Chamber Orchestra concerts
The Mikhailovsky Theatre’s Chamber Orchestra will delight discerning audiences this season with masterpieces of French and English Baroque music and an anniversary musical performance dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach. Chamber Orchestra Conductor Igor Tomashevsky describes the three chamber music evenings which, by tradition, will be held in the intimate setting of the dress circle foyer.
"The selection of the programme for the new chamber cycle has been largely dictated by the size of the space where we will hold our concerts. A small drawing room accommodating an audience of less than 100 is most comparable to the small halls used to host society and court assemblies, where the history of ensemble and orchestral concerts began. And, of course, this history features the glorious names of the masters of Baroque music.
"In addition to being able to enjoy timeless masterpieces that have been winning people’s hearts for more than 300 years, we now have access to another refined pleasure: not only are we able to listen to old melodies and harmonies, we can now reproduce their original acoustics and style. This is not simply some sort of culturally exotic novelty. It is a way to engage in a completely different way of thinking and perceiving the world. After all, a musical phrase from the Baroque period differs in both spirit and essence from modern music-making in the same way that ancient annals differ from contemporary literary texts.
"We conducted such an experiment for the first time last season, when we performed the works of Henry Purcell in their authentic style. This season, we want to begin to engage with music from a country which is richly represented in the history of the Baroque era: France. Since we are limited to the time available in a single concert, we selected works and composers considered to be representative of this musical period in France: Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. On 27 September, we will perform excerpts from their works, including the opera Armide and the opéra-ballet Les Indes galantes. The selection of these works naturally led to soloists from our opera company joining the fold. Natalia Mironova, Sofia Fainberg, and Boris Stepanov will perform at the first concert.
“March of this year marked the 330-year anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. Our second chamber evening, which will take place on 25 October, will therefore be devoted entirely to his work, featuring his instrumental concertos. These works share a common name, but in reality they represent a surprisingly diverse musical world. Along with works for solo instruments, we will present the famous Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 for String Orchestra.
“Last season, we were inspired by the outcome of the first concert, which was dedicated to the English Baroque genius Henry Purcell. That programme featured his instrumental compositions. We will dedicate a new performance, which is scheduled for 22 November, to his opera Dido and Aeneas. After all, this was the work that brought Purcell worldwide fame. It is impossible to imagine the history of musical theatre without it. As with the first evening of the new cycle, soloists from our opera company will participate in the presentation of this masterpiece.”
