Igor Raykhelson

Music

Concertos, chamber works and jazz suites. His music has been played around the world, including across the United States, Europe, Ukraine, Israel, Russia and South America.

Principal works

Set out by kind. This is not his complete catalogue.

Concertos

Soloists in his concertos have included Boris Berezovsky, Sergey Krylov, Yuri Bashmet and Alexander Kniazev. They have been performed under the conductors Hobart Earle, Claudio Vandelli and Alexander Sladkovsky.

For symphony orchestra

For strings

For piano and strings

Crossover

Chamber music

Sonatas

Opera-oratorio

Performances

Coming up

  1. Cello Sonata

    Astrig Siranossian, cello, and Nathanael Gouin, piano.

    Villa Bertelli, Forte dei Marmi

  2. Dialoghi d’anima

    A recital for violin and piano: Ekaterina Astashova, with Igor Raykhelson at the piano.

    Villa Bertelli, Forte dei Marmi

    Listing (Italian): Forte dei Marmi's event listing (opens in a new tab)

  3. Viola Sonata

    Adrien La Marca, viola, and Julien Quentin, piano.

    Piano Salon Christophori, Berlin

    Listing (German): the venue's concert listing (opens in a new tab)

  4. Jazz Suite

    With the composer at the piano, Marc Bouchkov and Ekaterina Astashova, violins, and the Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni conducted by Massimo Belli, closing the season of the Mattinate e Serate Musicali Internazionali.

    Sala Luttazzi, Trieste

    Announcement (Italian): NordestNews's report of the season announcement (opens in a new tab)

Selected performances

  1. Armonie di Pace

    An open-air concert with the violinist Ekaterina Astashova, to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The programme included his Adagio, written in New York after the attacks.

    Piazza del Duomo, Pietrasanta, Tuscany

    Preview: Billboard Italia's preview of the concert (opens in a new tab)Video of the concert, in Watch below

  2. Verbier Festival

    Piano Quintet No. 2, with Marc Bouchkov among the players.

    Église de Verbier, Switzerland

    Programme: the Verbier Festival's page for the concert (opens in a new tab)

  3. Reflections

    The soloists that evening were Lucio Degani and Ekaterina Astashova, violins, and Tommaso Valenti, viola, with the Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni conducted by Massimo Belli.

    Sala Luttazzi, Trieste

    Programme (Italian): the season programme published by the City of Trieste, a PDF, pages 4 and 5 (opens in a new tab)

  4. Reflections

    Yuri Bashmet, the Moscow Soloists and Pavel Milyukov, at the T‑Festival.

    New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

    Video of the concert, in Watch below

  5. “Burnt Chapter of Eugene Onegin”

    World premiere, with the Svetlanov State Symphony Orchestra and the Yurlov State Choir Capella, conducted by Philipp Chizhevsky.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

    Programme (Russian): the Moscow Conservatory's page for the concert (opens in a new tab)Video of the premiere, in Watch below

  6. Piano Sonata in F minor

    World premiere, by Alexander Gindin in a solo recital at the T‑Festival.

    State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

    Video of the recital, in Watch below

  7. Piano Trio No. 1 in E major

    At a T‑Festival evening with Marc Bouchkov, Christopher Park, Ekaterina Astashova and Alexander Buzlov.

    New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

    Video of the concert, in Watch below

  8. Double Concerto, “Homage to Brahms”

    World premiere, by Ekaterina Astashova and Alexander Kniazev with the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

    Programme (Russian): the Moscow Conservatory's page for the concert (opens in a new tab)Review (Russian): Muzykalny Klondike's report on the concert (opens in a new tab)

  9. String Quartet in F minor

    The Borodin Quartet, at the T‑Festival.

    New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

    Programme (Russian): Muzykalnaya Zhizn’s article, which lists the programme (opens in a new tab)Video of the concert, in Watch below

  10. Piano Quintet, “Distant Dreams of Childhood”

    World premiere, by soloists of the Kronberg Academy, at the T‑Festival’s “Vitebsk” evening.

    New Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

    Review (Russian): Muzykalnaya Zhizn’s review of the festival (opens in a new tab)Video of the premiere, in Watch below

  11. Maremma

    Boris Berezovsky with the State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia, conducted by Alexei Utkin, at the opening of the Music of the Earth festival.

