| This summer, the Ulster Orchestra hosted a series of concerts broadcasted by radio 3 on a Russian subject which culminated with the Proms in the Park in September. I decided, that it would be a good idea to transcribe an article by Leonard Pugh for the Belfast Telegraph because it describes Russian Classical Music. Hopefully my pictures will turn out alright so we can have a classical playlist with famous composers and interesting interpreters. Here is the review – copyright by Leonard Pugh/Belfast Telegraph “Fresh from their summer break and two sell-out concerts at the Framley House RTE Proms in the Phoenix Park and the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the Ulster Orchestra returned to the Ulster Hall to five the first of this year’s BBC Summer Invitation Concerts under the general heading White Nights. The series marks the tercentenary of St. Petersburg with a musical tribute to the composers associated with this city. In many ways, the first concerts gave us an aural impression of musical development amongst the composers represented. Opening with Glinka’s 1836 Overture “A life for the Tsar”, one could sense his problem of combining Russian nationalistic elements with what was in general an essentially Western European musical language. On the Eighth Russian Songs by Liadov there was a strong suggestion of the composer learning to orchestrate as he went along, from the almost naïve simplicity of the first four to the more self-assured Legend of the Birds, the Grieg-like Cradle Song, the balalaika pizzicato of the round dance and the confident Village Dancing Song. There was rapturous applause from both audience and orchestra for the outstanding fourteen year old violinist Sergeiy Dogadin, the soloists in the Violin Concerto in A minor by Glazunov first performed in the UK by Mischa Elman at the same age. The performance had a maturity of style and technique which left one breathless with the orchestra on top form. Conductor Vladimir Altschuler brought an air of Russian authenticity to the whole evening’s music as was amply illustrated in Tschaikovsky’s suite No 3, a lengthy work, a mixture of ballet and symphony which displays the composer’s genius in writing for orchestra." from the website http://www.ulster-orchestra.org.uk The Ulster Orchestra was formed in 1966 and it has established itself as one of the major symphony orchestras in the United Kingdom. Its main concert season takes place in the Ulster Hall and the Belfast Waterfront, and it is a lynch-pin of the Belfast Festival at Queen’s. It has accompanied opera and ballet productions at Belfast’s Grand Opera House. The Ulster Orchestra gives many concerts in centres across Northern Ireland and has performed many times at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. It has a major programme of education and outreach work, recognised by numerous awards, including the inaugural Royal Philharmonic Society Educational Award. In January 2009 the Orchestra was awarded the prestigious Arts & Business Arts Award in recognition of its professionalism and creativity in the management and development of its business relationships. Most recently, the Orchestra was the recipient of a London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Inspire Mark for the Pied Piper project. Kenneth Montgomery is the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor. He succeeded Thierry Fischer and a list of distinguished artists who have previously held the post, including Bryden Thomson, Vernon Handley and Yan Pascal Tortelier. The Ulster Orchestra has made some 70 recordings, notably for Chandos, Naxos, BMG, Hyperion, Priory and Toccata Classics. The BBC has a unique relationship with the Ulster Orchestra as its exclusive broadcast partner with relays on BBC Radio 3, Radio Ulster and BBC TV. The mix of commercial recordings and streamed internet broadcasts has considerably enhanced the Orchestra’s international reputation. Tours of Europe, Asia, and the USA have added to this reputation. In 2001 the Ulster Orchestra travelled to New York to launch the UKwithNY Festival, and that same month toured the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. The Orchestra’s main funding partners include the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. Sergey Dogadin  written by http://www.musicrussian.com/ Sergey Dogadin was born in 1988 in Saint-Petersburg in the musician's family. Currently he is a student of Special Musical Lyceum at Saint-Petersburg State Conservatoire (class of Professor Vladimir Ovtcharek). Sergey Dogadin is a winner of the following international youth musical awards and successfully performed with leading symphonic and chamber orchestras in Saint-Petersburg, including Academic Symphony Orchestra of Saint-Petersburg Philharmony named after Dmitri Shostakovich and Hermitage Chamber Orchestra. In 2002 Sergey