Pianist Bella Davidovich: Four Who Brought Talent

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She has traveled widely in the U.S. on her concert tours. "I had read a great deal about America, but I had never realized how beautiful it was," she says of her new land. While she feels that the training Soviet musicians receive is superior, Davidovich believes American orchestras are better than their Russian counterparts, and she praises the emphasis on chamber music in the U.S. Like other emigres from totalitarian countries, however, she sees a darker side to the many liberties Americans enjoy. "For me, freedom has meant I am free to work and go where I please, when I want. But America knows another side of freedom that can lead to many bad things. The problems with crime are horrible here."

She has no longing to return to the Soviet Union. "If I could go back to play, I would do it," she says. "But in no other way would I go back. I have a new life here, and I like it." Davidovich has begun to concertize with her son, and together they have made two records of Grieg and Ravel. "I haven't the time to miss things in Russia," sums up Davidovich. "I am my own Goskontsert. I play with good conductors in good concert halls, and in every country there are friends from Russia. It's a good life."

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