2017-2018

The Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva will start its 39th concert season in 2017-2018 by performing at the "La folle journee" festival in Yekaterinburg in September.

The plans of the pre-jubilee year are copious and various in genre: baroque cantatas and serenades alongside with Russian and European contemporary music premiers, concerts in the best academic halls in Moscow and Russia - with open air, programs for sophisticated music lovers - with concerts for families.

"Masterpieces and Premiers" subscription cycle is the major project of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva. It reflects the main artistic trends of the orchestra and it will be held in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. The program includes the well known classical music and pieces rarely performed in Russia. The legendary German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, brilliantly gifted musician, will perform with Musica Viva at the opening concert of the cycle as part of his exclusive tour in Russia. The star-violinist and the conductor is at the height of his fame in the West at the moment. Maestro Tetzlaff's program will also be performed at Ryazan Philarmonia Concert Hall. Christian Tetzlaff is highly praised all over the world for his interpretation of music of different eras - from classicism and romanticism to contemporary music. Together with Musica Viva he will perform Mozart, Schoenberg, Haydn and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. According to Boston Globe "Tetzlaff's performance was bright and emotional but at the same time showing deep understanding of the music (….) however, in my opinion, the audience is enchanted by the openness and sincerity of Tetzlaff's performance". (5 October 2917 - Ryazan Philarmonia, 6 October 2017 - Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall).

The next concert of the cycle is compiled in an original way. The audience will have a chance to hear how organically two composers from different eras - Schubert and L.Berio fuse in the program. Seemingly so far apart they so naturally entwine in the Symphony 10, so called "Rendering" by Schubert. Since Schubert never finished it we have an opportunity to appreciate Berio's composition talent as well as his fine research and arrangement of Schubert 's music. One of the dazzling highlights of the program will be the participation of Spanish mezzo- soprano Maite Beaumont, who will visit Moscow for the first time to sing Luciano Berio's "Folk Songs". (18 January 2018 - Tchaikovsky Concert Hall).

Russian premiers of Hasse's "Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra" Serenade for soloists, strings and basso continuo, and Handel's "Appolo and Daphne" dramatic cantata for soprano, bass, strings and bass continuo, will be performed in Moscow by Natali Perez (soprano, France), Sharon Carty (mezzo soprano, Ireland) and well known to the Moscow audience Morgan Pearse (baritone, Australia). Alexander Rudin, conductor. (13 April 2018 - Tchaikovsky Concert Hall).

The Rachmaninov Concert Hall (Philarmonia-2) in the Olympic village will host the concerts of the Golden Classics cycle. It consists of several programs, which feature new interpretations of popular classical pieces performed by world-renowned musicians who specialize in baroque, romanticism and classicism eras. The program of the first concert consists of popular classical masterpieces by Vivaldi and Mozart as well as the unknown Vivaldi's Motet "In furore giustissimae irae" for soprano, strings and basso continuo. Music lovers will have a chance to enjoy a rare combination of soloists - Alexander Rudin (cello) and magnificent diva Anna Gorbacheva (soprano). (15 November 2017 - Philarmonia-2).

The fans of International Tchaikovsky Competition and its winner Dmitry Masleev (piano) will hear the first performance of the talented pianist with Musica Viva orchestra conducted by Maestro Rudin (Mozart Piano Concerto #24). The program also includes the rarely performed late piece by R.Strauss “Metamorphosen " - an etude for 23 string soloists. It was written by the 85 year-old composer on 12 April 1945, in Nurnberg which was being bombed by the American forces moving towards Berlin. (4 December 2017, Philarmonia-2).

The final concert of the Golden Classics cycle will be conducted by Cristopher Chen (Australia), well known all over the world, who will visit Moscow for the first time. His debut in Moscow is supported by Alexander Rudin (cello) who will play Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto with Musica Viva under the baton of Christopher Chen. (3 March 2018 - Philarmonia-2).

For several years now Rachmaninov Concert Hall (Philarmonia-2) has been hosting popular concerts by Musica Viva for the whole family called "An interesting Alphabet". The author and the host of this program is Artem Vargaftik, the well known Russian musicologist. Children and their parents learn musical language step by step, letter by letter, as well as getting acquainted with music of different composers (22 October 2017, 10 December 2017, 18 February 2018 - Philarmonia-2).

