I had reviewed some of Dossin’s recordings for the now defunct magazine Clavier, and expected good things. It was more than good. I was bowled over by the technique, the musicianship, the beauty of his interpretations and the way he made himself invisible, allowing the composers’ intentions to come through. Continue reading Pianist Alexandre Dossin Shines in Russian “Winter Nights”
All of the composers were Russian, as befits the mission of the Foundation, with many familiar exerpts from works by Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov (of course), and Katchaturian. Most were upbeat and cheerful, even the familiar Spanish Dance of Shostakovich which lacked any of the angst so often underlying his music. Continue reading Russian Chamber Music in a Light Hearted Vein, With More to Come
Alfred Schnittke’s Piano Quintet, completed about 35 years after the previous quintet, is a very different work. This is full of sadness, as Schnittke mourned the death of his mother and then the death of Shostakovich. It’s not an easy work to assimilate, the atonal music having little by way of melody or comfortable harmonies. Violinist Mikhail Shmidt had worked with the composer in Moscow and described him as a modest, shy man who thought others’ music better than his own. Continue reading Hamelin Treats Seattle to a Cheery Shostakovich and Dolorous Schnittke
The sound of Russian voices pervaded the lobby at Benaroya Hall Wednesday night as the local community turned out en masse to hear the legendary Mariinsky Orchestra from St. Petersburg under equally legendary conductor Valery Gergiev on the Seattle Symphony’s Visiting Orchestra Series.
In the auditorium, the orchestra confirmed its stature as it performed a program of Russian favorites. Continue reading Mariinsky Orchestra Visits, Plays, Conquers