started his successful international performing career with the tours in Switzerland and Estonia. In 2003 he performed on Mishkolz International Opera Festival in Hungary (June) and Belfast (August). Sergey made the recording with Ulster Symphony Orchestra of the Glasunov's violin concert for BBC Northern Ireland, which was broadcasted many times since August 2003. February 2004 - Beethoven Violin Concert with London Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others. He has a wide repertoire which also includes: 5. Glazunov - "Adagio" from "Raimonda" ballet, . Tchaikovsky - "Melancholic Serenade", op. 26, Tchaikovsky - "Melody", op. 42, N 3, Tchaikovsky - "Valse-Scherzo", op 34 , 18. Rachmaninov - "Vocalize" The composers: MIKHAIL IVANOVICH GLINKA BIOGRAPHY (1804 - 1857) written by Naxos records  Glinka is commonly regarded as the founder of Russian nationalism in music. His influence on Balakirev, self-appointed leader of the later group of five nationalist composers, was considerable. As a child he had some lessons from the Irish pianist John Field, but his association with music remained purely amateur, until visits to Italy and in 1833 to Berlin allowed concentrated study and subsequently a greater degree of assurance in his composition, which won serious attention both at home and abroad. His Russian operas offered a synthesis of Western operatic form with Russian melody, while orchestral music, with skilful instrumentation, offered a combination of the traditional and the exotic. Glinka died in Berlin in 1857. Operas Glinka's first Russian opera, A Life for the Tsar, was well received at its first staging in 1836. His second full opera, Ruslan and Lyudmila, with a libretto by Pushkin, proved less acceptable at its first staging in St. Petersburg in 1842. The Overtures to these operas make effective curtain-raisers. Orchestral Music Travel abroad inspired the Spanish mood of Jota aragonesa, a Capriccio brillante also known as the First Spanish Overture. The second of the series was expanded from Recuerdos de Castilla, Souvenirs of Castile, into Souvenir d'une nuit d'été à Madrid (Memory of a Summer Night in Madrid). Kamarinskaya, written in Warsaw, uses Slav thematic material. ANATOL KONSTANTINOVICH LIADOV BIOGRAPHY (1855 - 1914) written by Naxos records The son of a conductor at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Anatol Liadov was trained at the Conservatory, where he was briefly a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov and later a member of the teaching staff. He was associated with Balakirev and subsequently became a member of Belyayev's circle, helping, in particular, in the establishment of the publishing-house that Belyayev established for Russian composers. He was a thoroughly competent musician, conductor and composer, but did not apply himself consistently to work. His failure to supply music for the Dyagilev ballet in Paris in 1910 allowed Stravinsky his first chance with the Ballets russes. His compositions are characteristic of the period in Russian nationalism, when nationalism was joined with technical competence inculcated at the Conservatories. Orchestral Music > The best known orchestral compositions by Liadov are the descriptive Russian fairy-tale pieces Kikimora, Baba-Yaga and Volshebnoye ozero (The Enchanted Lake). His last orchestral work was the symphonic poem Skorbnaya pesn (Nénie). All are very much in the nationalist tradition exemplified by Rimsky-Korsakov. Piano Music Liadov wrote a number of shorter piano pieces, including Fugues and a set of Canons, testimony to his contrapuntal ability. Other pieces have characteristic titles, examples of pleasing and well crafted compositions for which there was a ready market. Vocal and Choral Music Liadov wrote a setting of the final scene of Schiller's Die Braut von Messina (The Bride from Messina) for his Conservatory graduation. Of some 26 songs, eighteen are Children's Songs. ALEXANDER KONSTANTINOVICH GLAZUNOV, BIOGRAPHY (1865 - 1936) written by Naxos records  Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was born the son of a publisher and bookseller in St. Petersburg in 1865. As a child he showed considerable musical ability and he met Balakirev in 1879, who introduced the young Glazunov to Rimsky-Korsakov. His first nine symphonies were finished by the age of sixteen and these works showed much influence from Balakirev. Sadly, this relationship with Balakirev was not to continue. The rich timber-merchant Mitrofan Petrovich Belyayev formed an informal association of Russian composers with Rimsky-Korsakov, and after attending the performances of Glazunov's symphonies both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, the young composer was invited to be part of Balakirev's circle. Belakirev, the self-appointed mentor of Russian nationalists composers, was upset by this because