The Moscow Soloists was assembled by Yuri Bashmet from the finest talents of the renowned Moscow Conservatory. The string ensemble made its debut in May 1992 with a concert at the big hall of their alma mater and at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.
In the two decades since, this acclaimed chamber group has performed more than 1,500 times in more than 60 countries across the world, including at concerts in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, London’s Barbican and Royal Albert Hall and the Tivoli in Copenhagen.
It has been hailed as one of the finest orchestras in this genre, with a wide-ranging repertoire that has paired it with noted Russian soloists such as Sviatoslav Richter (piano), Gidon Kremer (violin), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) and Viktor Tretyakov (violin), and foreign artists such as Sarah Chang (violin, USA), Barbara Hendricks (soprano, USA), James Galway (flute, USA), Lynn Harrell (cello, USA), Mario Brunello (cello, Italy) and Thomas Quasthoff (bass, Germany).
Its recordings have won accolades and awards, including a Grammy for its 2008 ONYX recording of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.
The ensemble is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its founding with a world tour taking in more than 80 cities, including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, Rome, Warsaw, Helsinki, London, Geneva, Verbier, Washington, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Minsk and Kiev. They will play in Singapore for one night only on May 25, 2012.
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Want to win a pair of tickets to catch Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists in concert? All you have to do is answer the following question by commenting on this post.
Tell us, in 100 words or less, who is your favourite Russian composer or what is your favourite Russian piece of music and why?
Below the comment, include your FULL name, email address, and contact details.
The two most creative answers will win a pair of tickets each! Contest closes on 19th May 2012, at 2359hrs. Winners will be notified by email on 20th May.
The Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists concert is proudly sponsored by global energy company, Gazprom group. For more information, visit http://bashmetinsingapore.com/
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 at this moment!
ReplyDeleteA deeply moving piece marking his recovery from a painful depression. Characterised by rich sonorities and singing melodies, it is also charged with an impassioned melancholy and majestic resolution.
Jeff Low Youzhi
jefflowyz@gmail.com
81210317
The reader thinks that good music transcends cultures, nationalities, even human themselves. Take “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, where fictional Prince Gvidon get turned into an insect. I’m unsure how many of my friends play with insects these days, but I’m certain this insect is well played with, on almost every instrument, transcribed by his fellow countryman and others around the world, played on TV and in the Guinness World of records. Ignoring those who love bees only for its honey, this bee is well loved by many, even when its buzzing around them in the concert hall.
ReplyDeleteJoshua Koo
zz85nus @ gmail.com
8554-2708
I have a few Russian composers that I enjoy: Tchaikovsky for his ballet music, Rimsky-Korsakov for the wonderful orchestral colours, Shostakovich for his symphonies but if I have to name just one composer and a piece of music, it would have to be Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. No other work for me comes close in terms of its immense intensity and sheer power. Strangely for me, Stravinsky was an acquired taste that came late in my music appreciation. The first listening just blew me away literally and from then on, my musical taste was never the same again!
ReplyDeleteLiang
chualiangyou(AT)gmail(DOT)com
An unforgettable piece, striking in its "Russian-ness," is Mussorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov. Basing its libretto on a play by Alexander Pushkin, Boris retells the problematic history of the 16th-century Tsar Boris Godunov.
ReplyDeleteMussorgsky’s score draws the listener into extremes – the grandeur pervading Boris’ coronation scene is powerfully contrasted by the intimacy of his profound personal utterances. The chorus’ lamentations paint a heartbreaking depiction of Russia’s troubled people. Boris Godunov “does justice to history” not by the accuracy of its retelling, but by its ability to stir the imagination and create, for modern viewers, a window of empathy with the past.
Tan Wen-Yi
tan.wenyi90[at]gmail[dot]com