Her musical journey began in her early years in Chechnya, where her grandfather played Chechen folk music for her on the piano. During her rigorous musical schooling, she was able to study with some of the finest teachers and graduated with distinction in cello, piano and voice from the Moscow Conservatory. She came to the USA where she studied cello at Boston University and went on to receive a doctorate from Yale School of Music (1995) with a thesis inspired by J.S. Bach as she compared his works for solo violin and solo cello. Tanya transcribed Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin for cello, in the original keys, and recorded all of them in 2001-2004.
Now years later, as an internationally renowned performer, teacher and composer with experience and maturity, Tanya is re-recording those J.S. Bach sonatas and partitas. She shared with me that her inspiration to re-record comes from the acclaimed pianist Glenn Gould. He came to prominence when he recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations in1955 when he was 22. He recorded them all again in 1981, taking advantage of the advances in recording technology while capturing the insights of more than 20 years of musical life. “Gould’s two recordings of the Goldberg Variations demonstrate something profound – that two different approaches to the same notes say a great deal about how one ages and how tastes change over time.” (https://interlude.hk/returning-studio/) Tanya Anisimova’s years of life experience, professional and personal, have shaped her skill as a passionate, insightful performer. What a gift to the world for her to revisit the Bach partitas and sonatas as the musician she is today.
