From Math to Music: Alexey Shor's Neo-Romantic Compositions Debut in Turin

Alexey Shor, a Ukrainian-born composer with a PhD in mathematics, saw his neo-romantic works performed at the RAI Auditorium 'Arturo Toscanini' in Turin from April 28 to 30, 2026. The three-concert event featured the RAI National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Estonian Anu Tali, alongside legendary Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev, violinist Giuseppe Gibboni, Daniel Lozakovich, and pianist Arsenii Moon. Shor's compositions were paired with classics by Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and Grieg. Born in a Kiev suburb in 1970, Shor fled after Chernobyl and built a career in finance before turning to music full-time after writing the ballet 'Crystal Palace Ballet' (premiered in Malta in 2017). His music has been licensed for the film 'Blood on the Crown' and documentaries. In an interview, Shor emphasized emotional connection with audiences and noted that his mathematical background does not directly influence his melodic style. The 'Sonata Shor-Pletnev', co-composed with Pletnev, was performed; Shor described music as open to personal interpretation. He stated that past traumas like Chernobyl and the Soviet collapse inform his psychology but are not explicit subjects in his work.