Fun name

Chopin and Liszt; Eldar Nebolsin, piano

I suppose that it’s somewhat revealing of my character that I once bought a CD because of the recording artist’s name: Eldar Nebolsin. From the moment that I saw this CD, this poor fellow’s name has amused me. First of all, Eldar sounds like he could be Superman’s uncle: El-Dar, brother of Jor-El. And then, Nebolsin sounds like Jerry Lewis trying to say Mendelssohn.

Mr. Nebolsin, I decided, must have a sense of humor by the way he’s looking up at his name, on the cover, as if to say, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to put my name there? And you think that’s going to move CD’s?” Well, Eldar, buddy, I have to tell you. The tactic worked on me.

In 1996, a few years after I purchased his recording, Mr. Nebolsin appeared on the performance lineup of Minnesota Orchestra’s four-week long Sommerfest in Minneapolis. Well, I had to go see him. Expecting to encounter the fun-seeking, maybe mischievous rascal who performed schtick on his album cover, I witnessed, instead, a straight-laced, perhaps a little shy, pianistic dynamo with loads upon loads of passionate ideas to exert upon the passionate ideas of Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt and Scriabin. His performance at Sommerfest stayed with me for many days.

Eldar Nebolsin. Eldar Nebolsin. Eldar Nebolsin. I can’t stop saying his name. Eldar Nebolsin. Eldar Nebolsin. It sounds like erudite, high-brow, intellectual baby talk. I place it right up there with my Cousin W.’s friend Marjorie Bernadotte Bareboom Jablimsky. Man. I have to take a nap after saying her name.

Eldar Nebolsin.

Credits: To the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest, for lighting up the summer in Minneapolis with first-rate classical, jazz and R&B. Try to bring it back to four weeks, friends.