Igor Ruhadze & Daria Gorban, Ensemble Violini Capricciosi
Biography Igor Ruhadze & Daria Gorban, Ensemble Violini Capricciosi
Igor Ruhadze
began his career as a solo violinist at the age of 12, performing Vieuxtemps Concerto No.5 with the Odessa Symphony Orchestra. Igor has won prizes in several international violin competitions, notably receiving 1st prize in the Taneyev Internațional chamber-music competition (Kaluga-Moscow 1996) and the top prize in the International Locatelli competition (Amsterdam 1997).
As a soloist, he successfully combines historical performance with a wide range of contemporary repertoire. He graduated from Central Music School in Moscow, and later on graduated with honours from the Moscow State Conservatory. In 2002, Igor graduated with honours from the Amsterdam Conservatory as a specialist in early music.
Igor Ruhadze performs in many European countries, and tours around the world as a soloist performing violin repertoire from the Renaissance to modern music. He regularly appears at festivals giving solo recitals, such as a Tartini program for unaccompanied violin (Flanders Festival), and the "Russian Tartini - Handochkine" (New York).
Igor leads different orchestras both as a soloist and as a concertmaster in programs from Bach to Faure and Tchaikovsky. Igor also recorded a Dutch version of the Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach (CD and DVD). He also took part in the Dutch film "Erbarme Dich" directed by Ramon Geeling.
Igor performs chamber music with many different groups, leading his own group "Ensemble Violini Capricciosi".
Igor Ruhadze has recorded a vast number of CDs and DVDs with various labels. His regular collaboration with Brilliant Classics has yielded several successful projects, particularly the unique Complete Locatelli Edition on 21 CDs which received many excellent reviews. His latest Biber Complete Violin Sonatas also won critical acclaim. In January 2020, the Complete Violin Concertos by J.M.Leclair was successfully released. In his latest Brilliant Classics album (2022), Igor and harpsichordist Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya turned to another pivotal figure in Baroque violin culture, Francesco Geminiani. This has already received warm praise.
Igor Ruhadze plays on a violin by Jacobs, Amsterdam 1693, courtesy of the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds.
Daria Gorban
has been one of the leading musicians of the ensemble Violini Capricciosi for many years. In 2007, she founded the ensemble Violini Capricciosi and the Violini Capricciosi Foundation with Igor Ruhadze. Daria is now a violinist with, and director of, the ensemble. Having stepped down from the foundation's board, she now works there as general director.
Daria Gorban graduated from two conservatories; from the Moscow State Conservatory as a solo violinist and from the Conservatory of Amsterdam as a specialist in baroque and classical violin. Daria has lived in the Netherlands since 2005.Daria always wanted to play the violin, and for good reason because as a child she won first prize in the Young Talent Competition in the USSR, as well as third prize in The Russian Heritage Competition. Later in life she also won several other violin competitions.For several years Daria received grants from The Russian Heritage Foundation. She traveled extensively, performing all over Europe and performing at festivals in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and, of course, Russia. Thus she had the opportunity to play with several renowned musicians and ensembles: van Swieten Society, ensemble Violini Capricciosi, Concerto Moscow, Pocket Symphony, Music ad Rhenum, The Apollo Ensemble, La Primavera, Florilegium and The Northern Consort.
Starting in 2007, Daria was the second concertmaster of The Bach Orchestra of the Netherlands for 13 years. With this she has made many live recordings on both CD and DVD, the best known of which is of course Ramón Gieling's famous film "Erbarme Dich".She has also recorded numerous CDs with various chamber music groups.Daria has made several complete recordings: Locatelli trio sonatas 2CDs (as 2d violin solo), violin concertos 5CDs (as concertmaster of the orchestra), and Concerto grosso 6 CDs (as 2d violin solo). The compilation box with 21 CDs has received fantastic reviews.The CD released in January 2020 contains Leclair's complete violin concertos. Daria plays here as concertmaster of the Ensemble Violini Capricciosi, recorded with the soloist - violinist Igor Ruhadze.In 2021-22 Daria recorded several duo CDs together with Igor Ruhadze. These will be released in 2023. Daria Gorban plays on a violin by David Tecchler, Amsterdam 1705, courtesy of the National Musical Instruments Fund.