Glazunov became a regular at Rimsky-Korsakov's gatherings on Friday evenings, instead of attending his Tuesday evening meetings. Belyayev took the young composers to meet Liszt in 1884 and it was at Weimar where Glazunov's First Symphony was performed outside Russia for the first time. In 1899 Glazunov joined the staff of the Conservatory in St. Petersburg, but by this time his admiration for his teacher seems to have cooled. Rimsky-Korsakov’s wife was later to remark on Glazunov’s admiration for Tchaikovsky and Brahms, suspecting in this the influence of Taneyev and of the critic Laroche, champion of Tchaikovsky and a strong opponent of the nationalists, a man described by Rimsky-Korsakov as the Russian equivalent of Hanslick in Vienna, a comparison that, from him, was not entirely complimentary. Glazunov, however, remained a colleague and friend of Rimsky-Korsakov, and demonstrated this after the political disturbance of 1905, when the latter was dismissed for supporting the students who had joined liberal protests against official policies. Glazunov was elected director of an institution, soon after and reinstalled Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1928 Glazunov attended the Schubert celebrations in Vienna, thereafter he remained abroad. He eventually settled near Paris, where he died in 1936. Orchestral Music In addition to his nine symphonies and a variety of other orchestral works, Glazunov wrote a Violin Concerto, completed in 1904, when he was at the height of his powers as a composer. The symphonies have won less popularity, but the symphonic poem Stenka Razin, written in 1885, retains a place in national repertoire. Ballets Glazunov's ballets include Raymonda, first staged in St. Petersburg in 1898, with choreography by Marius Petipa. Les ruses d'amour followed in 1900, with The Seasons in the same year. He orchestrated music by Chopin for Les sylphides. The choreographer Fokin also made use of Stenka Razin for a ballet of that name. |
Petr Il'ich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)  Tchaikovsky was one of the earlier students of the St. Petersburg Conservatory established by Anton Rubinstein, completing his studies there to become a member of the teaching staff at the similar institution established in Moscow by Anton Rubinstein's brother Nikolay. He was able to withdraw from teaching when a rich widow, Nadezhda von Meck, offered him financial support which continued for much of his life, although, according to the original conditions of the pension, they never met. Tchaikovsky was a man of neurotic diffidence, his self-doubt increased by his homosexuality. His music is thoroughly Russian in character, but, although he was influenced by Balakirev and the ideals of the Five Russian nationalist composers, he may be seen as belonging rather to the more international school of composition fostered by the Conservatories that Balakirev so much deplored. Operas Two above all of Tchaikovsky's operas have retained a place in international repertoire. Eugene Onegin, based on a work by Pushkin, was written in 1877, the year of the composer's disastrous and brief attempt at marriage. He returned to Pushkin in 1890 with his powerful opera The Queen of Spades. Ballets Tchaikovsky, a master of the miniature forms necessary for ballet, succeeded in raising the quality of the music provided for an art that had undergone considerable technical development in 19th century Russia under the guidance of the French choreographer Marius Petipa. The first of Tchaikovsky's full length ballet-scores was Swan Lake, completed in 1876, followed in 1889 by The Sleeping Beauty. His last ballet, based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, was Nutcracker, first staged in St. Petersburg in December 1892. Orchestral Music Tchaikovsky wrote six symphonies. The first of these, sometimes known as Winter Daydreams, was completed in its first version in 1866 but later revised. The second of the symphonies, the so- called Little Russian was composed in 1872 but revised eight years later. Of the other symphonies the fifth, with its motto theme and waltz movement in the place of a scherzo was written in 1888, while the last completed symphony, known as the "Pathétique", was first performed under Tchaikovsky's direction shortly before his death in 1893. Fantasy Overtures and other works Tchaikovsky turned to literary and dramatic sources for a number of orchestral compositions. His first Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, was written 1869 and later twice revised. Bunya is a symphonic fantasia inspired by The Tempest and the last of the Shakespearean fantasy overtures, Hamlet, was written in 1888. Francesca da Rimini translates into musical terms the illicit love of Francesca and Paolo, as recounted in Dante's Inferno and Manfred, written in 1885, draws inspiration from the