Youri EGOROV

Translation using translation software (edited by your webmaster) Current information Brescia - A young Russian pianist has disappeared. Yuri Yegerov did not show up at the International Festival of Contemporary Music. From our special correspondent. Brescia, 18 May. Fears are expected to increase. "The nightmare could be dispelled or even transformed into a tragedy" says Agostina Orizio, director of the Eighth International Festival of Contemporary Music. From 17 May yesterday the Soviet pianist Yuri Yegerov, 22 (and born in Kazan on May 28, 1954) disappeared. All search results were vain. Every hypothesis appears to be possible: he may have been hiding with the intention of asking for political asylum, he may have been killed, he may have been lost. The pianist, who came from the Soviet Union three days ago, was supposed to play yesterday at 9 pm at Teatro Grande in the first part of the concert of the festival. Everyone waited in vain: in the end he had to be replaced by pianist Carlo Levi Minzi who was already engaged for the second part of the concert. It seems that the young artist, who came to Italy at the invitation of the organizers of the event and with the authorization of Gosconcert, the Russian state agency that takes care of the relations between Soviet musicians and foreign organizers of musical events, had disappeared. At about 5 pm he was seen getting on a taxi that turned away in the direction of Milan. The driver of the taxi has not yet been traced. The staff of the Vittoria hotel cannot explain the disappearance. "He had been staying in the hotel for three days - they say - and had never been noticed for extravagances. "Last night, the opening concert, the Soviet musician would have had to climb another step in his career. Already famous abroad. Youri Yegorov, winner in Belgium of the 3rd < Queen Elisabeth Piano Concours > is considered a true promise. For some time he had been meticulously prepared the program with music by Shostakovich and Edison Denisov. "When I heard that he had left - says Agostino Orizio -, I had no fear, I thought that he was going for a walk in the Brescia area. Some disagreed that maybe he had gone to Milan, but I didn't give any attention to this. "In the brief conversations I had with him, the Soviet had appeared to be particularly anxious to participate in the festival. Until 9 pm we hoped he would come. We hoped really he would come. We did call the suite at La Lombardia, no one was able to give any news. Rodolfo Grassi