Nina Siniakova. "Aquatinta". Concerto for piano and orchestra (2025)

Nina Siniakova, piano/Alexei Rubin, conductor "Novaya Rossiya" orchestra. Moscow philharmonic- 2, Rachmaninov Hall. This performance was presented as a part of the International Rachmaninoff Competition's finals. Moscow, June 2025. Composer's notes: "Aquatinta" was inspired by a printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. I found this idea very musical and wrote a piece that is sophisticatedly beautiful and quietly sorrowful, painted in many colors but with hardly a whisper of forte. The world already brims with shouting and sharpness—I felt no need to add to the noise. This music still asks to be heard, but not through force. It invites the listener in with its restraint and tenderness.