Symphony concert in honour of Kirill Kondrashin’s centenary

The symphony orchestra under the direction of Mikhail Tatarnikov is putting on a performance in honour of Kirill Kondrashin’s centenary. One of the leading conductors of the mid-twentieth century, Kondrashin worked at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in 1936–1943. He had a direct hand in fostering the traditions at the heart of the Mikhailovsky Theatre symphony orchestra’s current status as a thriving collective. The concert programme consists of compositions taken from Kirill Kondrashin’s repertoire as a conductor which premiered in the Soviet Union under his direction. On the evening of 19 April, the works of Weber, Hindemith, Shchedrin, and Shostakovich will be performed in the concert hall.

In the words of Musical Director and Principal Conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre Mikhail Tatarnikov:

"The idea of a concert in memory of Kirill Kondrashin germinated over time through deliberations with our Music Consultant Vladimir Goryachikh, and we were highly judicious in putting together the programme. I should say that the basic selection criteria focusing on the works which were first heard in our country under Kondrashin’s direction left us with a wide range of choices. It was with daring, intuition and discernment that Kondrashin introduced a wide gamut of remarkable music to his audience. I thought it would be fascinating to bring together the overture to Carl Maria von Weber’s Oberon and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Weber in the same programme — making for a kind of diptych. It is often said that as a composer Hindemith is ‘not for everyone’, and there is some truth to that. I would go as far as to say he is perhaps ‘not for Russians’. He is too cerebral, too prone to mathematical formulations. However, it is very beneficial for the orchestra to be familiar with his work. Even more importantly, he is so rarely played in Russia that the very opportunity to hear his work live, rather than recorded, is a real treat for music lovers. I think this decision will meet with appreciation: just as last year, people came all the way from other cities to hear the works of Britten, they will now make the journey for Hindemith, I am sure of it.

“The public will then be brought out of their ‘deep meditative state’ with Naughty Limericks. There is no better piece to ‘cleanse the palate’ and lift the tension of trance-inducing conceptual music. The spry essence of Rodion Shchedrin’s Naughty Limericks lives up to its name. It is a bright and vivacious composition, well loved by many a seasoned maestro, including Temirkanov and Gergiev; although, in my opinion, it is not so much a ‘conductor’s piece’ as an ‘orchestra piece’. The composer has meticulously pinned everything down, leaving little room for ‘interpretation’ — rather relying on the mastery, coherence, and virtuosity of the orchestra.

“Works by Shostakovich comprise the second half of the concert. We will hear his Fourth Symphony, a work of colossal and tragic power that I can barely even discuss without being emotionally affected. Composed during a very difficult period in the composer’s life, following Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, this was his first symphonic endeavour of this grand a scale. As far as I’m concerned, it was at this point that Shostakovich attained true greatness. But back then, the composer was forced to forgo having a premiere. The Fourth Symphony was performed for the first time in 1961, and it was Kirill Kondrashin who ushered it into the world of music.”