"Silver Classics. Cello assemblies of Alexander Rudin" held in the Chamber hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center is supported by the Moscow government and Moscow Culture Department's grant "Open Stage" this year. The Silver Classics cycle has been slightly refreshed for the audience this time. The initial idea of acquainting the public with unknown music of the classics and young soloists will be graced this year by the participation of Maestro Rudin in all the concerts. Alexander Rudin's famous colleagues, representing famous Conservatories of the world will take part in every concert on his invitation. But all of the invited soloists have one thing in common - they had all been studying at the Moscow Conservatory. Alongside with eminent musicians, their students and talented youth of Russian Conservatories will also take part in the concerts. Genuine atmosphere and the rich variety of the programs turn each one of these concerts into a mini-festival in the name of Cello. At the first concert of the seventh subscription cycle "Silver Classics" Alexander Rudin will introduce the professor of Huston University (USA) Vagram Saradjian (cello) to the Moscow public. The whole program is dedicated to Saint-Saëns music and includes Cello Concerto (soloist V.Saradjian), "La Muse et le poète" ( Soloists - Elena Korzhenevich, violin, and Alexander Rudin, cello) and “Le carnaval des animaux”. (17 October 2017- Chamber hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center).

The unique program of the second concert of Silver Classics consists of "cello rarities": Martinu's Sonata da camera for the cello and orchestra, Boccerini's duets for two cellos, P.Klimov's serenade for the cello and orchestra (world's premiere!). The partner of Maestro Rudin in this concert is professor of the Music High School in Gratz (Germany) Kerstin Felts (cello). (18 December 2017- Chamber hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center). The third concert is dedicated to Spanish and Latin American music: Boccerini D major Cello Concerto, “La casa del diavolo” and Villa Lobos Brazilian Bachiana N1 for the cello ensemble.

The invited soloist is professor of the Basel Academy of Music (Switzerland) Ivan Monighetti (cello), the famous cellist. The concert will end with the Brazilian Bachiana N1 for eight cellos performed by Alexander Rudin, Ivan Monigetti and their pupils and followers. (28 March 2018- Chamber hall of the Moscow International Performing Arts Center).

Musica Viva's concert at the IV Opera Apriori Festival is one of the highlights of the Moscow-based projects. It contains an extraordinary program of French baroque music and Stefani d'Ustrak, French mezzo- soprano will perform pieces by J-Ph. Rameau, F. Couperin, M-A Charpentier (conducted by A.Rudin). It is the second meeting of the singer with Musica Viva. She first performed with the orchestra in Moscow in 2014 singing Berlioz. Musica Viva has become kind of a resident orchestra of the Opera Apriori Festival, annually taking part in the festival with soloists of different styles. (17 March 2018- Tchaikovsky Concert Hall).

The concert performance of Rachmaninoff's Opera "Aleko" is scheduled for the 7th of November 2017 on stage of Russian Academic Youth theatre. Conductor – Alexander Rudin, artistic manager of the project - Anna Shafran, director - Alexei Veselkin. The project is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution of 1917. The Bolshoi Theatre soloists will take part in it: Petr Migunov, Vladimir Matorin, Boris Rudak. Zemphira will be sung by Svetlana Kasian and the Concert Choir of Schnittke Moscow State Music Institute conducted by Alexander Soloviev.

The concerts consisting of the music by the outstanding contemporary composers have special importance among the plans for the 2017-2018 season. They will be held at the Chamber Hall of the Moscow House of Music:

The program of Portuguese composer Venus Rei (22 February 2018)

Premiere of the specially composed "Van Gogh's Dreams" by Alexander Manotzkov and Sergei Akhunov (6 February 2018).

Musica Viva is a honored guest of Russian and international festivals, such as "La folle journee" (Ekaterinburg, 1-3 September 2017), "Eliso Versaladze invites" (Kurgan, 2 October 2017), summer Music festival in the castle of the city of Wilburg (Germany, July 2018).