Original artwork description:

Triptych: The Music of the Moment. Watercolor Sketches from St. Petersburg Concerts

In Japanese tradition, there is a concept called "ichi-go ichi-e" — "one meeting, one moment." It's a philosophy that cherishes the uniqueness of a fleeting instant that disappears as soon as it appears.

My musical sketches are an attempt to capture the ephemeral magic of music—how it comes to life on stage only to dissolve into the air. Watercolor, with its lightness and fluidity, becomes the perfect medium: as changeable as sound itself and as emotional as a live performance.

Two of these works were created during the grand closing concert of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic's 120th anniversary season—a historic event now preserved only in memory and these watercolors.

Violinists at the Closing Concert of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic's 120th Anniversary Season.
240 x 180 mm
Two musicians, one impulse—part of a greater whole, the orchestra, whose collective body breathes music. Quick brushstrokes capture their focus, their immersion in the score, the unbroken flow of a single, shared sound.

Pianist Boris Berezovsky at the Closing Concert of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic's 120th Anniversary Season
240 x 170 mm
The piano’s tender solo, wrapped in the orchestra’s embrace—each musician attuned to the virtuoso’s every gesture, following, merging. That evening, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto filled the hall, and the music’s particular tenderness and romance seeped into the painting itself.

"Mariinsky Concert Hall. Opera"
205 x 140 mm
Choir, orchestra, soloists—opera in its purest form. No sets, no staging. Just the bare soul of the music. Listener and performer, face to face. A rare moment of intimacy and revelation.

Three works—three suspended moments, three encounters with music that will never repeat. Like ukiyo-e, where beauty lies precisely in the world’s fleeting nature.

Note: I kept some key terms like "ukiyo-e" and "ichi-go ichi-e" in italics with brief explanations for an international audience. The phrasing balances poetic flow with gallery-appropriate clarity. Let me know if you'd like any refinements!

Materials used:

watercolor and watercolor pencil on paper

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