poem of that name by Byron. The Voyevoda is described as a symphonic ballad and is based on a poem by Mickiewicz. Other, smaller scale orchestral compositions include the Serenade for strings, the popular Italian Capriccio, and rather less well known, four orchestral suites. Tchaikovsky thought little of his 1812 Overture, with its patriotic celebration of victory against Napoleon seventy years before, while Marche Slave had a topical patriotic purpose. Souvenir de Florence, originally for string sextet, was completed in 1892 in its final version. Concertos The first of Tchaikovsky's three piano concertos has become the most generally popular of all romantic piano concertos. The second concerto is less well known, while the third, started in 1893, consists of a single movement Allegro de concert. Tchaikovsky's single Violin Concerto, rejected as being too difficult by the leading violinist in Russia, Leopold Auer, later found a firm place in repertoire. For solo cello Tchaikovsky wrote the Rococo Variations and the Pezzo capriccioso. Shorter pieces for violin and orchestra include the Sérénade mélancholique and the Valse-scherzo. Souvenir d'un lieu cher, written as an expression of gratitude for hospitality to Madame von Meck, was originally for violin and piano. Chamber Music Tchaikovsky's chamber music includes three string quartets. The slow movement of the first of these has proved very popular both in its original form and in an arrangement by the composer for cello and string orchestra. The Andante funébre of the third quartet also exists in an arrangement by the composer for violin and piano. Piano Music Tchaikovsky provided a quantity of music for the piano, particularly in the form of shorter pieces suited to the lucrative amateur market. Collections of pieces published by the composer include The Seasons, a set of twelve pieces, one for each month, and a number of sets of pieces of varying degrees of difficulty. Vocal Music Tchaikovsky wrote a considerable quantity of songs and duets, including settings of Goethe's Mignon songs as well as of verses by a number of his contemporaries. Misha Elman  Mikhail Saulovich 'Mischa' Elman (January 20, 1891 – April 5, 1967) was a Ukrainian-born violinist, famed for his passionate style and beautiful tone. Early life He was born in the small town of Talnoye near Kiev. His grandfather was a klezmer, a Jewish folk musician, who also played the violin. It became apparent when Mischa was very young that he had perfect pitch, but his father hesitated about a career as a musician, since musicians were not very high on the social scale. He finally gave in, and gave Mischa a miniature violin, on which he soon learned several tunes by himself. Soon thereafter, he was taken to Odessa, where he studied at the Imperial Academy of Music. Pablo de Sarasate gave him a recommendation, stating that he could become one of the great talents of Europe. He auditioned for Leopold Auer at the age of 11, playing the Wieniawski Concerto No. 2 and 24th Caprice by Paganini. Auer was so impressed that he had Elman admitted to the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Elman was still only a boy when Auer arranged for him to play with the famous Colonne Orchestra during their visit to Pavlovsk. Knowing Édouard Colonne's hatred of child prodigies, Auer did not tell him Elman's age when making the arrangements, and not until the famous conductor saw young Mischa waiting to go on the platform did he realize that he had engaged a child. He was furious, and flatly refused to continue with the programme. Frantic attempts were made to assure him that Elman had the recommendation of Auer himself and was well capable of doing justice to the music, but Colonne was adamant, " I have never yet played with a child, and I refuse to start now," he retorted. So Elman had to play with piano accompaniment while conductor and orchestra sat listening. [1] Career as musician In 1903, Elman began to play concerts in the homes of wealthy patrons of the arts, and he made his Berlin debut in 1904, creating a great sensation. His London debut in 1905 included the British premiere of Alexander Glazunov's Violin Concerto in A minor. He played in Carnegie Hall in 1908, making a great impression on his American audience. The Elman family moved to the United States, and Mischa became a citizen in 1923. In 1917, he was elected to honorary membership in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. He sometimes performed in as many as 107 concerts in a 29-week season. In 1943, he gave the premiere of Bohuslav Martinů's second concerto, which was written for him. Sales of his records exceeded two million. A frequent accompanist in chamber works during Elman's early American career was Emmanuel Bay, who was born on exactly the same day as he was, January 20, 1891. But Elman also performed and recorded