    Gnessin Academy, Moscow

    Review (Russian): Musical Seasons' report on the festival opening (opens in a new tab)Video of the premiere, in Watch below

  12. Violin Concerto in C minor

    Moscow premiere, by Sergey Krylov with the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”, conducted by Yuri Bashmet, at his 55th-birthday concert.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

    Review (Russian): Muzykalny Klondike's report on the concert (opens in a new tab)Belcanto review (Russian): Yuri Alyabov’s review on Belcanto.ru (opens in a new tab)Programme (Russian): the Moscow Conservatory's page for the concert (opens in a new tab)

  13. Senza Volto

    On tour with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists: the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, on 20 October, the Teatro Solís, Montevideo, and the Gran Teatro Nacional, Lima, on 28 October.

    Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Lima

    Buenos Aires review (Spanish): La Nación's review (opens in a new tab)Montevideo review (Spanish): El País's review, an archived copy (opens in a new tab)Lima preview (Spanish): El Comercio's preview (opens in a new tab)

  14. Beethovenfest

    String Quartet in F minor, played by the Borodin Quartet.

    Bonn

  15. Piano Concerto

    Boris Berezovsky with the National Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Hobart Earle.

    Odesa Philharmonic, Ukraine

    Review (Russian): Vechirnya Odesa's review (opens in a new tab)

  16. String Quartet in F minor

    The Borodin Quartet.

    Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

    Programme (Russian): the Moscow Conservatory's page for the concert (opens in a new tab)

  17. Cello Concerto

    The Moscow premiere, by Alexander Kniazev.

    Moscow

    Booklet: the Toccata Classics booklet, page 6, a PDF (opens in a new tab)

  18. Cello Concerto

    Alexander Kniazev, to whom it is dedicated, with the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra.

    Kostroma Philharmonic

    Listing (Russian): the Kostroma Symphony Orchestra's concert archive, an archived copy (opens in a new tab)

  19. Tour of Israel

    On tour with Yuri Bashmet, Igor Butman and the Moscow Soloists, with the composer at the piano: Haifa on 26 May, Jerusalem on 27 May, Beersheba on 29 May and Tel Aviv on 30 May. The programme also included Bach, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Dowland and Butman.

    Haifa, Jerusalem, Beersheba and Tel Aviv

    Announcement (Russian): the tour announcement on NEWSru.co.il, March 2009 (opens in a new tab)

  21. Jazz Suite

    On the Crossover Concerto tour with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists and Igor Butman and his big band: Benaroya Hall, Seattle; the Wilshire Theatre, Beverly Hills; the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco; Severance Hall, Cleveland; Strathmore Hall, North Bethesda; Symphony Hall, Boston; Avery Fisher Hall, New York; and Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

    United States

    Announcement: the tour announcement on All About Jazz, January 2009 (opens in a new tab)

  22. Piano Concerto

    Premiere of the four-movement version, dedicated to Boris Berezovsky.

    Odesa, Ukraine

    Booklet: the Toccata Classics booklet, page 5, a PDF (opens in a new tab)

  23. Adagio for Viola and Strings

    Yuri Bashmet as soloist and conductor, with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

    Minnesota, United States

    Review: the Pioneer Press review (opens in a new tab)

  24. Symphony “Romantic Poem”

    The Chernihiv orchestra “Filarmonia”, conducted by Mykola Sukach, at the closing concert of the Siverski Musical Evenings festival.

    National Philharmonic, Kyiv, Ukraine

    Review (Russian): Kommersant Ukraine's review (opens in a new tab)

  25. Jazz Suite

    US premiere, with Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, Igor Butman and his big band, and the composer at the piano.

    Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

    Review: The New York Times review (opens in a new tab)Booklet: the Toccata Classics booklet, page 7, a PDF (opens in a new tab)

  26. Adagio for Viola and Strings

    The first performance, by Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists, and the composer’s Carnegie Hall debut.

