Anatoly Zatin
*23 March 1954
Works by Anatoly Zatin
Biography
Born in Uzhgorod (former Soviet Union, now Ukraine), Anatoly Zatin graduated from the Leningrad State Conservatory of Music as composer, orchestral conductor, and concert pianist. He became the youngest member in the history of the Leningrad Union of Composers in 1979 and a few years later made his conducting debut with the Leningrad Philharmonic. He continues the traditions of the European school, having studied, collaborated, and being influenced by musicians like Sergei Slonimsky, Ilya Musin, Ravil Martynov, Evgeny Mravinsky, Pavel Serebriakov, Yury Ananiev, Abraham Logovinsky, Alexandra Vavilina, Anatoly Nikitin, Timofei Dokshitzer, Vladimir Kafelnikov, Yury Kramarov and many others.
Dr. Zatin has been awarded numerous prizes in the artistic and musical environment: first prize at the Kiev Competition for Young Composers and Pianists (1968); second prize at the Sergei Prokofiev International Piano Competition (1979); prize of the Brass Bulletin for his Triple Concerto for French Horn, Trumpet, Piano and orchestra (1981); prizes of the USSR Association of Musical Theatre Artists for the best musical of the year (1987 and 1990), among others. He was presented with the prestigious Mozart Medal in 2015 and in 1990 with the UNICEF Medal of Honour for his activities as pianist and conductor. In 2021 he joined Mexican Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (SNCA).
He served as artistic director of the Ekaterinburg Musical Theatre and principal conductor of the B-A-C-H Chamber Orchestra in Russia. As guest conductor with the Moscow Philharmonic he made recordings for the USSR Central Radio station, for ‘Melodiya’ and for Azzurra Music in Italy. In 1990 he was presented with the UNICEF Medal of Honour and in 2015 with the prestigious Mozart Medal in Mexico.
Throughout his career Dr. Zatin has performed at the most prestigious music festivals in the world: International Festival of Contemporary Music in Hungary, Musical Spring in St Petersburg, International Art Festival in Korea, Shakespeare Festival in Stratford upon Avon, UNESCO Festival in Leningrad, Black and White Piano Festival in Mexico, Musicalta in Alsace, Silver Lyre Chamber Music Festival in St Petersburg, Mozart Festival in Shanghai and many others. He has toured over 20 countries performing at many of the world’s most important concert venues: National Arts Palace and National Auditory in Mexico, Opera City Hall in Tokyo, St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, First Concert Hall in Stockholm, Liszt Academy in Budapest, Carnegie Hall in New York and Foro Confalone in Rome.
Dr. Zatin frequently serves as member of the jury at music competitions in Mexico, the United States of America, Canada, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, and China. In 2001 an international piano competition was established in Ukraine bearing his name.
His master classes can be appreciated at the Petrof Fest in Czech Republic (where he serves as Artistic Director), Semper Music Festival and Cremona International Music Academy in Italy, at Zell an der Pram Austrian Master Classes, the Summer Music Academy in Kiev, at the International Piano Festival of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, as well as United States of America, Japan and Mexico.
Since 1991 he lives and works in Mexico. He joined the faculty at the University of Colima in Mexico, where he established the professional music programs, serving as Chairman of the Music Department (2001-2011) and Dean of the Fine Arts Institute (2011-2016). Many of his students have pursued successful international careers. With wife pianist Vlada Vassilieva he formed Duo Petrof in 2003. The ensemble quickly attained international recognition, winning numerous awards for their recordings, touring in Europe, Asia, and America, and being praised by audiences and critics alike (www.duopetrof.com). Since May 2020 Vlada Vassilieva and Anatoly Zatin serve as presidents of the WPTA Piano Duo association.
About the music
I continue the traditions of the European school, developing polystylism and modal harmony. Major influences are Sergei Slonimsky (my former teacher), R. Schedrin, V. Salmanov and A. Schnittke. My music has been performed by T. Dokshitzer, V. Buyanovsky, V. Kafelnikov, A. Nikitin, A. Vavilina, O. Zaralli, A. Griffin, J. Levy, J. Urness, and other artists, at prestigious venues across the world. I have works in the concert genre, stage music (opera and musical theatre), cinema, vocal music, music for solo piano and piano duo, and for other instruments.
Duo Petrof (piano duo)
After performing together for two decades, Duo Petrof developed their own, unique concept of the piano duo as stage genre. Besides inspiring their exceptional quality and sophisticated style to the classical repertoire, Anatoly Zatin and Vlada Vassilieva, pianists of Russian origin and Mexican nationality, create and perform their own arrangements for piano four-hands and two pianos.
As a result of this, they have been distinguished with many awards in the world of classical music, including first prize at the international competition for professional piano duos in the United States (2018), a nomination for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for their iconic two-piano version of El Jarabe Tapatío (2016), and the title of Contemporary-Classical ensemble of the year by the 2016 Mexican Music Awards in New York City. They were entitled with the Silver Medal at the Global Music Awards in three occasions (2015, 2017 and 2021). They have released several commercial recordings, with labels Columna Musica and Azzurra Music / Playaudio, available on the principal streaming platforms.
They have performed at prestigious venues like the Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and Bohemian Hall in New York, the Moscow Conservatory and the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and the Fine Arts Palace in Mexico City, as well as at the first international art festival in Kyrgyzstan, the Musical Spring and Silver Lyre festivals in St. Petersburg, the Sofia Music Weeks in Bulgaria and the International Piano Festival of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, among many others. In 2011 their recital in Dallas, TX was named among the best concerts by the performing arts magazine Theatre Jones.
They often collaborate with orchestras not only as piano duo but also as conductor-soloist team: Zatin being the conductor and Vassilieva the soloist. In this path they find new and creative ways too: in 2013 they produced the first performance in Mexico of Scriabin’s Prometheus, Poem of Fire with coloured lights.
Anatoly and Vlada are fervent admirers and proud ambassadors of Petrof pianos. In 2014 they performed the inaugural concert of the Antonin Petrof line of grand pianos in the Czech Republic, and since then they consider those instruments as their absolute favourites. Besides being active members of the Petrof Art Family, since 2018 they curate an international summer music festival: Petrof Fest (www.petroffest.com), bringing together exceptional masters and talented students from all over the world.
Since 2020 Anatoly Zatin and Vlada Vassilieva serve as Presidents of the Piano Duo section at the World Piano Teachers Association (WPTA). They are members of the International Academy of Performing Arts and Sciences and the International Piano Duo Association in Japan. Anatoly Zatin is a laureate of the Mozart Medal and the UNICEF Medal of Honour, and a member of the St Petersburg Union of Composers. Vlada Vassilieva won the 2010 Nadia Reisenberg award for pianists in New York City while pursuing graduate studies at Mannes College as a Fulbright grantee. Duo Petrof was an ensemble in residence at the University of Colima in Mexico for twenty years (2003-2023), and since 2018 also joined the International Piano Academy at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Their students are frequent winners of top prizes at important music competitions in the world.