YURI BASHMET AND MOSCOW SOLOISTS - 2008 Grammy Award Winner

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 8 pm ROY THOMSON HALL
Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 8 pm Orpheum Theatre

YURI BASHMET AND MOSCOW SOLOISTS

Grammy Award Winner 2008

"‘...without doubt, one of the world's greatest living musicians." – The Times (London)   

"… a string player of altogether uncanny powers." – New York Times

"To hear a more authentic performance would be impossible, a finer one inconceivable." – Evening Standard (London)

Program:

Edvard Grieg Holberg Suite for String Orchestra

Max Bruch Kol Nidrei (old Jewish prayer) for Viola and Strings op 40

Soloist - Yuri Bashmet

Igor Stravinsky Concerto in D Minor for Strings

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Niccolò Paganini Concertino in A Minor for Viola and Orchestra

Soloist - Yuri Bashmet

Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence (version for string orchestra)

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YUI BASHMET, Conductor and Solo Viola

Through his virtuosity, strength of personality and high intelligence, Yuri Bashmet has given the viola a new prominence in musical life. The pre-eminent viola player of the modern age, he has motivated the leading composers of our time to expand the repertoire with significant new music. In addition, he holds the post of Principal Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of New Russia, and is the founder / director of Moscow Soloists. He also appears throughout the world in the dual role of conductor / soloist.

Born in 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in Russia, he spent his childhood in Lvov in Ukraine before studying at the Moscow Conservatoire with Vadim Borisovsky (of the Beethoven Quartet) and Feodor Druzhinin. His international career was launched in 1976 when he won the International Viola Competition in Munich. Since then he has appeared with all the world's great orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston, Chicago and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, who presented their own Yuri Bashmet Festival.

He has inspired many composers to write for him, and has enjoyed strong personal and professional relationships with Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina in particular. Schnittke's Viola Concerto, written for him, is now firmly established in the repertoire. Other concertos composed for him include works by Poul Ruders, Alexander Tchaikovsky and Alexander Raskatov. He has also given the world premieres of Styx by Giya Kancheli, The Myrrh Bearer by John Tavener and On Opened Ground by Mark-Anthony Turnage - all of which were written for him.

In December 2002 Bashmet became Principal Conductor of the newly formed Symphony Orchestra of New Russia, with which he has embarked upon a series of concerts in Moscow, with touring plans in Russia, Italy, France and the UK. Other orchestras with which he appears as conductor / soloist include the Dresden Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Residentie Orkest Den Hague, Camerata Salzburg, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He is also founder of Moscow Soloists, an ensemble he has performed with and directed throughout the world since 1992. This renowned chamber orchestra has been rapturously received in Moscow, Amsterdam, Paris, Tokyo, New York and at the BBC Promenade Concerts in London.

In chamber music his closest collaborators have included Sviatoslav Richter, Gidon Kremer, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maxim Vengerov, Natalia Gutman, Viktoria Mullova and the Borodin Quartet. He tours as part of a trio with mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, showcasing music of the past and present for this unusual and evocative combination. He is a frequent visitor to summer festivals such as Elbe, Verbier and Martha Argerich's festival in Japan. He is also Artistic Director of the December Evenings festival in Moscow.

Among his many CDs is a recording for Deutsche Grammophon of the Gubaidulina Concerto and Kancheli Styx, winner of a Diapason d'Or award and a Grammy nomination. Other notable DG discs are Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Anne-Sophie Mutter (also on DVD), Brahms' Piano Quartet No 1 with Argerich, Kremer and Maisky, and (not yet released) the Bartók Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic and Boulez. For Onyx he and Moscow Soloists have recently recorded a disc of chamber symphonies by Shostakovich, Sviridoc and Vainberg, with a further recording of music by Stravinsky and Prokofiev planned later this year.

Described by The Times as "without doubt, one of the world's greatest living musicians", Yuri Bashmet brings an enquiring and perceptive mind to life beyond classical music; he is an enthusiast for the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and has hosted his own political discussion show on Russian television. He plays a 1758 Testore viola (a similar model to the one Mozart played) which he bought in 1971.

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MOSCOW SOLOISTS, chamber orchestra

In 1992, world renowned violist Yuri Bashmet founded the Moscow Soloists chamber orchestra by gathering together a group of young string players nominated by their professors as the most accomplished and gifted graduates of the Moscow Conservatory.