    Carnegie Hall, New York

    Booklet: the Toccata Classics booklet, page 5, a PDF (opens in a new tab)
Ekaterina Astashova on the violin and Igor Raykhelson at the piano, on the steps of the cathedral in Pietrasanta
Armonie di Pace, Pietrasanta, 11 September 2026. Photograph: Yulia Mazavina

“I have always felt a deep and profoundly human connection to Igor Raykhelson’s unique musical language. For me, there is something in his music that distinctly evokes Chagall: a bittersweet melancholy and a poetic blend of harmonies that seem to exist somewhere between memory and dream, while always retaining an unshakable sense of strength and resilience. At the same time, the natural integration of jazz and other non-classical influences lends his music an undeniable freshness, freedom, and individuality. … Just recently, I performed his Piano Quintet at the Verbier Festival, where it received an incredibly warm and enthusiastic reception!”

Marc Bouchkov

Watch

Concert films and clips on YouTube.

The cathedral in Pietrasanta at night, with the concert on its steps and the audience in the square Watch the concertArmonie di Pace in full, 58 minutes (opens YouTube in a new tab)
Armonie di Pace, Pietrasanta, 11 September 2026. Photograph: Yulia Mazavina. The film opens on YouTube.

Recordings

His music is recorded by the British label Toccata Classics, which has released five albums of his work since 2007.

His recordings have featured collaborators including Elena Revich, Yuri Golubev, Eduard Zizak and the Moscow Soloists. Marc Bouchkov has also recorded his music.

Label
Toccata Classics, United Kingdom
Albums
Five, from 2007 to 2019
Next album
Cello Sonata, Viola Sonata and Piano Quintet No. 2, to be recorded at Schloss Elmau in December 2026, with musicians including Julien Quentin, Marc Bouchkov, Adrien La Marca and Astrig Siranossian.

Collaborators, performers and conductors

Collaborators and performers

  • Yuri BashmetViolist and conductor
  • Boris BerezovskyPianist
  • Alexander KniazevCellist
  • Konstantin LifschitzPianist
  • Marc BouchkovViolinist
  • Sergey KrylovViolinist
  • Ekaterina AstashovaViolinist
  • Julian MilkisClarinettist
  • Elena RevichViolinist
  • Yuri GolubevDouble bass
  • Eduard ZizakDrums
  • The Borodin QuartetString quartet
  • The Moscow SoloistsEnsemble

Conductors

  • Hobart EarleOdesa Philharmonic
  • Claudio Vandelli
  • Alexander Sladkovsky

His concertos have been performed under each of them.

In jazz

  • Igor Butman
  • Eddie Gomez
  • Joe Locke

Among the musicians he has performed alongside in jazz settings.

Where his music has been played

Across the United States, Europe, Ukraine, Israel, Russia and South America, including

  • Carnegie Halltwice
  • Rose Hall
  • Avery Fisher Hall
  • the Moscow Philharmonic
  • the Great Tchaikovsky Hall
  • the St Petersburg Philharmonic
  • the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
  • the Odesa Philharmonic
  • the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
  • the Gran Teatro Nacional, Lima

and venues in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

Festivals

He has been musical director of festivals including:

  • Bahamas International Festival
  • Mohonk International Festival
  • Moscow’s T‑Festival, which he co‑founded
  • Le Quattro Stagioni, Pietrasanta

Above the Barriers

In 2016 he founded Above the Barriers («Над барьерами»), a series of concerts in Moscow.

Performers have included Yuri Bashmet, Igor Butman, Sergey Krylov and Ekaterina Astashova.

  1. The first evening: his 55th-birthday jubilee concert, with Yuri Bashmet and the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Sergey Krylov and Ekaterina Astashova.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

  2. An evening of Russian and American music, held with the support of the US Embassy in Russia: Bernstein, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Gershwin, Nikolai Levinovsky and Raykhelson, with Yuri Bashmet, Igor Butman, Ekaterina Astashova, Vadym Kholodenko and Yura Lee, and the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya” conducted by John Axelrod.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

  3. A gala with Boris Berezovsky, Alexander Kniazev, Kristóf Baráti, Ekaterina Astashova and the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”, including the world premiere of his Double Concerto.

    Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

The Villa Bertelli Prize, 2025

In 2025 he was awarded the Villa Bertelli Prize, succeeding Andrea Bocelli, who won it the previous year.

Reported by VersiliaPost: “Maestro Igor Raykhelson awarded the Villa Bertelli Prize 2025”

Publishing and listening

Registered with
ASCAP and SACEM
Publisher
Alphonse Leduc, Paris
Label
Toccata Classics, United Kingdom

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