RussiaFest - A celebration Of Russian Music

Russian classical music is some of the most passionate, full-blooded, and popular music ever written. The list of great Russian composers and works is a long one, and the VSO's RussiaFest celebrates the legacy of this extraordinary music tradition in three concerts showcasing the full spectrum of Russian works, from old to new, from popular to works that are less well known.

First up in RussiaFest is Freddy Kempf, a true piano sensation, and he makes his VSO debut in this concert. The London born phenom was BBC's Young Musician of the Year in 1992, and since then, the sky has been the limit. It is fitting that Mr. Kempf performs in RussiaFest - he is famous and beloved in Russia after, ironically, his third place finish in the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. Not winning the competition provoked passionate public protest and an outcry in the press, who proclaimed Mr. Kempf the "hero of the competition."

Since then, he has performed to full houses and loving audiences in every Russian engagement. Kempf will bring the house down with Rachmaninoff's lush and romantic Piano Concerto No.2. Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony is a true gem of the orchestral repertoire, a full and exciting musical experience that is rarely performed. Also on this program is Alexander Pechenyuk's Parallax, written for the project The New Stream initiated by Israeli composer and conductor Benjamin Yusupov in 2001. It was recorded by the Jerusalem Symphony, but has never been performed live - making this occasion the world premiere.

Violinist Vadim Gluzman caused quite a stir the last time he played with the VSO - that performance of Tchaikovsky is still being talked about. This extraordinarily talented artist returns to tackle Sofia Gubaidulina's achingly beautiful Offertorium for Violin and Orchestra, and Tchaikovsky/Glazunov's Souvenie d'un Lieu Cher. Offertorium for Violin and Orchestra was composed between 1979 and 1980 for the violinist Gidon Kremer. It is a piece that pays homage to J.S. Bach and Anton Webern, the two composers who influence Ms. Gubaidulina the most.

Structured more or less like a concerto, but played without pause between sections, the piece is a set of variations on a theme; the theme being a melody that King Frederick the Great of Prussia gave to Bach. Bach then used this as the basis for a score he created in tribute to the king, which he called The Musical Offering. Also on this cutting-edge program that combines old and new is the immense power and grandeur of Scriabin's sumptuous and erotic musical fantasy Poem of Ecstasy.

Between the two main concerts of RussiaFest falls a unique VSO presentation: a very rare performance of Mussorgsky's original Pictures at an Exhibition for solo piano, performed by local standout Avan Yu. Normally, one hears the epic orchestral version of Pictures, though many people do not realize that the piece started its life as a work for solo piano. Also, a chamber group of VSO players, led by Mark Fewer and Bramwell Tovey and augmented by the sublime narrative skills of Christopher Gaze, present yet another rare performance: Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale). L'Histoire is a profound exciting tale of the battle between a soldier and the devil, and coupled with Mussorgsky makes for a unique and exciting addition to RussiaFest. -- www.vancouversymphony.ca