirill Volkov, Efrem Podgaits, Valery Kallistratov, Merab Gagnidze, Revaz Gabichvadze, Sergei Berinsky, Mikhail Bronner, Tatyana Sergeyeva, Vladimir Ryabov, Mitchell Clark, Dmitry Smirnov, Yuri Kasparov, Roman Ledenyov, Viktor Suslin, Nikolai Peiko, and many others.
V. Tonkha is a participant in many international festivals, including such renowned ones as those in Helsinki, Lockenhaus, Tokyo, Beauvais, Amsterdam, Budapest, Salzburg, Boston, etc.
V. Tonkha’s musical and public activities are widely known. He is the organizer and artistic director of a number of major international festivals in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Kazan, and other Russian cities. The «Cello Generations» festival attracts an increasing number of participants from all over Russia. The cello music concert series «Cello Cathedral» and «Cello Zodiac» are held annually at the concert halls of the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music and attract growing interest from music lovers. The concerts of the «Five Centuries» subscription series are among the most significant events in Moscow’s musical life. Under the direction of V. K. Tonkha, a concert dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the birth of M. V. Yudina was organized.
V. Tonkha’s audience is constantly expanding thanks to his recordings. A CD featuring his performance of Sofia Gubaidulina’s «Seven Words of Christ» was awarded the highest honor for a CD — the «Diapason d’Or» prize from the Parisian magazine Diapason. In 2019, a disc was released featuring the Six Sonatas for Cello and Piano by Beethoven, performed by Vladimir Tonkha and Pavel Dombrovsky.
As the Head of the Cello, Double Bass, and Harp Department at the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, he has trained many laureates of international and all-Russian competitions. His students perform successfully in Russia and abroad, and work at leading universities in Russia and many countries near and far abroad. Students from Professor V. K. Tonkha’s class participated in concerts dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of E. F. Gnesina at the Great Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic.
V. K. Tonkha is a jury member for all-Russian and international competitions and serves as the Chairman of the State Examination Commission at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
About two hundred works of cello and chamber-instrumental music edited by V. Tonkha have been published by major Russian music publishing houses.
Recent publications include:
- Arrangements of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s romances for cello and piano (published by «Muzyka»);
- Arrangements of S. V. Rachmaninoff’s romances (publisher «Muzyka»);
- «Duets of Old Composers» for two cellos (edited by V. K. Tonkha and N. Ivanova).