Now in its second formation, Moscow Soloists has established itself, in the words of the international press, as "one of the best in the world" ("Davar", Israel), "the voice of the nation" ("IL Tempo", Italy). The ensemble has performed in forty countries on five continents and regularly tours Europe, America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, appearing in such prestigious concert venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Musikverein in Vienna, Concertgebow in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Philharmonic Hall in Berlin, Barbican in London, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Cite de la Music in Paris, Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome, and many others.

The repertory of the Moscow Soloists is rich and diverse, comprised of masterpieces from the Classical canon, the works of contemporary composers, and works from the past which are less frequently performed. The programs of the Moscow Soloists are often marked by premieres of interesting and challenging new works by living composers. Expanding the repertoire for string orchestra is part of the mission of the group.

Many of the world's greatest musicians have performed as soloists with the ensemble, including Sviatoslav Richter, Gidon Kremer, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sarah Chang, Viktor Tretyakov, James Galway, Lynn Harrel, Olga Borodina, Yu Man and others.

Moscow Soloists has participated in major musical festivals including Rostropovich's Festival in Evian (France), Musical Festivals in Montreux and Verbier (Switzerland), Sydney Music Festival, Bath Music Festival (England), "Promenade-concerts" in London's Albert-Hall, "Prestige de la Music" in Pleyel, Paris, Sony-Classical in Champs-Elysees Theatre, "Semaines Musicales en Tours" (France), "December Nights" (Moscow), and many others.

Concerts by Moscow Soloists have been recorded by Onyx and Sony BMG and broadcast on television and radio in a number of countries, including broadcasts by the BBC, Bavarian Radio, Radio France, NHK, and others.

Toronto

Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 8 pm

Roy Thomson Hall

60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, ON

Box Office: 416-872-4255, www.Roythomson.com

Tickets: $45.00 - $90.00. Special VIP packages available

Vancouver

Thursday, February 19, 2009, 8 PM

Orpheum Theatre

884 Granville St, Vancouver

Box Office: 604-280-4444, www.Ticketmaster.ca

Tickets: $35.00 - $90.00

SAVE when you purchase tickets for Yuri Bashmet and The Moscow Soloists AND National Philharmonic Of Russia With Conductor Vladimir Spivakov and Soloist Denis Matsuev! Sign up to recieve a special offer on our home page.

