Spring 2005 Europe / UK Tour
Performances
March 2005
On Tour
30 Wed
Barbican Centre
London
Program
- Taneyev
- John of Damascus, op. No. 1
- Rachmaninov
- Piano Concerto No. 2
- Taneyev
- Symphony No. 4 in C minor
Generous support provided by Baglioni Hotels
Conductor:
Guest Artists:
Nikolai Lugansky, Piano
On Tour
31 Thu
Barbican Centre
London
Program
- Scriabin
- Reverie
- Rachmaninov
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Taneyev
- At the Reading of a Psalm, op. 2
Generous support provided by Baglioni Hotels
Conductor:
Guest Artists:
Nikolai Lugansky, Piano
April 2005
On Tour
01 Fri
Concertgebouw
Amsterdam
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
On Tour
02 Sat
Theater aan de Parade
Hertogenbosch
Program
- Private Concert. By Invitation Only
- Mozart
- Concert-Rondo
- Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
- Bach
- Piano Concerto in F Minor
- Beethoven
- Piano Concerto No. 2
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
On Tour
03 Sun
Concertgebouw
Amsterdam
Program
- Mozart
- Concert-Rondo
- Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor
- Bach
- Piano Concerto in F minor
- Beethoven
- Piano Concerto No. 2
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
On Tour
06 Wed
Historische Stadthalle
Wuppertal
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
On Tour
07 Thu
Tonhalle
Dusseldorf
Program
- Glinka
- Valse Fantaisie
- Rachmaninov
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
Nikolai Lugansky, Piano
On Tour
10 Sun
Festpielhaus
Baden Baden
Program
- Glinka
- Valse Fantaisie
- Rachmaninov
- Piano Concerto No. 3
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
Nikolai Lugansky, Piano
On Tour
14 Thu
Palazzo dei Congressi
Lugano
Program
- Mussorgsky (arr. by Rimsky-Korsakov)
- Introduction and Polonaise from Boris Godunov
- Chopin
- Piano Concerto No. 2
- Scriabin
- Reverie
- Scriabin
- The Poem of Ecstasy
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
On Tour
15 Fri
Victoria Hall
Geneva
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
On Tour
16 Sat
Tonhalle
St. Gallen
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
On Tour
17 Sun
Tonhalle
Zurich
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
On Tour
18 Mon
Kultur-Casino
Bern
Program
- Bizet/Shchedrin
- Carmen Suite
- Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5
Conductor:
March 2005
On Tour
01 Tue
Manoukian Cultural Centre
London
Program
- Pletnev
- Piano Quintet for Flute, Three Strings and Piano (UK Premiere)
- Dvorak
- Piano Quintet in A Major op. 18
- Featuring Soloists of the RNO
Maxim Rubtsov (flute)
Alexei Bruni (violin)
Fyodor Shevrekuko (violin)
Sergey Doubov (viola)
Alexander Gotgelf (cello)
with Mikhail Pletnev (piano)
- Concert benefits The Russian National Orchestra Trust
- For further information please contact Nouneh Sarkissian.
Conductor:
Guest Artist:
Reviews
The Independent, London
The first evening opened with Taneyev's Opus 1, his three-movement cantata
John of Damascus, [which] evolved in superbly controlled slow waves of choral-orchestral counterpoint. It was clear why Taneyev has been called "the Russian Brahms", even if the work later ran to an un-Brahmsian fugal knees-up before returning to the serene gravity of its opening. An
impressive achievement.
"[In] Taneyev's Symphony No 4... Pletnev's conviction was palpable, and the RNO responded with intensity.
"[At] its second concert,... orchestra and soloist Nikolai Lugansky struck a fiery trail of sparks through Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 3.
"[In] Taneyev's Symphony No 4... Pletnev's conviction was palpable, and the RNO responded with intensity.
"[At] its second concert,... orchestra and soloist Nikolai Lugansky struck a fiery trail of sparks through Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 3.
The Independent, London
...the performance [of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2] had a certain
sweep, partly conveyed by the depth and lavish quality of the string tone,
which was outstanding...
"An altogether better case for [Taneyev's] genuine if fitful talent was made by the first work, his early cantata St. John of Damascus. With orchestral writing as sombre as it comes, and choral writing borrowing its fugal fabric from Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, this setting of a Biblically inspired text shows an austere mind approaching a compositional task with an intellectual rigour not far off fervour. The result is bold, monumental and undeniably powerful.
"An altogether better case for [Taneyev's] genuine if fitful talent was made by the first work, his early cantata St. John of Damascus. With orchestral writing as sombre as it comes, and choral writing borrowing its fugal fabric from Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, this setting of a Biblically inspired text shows an austere mind approaching a compositional task with an intellectual rigour not far off fervour. The result is bold, monumental and undeniably powerful.
The Observer
[Lugansky] was on brilliant, mercurial form [in] Rachmaninov's third
concerto, with Pletnev drawing some wonderful, whispering accompaniment from his world-class orchestra. This was a performance of supreme musicianship.
The Telegraph, London
Lugansky's interpretations [of Rachmaninov's Second and Third Piano
Concertos] attested not only to his deep preparatory thoughts on what the
music was telling him, but also to his love of the music and his respect for
the way it was proportioned. Mikhail Pletnev... conducted the Russian
National Orchestra with a seasoned ear for the scoring's sonorities,
achieving an ideal balance of timbres and a close rapport with the soloist.
"[Taneyev's] cantatas, "John of Damascus" and "On the Reading of a Psalm", came across lustily, thanks to the powerful singing of the Moscow State Chamber Choir and to Pletnev's skill at controlling large forces with a meticulous ear for detail.
"[Taneyev's] cantatas, "John of Damascus" and "On the Reading of a Psalm", came across lustily, thanks to the powerful singing of the Moscow State Chamber Choir and to Pletnev's skill at controlling large forces with a meticulous ear for detail.
The Evening Standard
The Symphony No. 4 [is] Taneyev's instrumental masterpiece. The dominant
mode of the symphony's first movement is fiery and hurtling, a mode that
Pletnev exploited with exhilarating if sometimes harsh results. [In] the
Adagio, Pletnev brought his customary sensitivity to bear on a theme that
rose passionately, but peaked with infinite tenderness.
The Guardian
Pletnev's advocacy [of Taneyev's music] is admirable and the playing of his
orchestra was first-rate.
The Times
It says much for the pulling power of Mikhail Pletnev's 15-year-old Russian
National Orchestra that they could devote the best part of two nights at the
Barbican to the music of Sergei Taneyev and still attract good houses... His
best orchestral music is probably the Fourth Symphony [and] Pletnev and his
band played it with passion.