Fri 05 May 2007Nemtsov's stumble into gracePianist Jascha Nemtsov might have stumbled into a musical
career, but his work as a Jewish musicologist marks him out as a
master of his craft, writes
Michael DervanIt was, says Jascha Nemtsov, pure chance that he came to be a
musician. He was born in Siberia in 1963, and moved to Leningrad
(now St Petersburg) when he was two. His older sister played the
piano, and he began in time-honoured fashion by imitating what she
was doing. But his is not the story of a prodigious talent,
learning outrageously difficult pieces by ear, or quickly passing
out his sister in achievement. The piano was a hobby.