Nostalgia and tragedy — Maria Milstein + Nathalia Milstein

A French-Russian programme by two exceptional sisters

The Milstein sisters are brimming with talent. In 2025, pianist Nathalia reached the final of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, while violinist Maria was awarded the Nederlandse Muziekprijs (Dutch Music Award) back in 2018. They have performed at the Muziekgebouw on several occasions, both together and individually. Their perfect harmony, down to the smallest details, is evident in this idiosyncratic and personal programme, which includes sonatas by Francis Poulenc and Sergei Prokofiev, as well as unknown music by the French-Russian composer Valéry Arzoumanov, a friend of the Milstein family.

Arzoumanov lives in Normandy, but was born in Siberia. His work is imbued with a longing for a time he never experienced. The Nostalgic Waltzes seem to come straight from pre-1917 St. Petersburg. Lili Boulanger, who died young and was the sister of the renowned composer and music pedagogue Nadia, also has Russian traits, but her music echoes French Romanticism as well. The sonatas of Poulenc and Prokofiev are darker by comparison. Poulenc wrote his as a tribute to the poet Federico García Lorca, who was murdered during the Spanish Civil War. Prokofiev composed his sombre yet vital sonata during the Second World War.