with Josef Bonime, Carroll Hollister and others, and from 1950, his steady accompanist and recital partner was Joseph Seiger. He also briefly performed and made recordings with the Mischa Elman String Quartet. Elman died on April 5, 1967 in New York City, a few hours after completing a rehearsal with Seiger. He is buried in the Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Elman's recorded legacy spanned just over 60 years: his first 78 rpm discs were made for Pathe, in Paris, in 1906; his final LP sessions were for Vanguard, in New York, shortly before his death. The greatest part of his discography was recorded for HMV and Victor, with whom he had an exclusive relationship through 1950. Thereafter, he recorded for Decca/London and later the Vanguard recording group. Unlike his contemporary, Jascha Heifetz, Elman's work has never been re-issued in a systematic manner. He was also noted by several people, including Hilary Hahn, to have sacrificed posture to get into high positions because of his wide fingers. He also had long fingernails which he used for support. compiled by wikipedia Vladimir Altschuler  Biography written by http://www.musicrussian.com/ Conductor of The Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmony Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmony Chamber Orchestra Vladimir Altschuler is оnе of the most sought after Russian conductors. In 2002 he conducted symphony concerts in Lisbon, Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Skopje, toured in the UK with the St.-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and also performed in Russia: Moscow, Nizhniy Novgorod, and in his native city St.-Petersburg. During the last four years he had bееn а permanent member of the jury of the International Young Conductors' Competition in Lisbon. Some of his most interesting programs during the recent seasons were: the cycle "Nine Symphonies bу Bruckner" which will bе finished by а реrformance of the 9th Symphony оn January 18, 2003, the concert dedicated to the memory of Еvgeny Mravinski; the cycle "The Four Orfeos" in which the four operas bу Monteverdi, Rossi, Telemann, Gluck will bе performed in the authentic style оn the stage of the Big Наll of the Philharmony (the first piece of the cycle -- "Orfeo" bу Monteverdi became а Russian premiere. In the year of the 300th anniversary of the founding of St.-Petersburg the Chamber Orchestra of the St.-Petersburg Philharmony, headed bу Maestro Altschuler, will perform а cycle of соnсеrts "The Music of St.-Petersburg Court", in which the music by Imperial Court kapellmeisters from the beginning of the 18th century up to the 20th century will bе presented (each program includes premieres of new compositions). In 1995 Maestro Altschuler toured with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (Dublin) in five cities of Ireland with programs dedicated to Russian composers. The tour ended with а concert and а CD recording in Dublin; directly afterwards, Altschuler conducted а concert in Belfast with the same orchestra. Vladimir Altschuler graduated from the Leningrad State Conservatoire in 1970 as а violist in the class of Professor Youri Кrаmаrоv and as аn оperа and symphony conductor in 1983 in the class of Professor Alexander Dmitriev. Since 1969 Vladimir Altschuler has been working in the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmony. In 1982 he was appointed as the principal of the viola group. Vladimir Altschuler was the founder of the String Quartet of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmony. For some years he worked as the professor of the Quartet class in the Saint-Petersburg Conservatoire and headed the Chamber Orchestra of the Conservatoire in 1984-1989. Vladimir Altschuler has conducted symphony and chamber orchestras in the concert venues of the Saint-Petersburg Philharmony, the Academic Сареllа and the Conservatoire. Не has also conducted symphony соnсеrts in Moscow, Tomsk, Gorkiy, Saratov, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg (former Sverdlovsk), etc. Не has also successfully performed with chambers and symphony orchestras in Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Norway, Turkey, Finland, Republic of Коrеа, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal and the UK. Vladimir Altschuler is the first interpreter of а number of works by contemporary Russian composers: Ustvolskaia, Falik, Tsitovich, Agababov, Aslamazov, Bibik, etc. Не has also made а number of recordings, radio and tv broadcasts. Vladimir Altschuler has performed with manу famous musicians such as V. Tretiakov, L. Веrmаn, G. Sokolov, N. Gutman, В. Gutnikov, V. Кrаinеv, I. Monigetti, V. Rudin, G. Каrr, М. Laforet, М. O'Rourke, М. О'Соnnоr, N. Robson, А. Schmidt, J.-Y. Thibaudet. Vladimir Altschuler made а number of recordings for CDs, gramophone records, radio and tv programs. |