Natalia Strelchenko, a famous Norwegian pianist of Russian origin, was found by police with fatal injuries in her Manchester home on Sunday morning around 12:45. Strelchenko was taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors could not save her life.
Famed pianist Natalia Strelchenko was murdered in Newton Heath, Manchester on August 30, her partner and manager, John Martin, a Norwegian musician, has been accused of committing the crime.
England has been shaken to the core by the death of the critically-acclaimed artist, who was also known as Natalia Strelle. She was 38.
Strelchenko died as the result of head and neck injuries. Martin made a brief appearance at the Manchester Magistrates Court on Wednesday where he heard the charges held against him. The 48-year-old man is accused of murdering the legendary pianist and attempted murder of a young boy. Mr. Martin is due back in court on Friday.
The identity of the child has not been revealed because authorities do not put out names of minors. Martin and Strelchenko had a child together named Leo Strelchenko, a 14-year-old promising violinist. Strelchenko’s family released a statement about her death, it read:
Natalia had a tremendous effect on the audience. She played in a very flamboyant way and she was totally approachable. She was very highly regarded by orchestras around the world.
Detective Superintendent Phil Reade, who is working on the tragic case, is determined to get answers and bring justice to her loved ones. Reade shared:
“Natalia’s family, many of whom live outside the UK, are understandably beside themselves at their loss and we are doing everything we can at this time to support them. We are determined to find out exactly what has led to Natalia being taken from them in this way.”
Neighbors are having a difficult time understanding this disturbing story. One of them spoke to local media and said:
“She was only young. It is terribly sad for that to happen to a mother. Everybody is shocked.”
Juliana Hulse, another neighbor, added:
“They go away quite a lot, they are musicians, they are bright and talented. I saw them taking a woman away to the hospital she looked quite badly hurt. We never expected that to happen. It was so out of the blue.”
Strelchenko, who started playing at the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra (now Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra) when she was 12 years old, moved to Manchester about two years ago. In 1997, Ms. Strelchenko emigrated to Oslo, Norway and perfected her craft at the Norwegian State Academy of Music for over three years. The concert pianist performed at traditional venues like Carnegie Hall (New York) and London’s Wigmore Hall. Moreover, she was an Assistant Professor at the Belfort Conservatoire in France.
Europe has lost one of its brightest pianists, and a community is looking for answers.
