Mikhail Rudy

30/06/07

I manage to get tickets to a reception for festival artists at the swanky new City Inn.

We miss the canapés but do run into MIF creative director Alex Poots, who introduces us to the lovely Mikhail Rudy, the Russian pianist at the centre of Neil Bartlett's reworking of Wladyslaw Szpilman's The Pianist.

Despite a considerable international reputation as a seriously talented concert pianist, Mikhail is down-to-earth and a laugh a minute. I like him a lot.