"Yana Polyanovskaya and Irina Feoktistova, both graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire,
have been playing as a piano duo for ten years, and it shows. Not only is the ensemble perfect, but they
have completely mastered the art of tightening and relaxing rhythms in unison, as well as instinctively
setting foreground detail against background accompaniment, swapping roles imperceptibly as the music
demands.
All this was evident in Rachmaninov's Suite N2, a warm, effusive performance, utterly Romantic. So uncanny
was the precision of ensemble, effected with a minimum of gestures, that ne empathised with the shadow of
frustration that flickered across Polyanovskaya's face at the one chord in the recital that was not
quite together.
A similar mastery was demonstrated in Valery Borovikov's transcription of Schnittke's "Gogol Suite",
where the irony was at once entertaining and unsettling. Geoffrey Pool's "The Impersonal Touch", reciving
its world premiere, offered multiple opportunities for sophisticated interaction between instruments.
The Russians emerged triumphant."
"The Rark Lane Group concerts are all about performance. The artists approach them as if making their debuts in the capital, which many of them are, and the atmosphere is tense. The week's stars were the Russian two-piano duet, Yana Polyanovskaya and Irina Feoktistova ....They were nervous but brilliant."
"The two primly dressed young ladies, late of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, may not look like the Labeques, but in style and technique these two pianists are as hot as two nuclear rods....."
"...Rachmaninov's Suite N2 for two pianos... formed the climax to the recital given by the Russian duo Yana Polyanovskaya and Irina Feoktistova. Although only 25 this year, they have been performing together for nearly 10 years, and it showed in a stunning display of pianism and unanimity of purpose..."
On July 17th The Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Flaanders (conductor Mr. Robert Groslot) gave the concert in The Saint Petersburg State Capella. The program featured Gershwin "Cuban Overture", Ravel "Daphnis and Chloe", Shostakovich 2nd Piano Concerto and Stravinsky "Rite of Spring". Quite a repertoire for the young professionals, which, it seems, they tackled without any difficulties... Very strong impression was left by the inspirational playing of our compatriot, young talented pianist Irina Feoktistova who performed Shostakovich 2nd Piano Concerto...