Press

Thursday, February 19, 2009 Show One – Yuri Bashmet and Moscow Soloists Review by Paula Citron View full review The great Russian viola player/conductor Yuri Bashmet and his Moscow Soloists arrived at Roy Thomson Hall with great fanfare. It was a concert of exquisite musicianship, but curiously lacking in fire. There is, however, enormous satisfaction garnered from music that is performed to perfection in a concert that is to be greatly admired, if not emotionally involving. From the very first selection, Grieg’s Holberg Suite for String Orchestra, one heard a sound that was astonishingly lush, so much so that the often maligned acoustics of Roy Thomson Hall sounded like the best recital hall in the world. With this work, Bashmet set the tone – a concert that served the composers absolutely, a concert where nuance, colour and modulation were the key – much like an art gallery of music, rather than music from the heart. Bashmet’s own viola playing in pieces by Bruch and Paganini lifted that instrument to new heights of light and darkness. Bashmet and his players made you listen.
Thursday, February 19, 2009 SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT REVIEW Review by Patrick P L Lam View full review There are Russian programs throughout the concert season – we hear them regularly – and then there are the really Russian programs; Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists being the latter. As violist, conductor and founder of the Moscow Soloists, Bashmet is clearly one of the most intensely communicative musicians of today and he demonstrated this quality tonight whether as a soloist, playing on his 1758 Testore viola (a model similar to the one Mozart played), or as leader of this chamber ensemble. Grieg’s Holberg Suite was pure bliss; rich basses and clean, vibrant, violins gave Grieg’s musical language both the requisite freshness and sheen. Bruch’s Kol Nidrei Op.47, originally conceived as an adagio for cello, showcased Bashmet as the consummate violist and despite its short duration, the music reflected the brilliance of Bashmet as he floated a deliciously rich tone over a sensitive accompaniment. The Concerto in D for Strings remains one of Stravinsky’s most colorful, yet difficult works, for string orchestra, and, perhaps for this reason, it is equally one of his least known compositions. The Concerto follows the traditional Baroque structure (fast-slow-fast), and, under Bashmet’s direction, the Moscow Soloists highlighted the piece’s varied textures and intricate rhythmic pulses. The first movement Vivace alternated between high-spirited humor and seductive nostalgia. The second movement Arioso was impressive and this rumbled into the beginnings of the third movement Rondo, where the coordination of the ensemble was put to full test – the chiseled melodies, amidst mysterious, buzzing, tremolandi, are interspersed between elegant, dance-like episodes – and its performance was magnificent. Bashmet impressed in Paganini’s Concertino in A Minor for Viola and Orchestra, his own version of a quartet for violin, guitar, viola and cello, with his bowing technique, and, together with the shimmering sounds from the ensemble, the audience burst into spontaneous applause at the end of each movement. Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet in D Minor, better known as the Souvenir de Florence, was performed tonight in its version for string orchestra. Here, Bashmet’s guidance was clear, summoning a sparkling sound from his players, his approach appeared to be that of a master gently encouraging his able charges. The first movement began quickly, beautifully paced in tempo and dynamic. The Adagio was rich and sonorous and the final Allegro was well defined. Bashmet conjured up three encores, the first of which turned out to be an unexpected highlight of the evening; the best performance of Albonini’s Adagio in G Minor heard in ages, with the quietest of dynamics, but maintaining, with clarity, the finest of details. After an enthusiastic cheer, Tōru Takemitsu’s arrangement of the Waltz from ‘Face of Another’ (1989), was given an enjoyably schmaltzy performance. Then, after a roar from the audience, Bashmet returned to the stage with his instrument to give an electrifying account of the Schnittke’s Polka, and his ensemble crackled with high-spirited energy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 YURI BASHMET & MOSCOW SOLOISTS Review by Stanley Fefferman View full review Tuesday, February 17, 2009, Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto Yuri Bashmet played Max Bruch’s Kol Nidre, Op. 40 on a Testore viola like the model Mozart used. Its singing voice, more redolent of hollow body than strings, is unforgettable. The music itself is a sublime blend of this unique instrumental voice, and a soaring Hebrew devotional melody not so emotionally different from the folk melodies Bruch chose for his Scottish Fantasy of 1880. In designing programs for his viola and the Moscow Soloist chamber string orchestra that he has been conducting since 1992, Bashmet gets involved with transcriptions. The Bruch was originally scored for solo cello, winds, brass, harp, timpani and strings. What transcribed pieces lose in orchestral richness, they gain in sharpness and elegance, a good trade-off. One of the strengths of Bashmet’s conducting is his ability to bring out a lot of colour and unusual spatial effects. Grieg’s Holberg Suite, for example, being a tribute to a the Danish writer Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754) and originally composed as a piano suite, opens with a Baroque “Praeludium” that sounds a bit like a Brandenburg Concerto, but with an added flair and an expansive sense of prairie landscape. The contrasting “Sarabande” while sober and reflective is unmistakably romantic in its sweep. The “Aria” is a bit of a tear-jerker in which the cellos do very remarkable work. The final “Rigaudon” is a knees-up fiddle piece recalling Vivaldi. It is also based on a folk theme, and is very well constructed. Perhaps the greatest challenge of the evening was Stravinsky’s little-known Concerto in D that shifts between D Major and D Minor throughout the work making difficult demands on conductor and instrumentalists alike. Maestro Bashmet led the orchestra through the rich score with a feather touch that brought out the composer’s characteristic rhythmic imbalances: the nervous, staccato, percussive voicings of the first movement, the ethereal indigo waltz of the “Arioso,” and the locomotive buzz of the enigmatic, comic “Rondo.” The music of the second half of the concert was interesting musically but was even more entertaining due to the all-round display of virtuosity. Bashmet rescored a Paganini quartet for violin, viola, guitar and cello into a work for solo viola and small orchestra. It is full of great tunes, many with a tsigane flair, and is enlivened by some awesome moto perpetuo passages for the soloist, and much alternation between soft and wild parts spiced with very skillful pizzicato. The evening was crowned with the turbulent and lyrical Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 by Tchaikovsky. The piece, scored down from the original full orchestral version is filled with folk melodies, Russian melancholic moods, and sparkling energy. After many offerings of flowers by pretty young men and women, Bashmet brought the evening back to ground with a hauntingly beautiful version of Bach’s Air on the G String.
Thursday, February 12, 2009 Russian Violist Brings His Unique Style to Roy Thomson Hall Review by Rita Poliakov View full review