24.11.2016
The Violin Ensemble of the Mikhailovsky Theatre
On 4 December, as part of a series of chamber music concerts, audiences will for the first time be presented with a violin ensemble formed within the Mikhailovsky Theatre.
This ensemble’s concert, however, should not be viewed as the grand debut of a new musical body. It is, rather, the first public outing of an informal collective of musicians who have decided to bring pleasure to music lovers with a virtuoso performance of famous works, a number of them in unconventional arrangements.
“Whilst the programme naturally includes popular compositions for violin, that is not all we have in store. In addition, we have prepared transpositions of fragments from well-known operas and ballets, among them Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and War and Peace,” reveals violinist Vladimir Pogoretsky. “But I don’t want to give too much away. I believe the audience will take especial pleasure in listening to fourteen violins play in unison, each of which, as in a choral ensemble, performs a particular vocal part. A violin, of course, is about bel canto, it’s a voice, and with them we create a chorus of our own.”
According to the group’s members, participation in an ensemble of this kind is, for a violinist, both a fascinating experience and a significant event. Whilst many played in ensembles at music school, there are currently no professional groups of this kind in St. Petersburg. The musicians also note that, as they spend a large part of their time in the orchestra pit, such an opportunity for direct eye-to-eye contact with their audience is a very important emotional factor for them.
In the Soviet Union the Violin Ensemble of the Bolshoi Theatre enjoyed enormous popularity. It was founded by People’s Artist of the RSFSR Yuly Reentovich, and existed for some thirty years. The violinists of the Bolshoi Ensemble performed with opera singers and a great variety of solo instruments, creating unique arrangements. Their sound was just as good, and often even more interesting, than that of an orchestra.
This ensemble’s concert, however, should not be viewed as the grand debut of a new musical body. It is, rather, the first public outing of an informal collective of musicians who have decided to bring pleasure to music lovers with a virtuoso performance of famous works, a number of them in unconventional arrangements.
“Whilst the programme naturally includes popular compositions for violin, that is not all we have in store. In addition, we have prepared transpositions of fragments from well-known operas and ballets, among them Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and War and Peace,” reveals violinist Vladimir Pogoretsky. “But I don’t want to give too much away. I believe the audience will take especial pleasure in listening to fourteen violins play in unison, each of which, as in a choral ensemble, performs a particular vocal part. A violin, of course, is about bel canto, it’s a voice, and with them we create a chorus of our own.”
According to the group’s members, participation in an ensemble of this kind is, for a violinist, both a fascinating experience and a significant event. Whilst many played in ensembles at music school, there are currently no professional groups of this kind in St. Petersburg. The musicians also note that, as they spend a large part of their time in the orchestra pit, such an opportunity for direct eye-to-eye contact with their audience is a very important emotional factor for them.
In the Soviet Union the Violin Ensemble of the Bolshoi Theatre enjoyed enormous popularity. It was founded by People’s Artist of the RSFSR Yuly Reentovich, and existed for some thirty years. The violinists of the Bolshoi Ensemble performed with opera singers and a great variety of solo instruments, creating unique arrangements. Their sound was just as good, and often even more interesting, than that of an orchestra.
