Moscow Chamber Orchestra «Musica Viva» (Musica Viva) |

Live Music

The history of the orchestra dates back to 1978, when the violinist and conductor V. Kornachev founded an ensemble of 9 young enthusiasts, graduates of Moscow musical universities. In 1988, the ensemble, which by that time had grown into an orchestra, was headed by Alexander Rudin, with whom the name “Musica Viva” came (live music – lat.). Under his leadership, the orchestra acquired a unique creative image and reached a high level of performance, becoming one of the leading orchestras in Russia.

Today, Musica Viva is a universal musical group, feeling free in a variety of styles and genres. In the refined programs of the orchestra, along with universally recognized masterpieces, musical rarities sound. The orchestra, which owns many performing styles, always strives to get as close as possible to the original appearance of the work, sometimes already indistinguishable behind the dense layers of performing clichés.

The quintessence of the orchestra’s creative projects was the annual cycle “Masterpieces and Premieres” in the Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky, in which musical masterpieces appear in their original splendor, and musical rarities extracted from oblivion become genuine discoveries.

Musica Viva successfully implements major creative projects – operas in concert performance and oratorios with the participation of outstanding foreign singers and conductors. Under the direction of Alexander Rudin, Haydn’s oratorios The Creation of the World and The Seasons, the operas Idomeneo by Mozart, Oberon by Weber, Fidelio by Beethoven (in the 1st edition), Schumann’s Requiem, oratorio Triumphant Judith were performed in Moscow » Vivaldi, “The Last Sufferings of the Savior” C.F.E. Bach and “Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow” by Degtyarev, “Paul” by Mendelssohn. In collaboration with the British maestro Christopher Moulds, the Russian premieres of Handel’s operas Orlando, Ariodant and the oratorio Hercules were staged. In 2016 at the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky in Moscow hosted a concert performance of Hasse’s oratorio “I Pellegrini al Sepolcro di Nostro Signore” (Russian premiere) and Handel’s opera (Serenata) “Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus” (Italian version of 1708). One of the brightest experiments of Musica viva and Maestro Rudin was the ballet divertissement “Variations on a Rococo Theme” by Tchaikovsky, staged by the ballerina and choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia Marianna Ryzhkina on the same stage.

A large place in the repertoire of the orchestra is occupied by the performance of undeservedly forgotten works: for the first time in Russia, the orchestra performed the works of Handel, the sons of J.S. Bach, Cimarosa, Dittersdorf, Dussek, Pleyel, Tricklier, Volkmann, Kozlovsky, Fomin, Vielgorsky, Alyabyev, Degtyarev and many others. The orchestra’s wide stylistic range allows the orchestra to perform both historical musical rarities and works by contemporary composers at an equally high level. Over the years, Musica Viva has performed premieres of works by E. Denisov, V. Artyomov, A. Pärt, A. Sallinen, V. Silvestrov, T. Mansuryan and others.

Immersion in the materials of this or that era has led to a number of almost archaeological musical finds. This is how the Silver Classics cycle appeared, which started in 2011. It is based on music that is not included in the “golden” repertory fund. As part of this cycle, there is a youth program presenting new laureates of international competitions, as well as the annual Cello Assemblies, in which the maestro himself performs together with his fellow cellists.

As a mirror image of the same idea, in the Concert Hall. Rachmaninov (Philharmonia-2), a series of concerts “Golden Classics” appeared, in which popular classics sound in a careful and carefully adjusted interpretation of Maestro Rudin.

Recently, the Musica viva orchestra has been paying special attention to concert programs for children and youth. Both cycles of concerts – “The Curious Alphabet” (Popular Musical Encyclopedia) (Rakhmaninov Concert Hall) and “Musica Viva for Children” (MMDM Chamber Hall) – are carried out in collaboration with musicologist and presenter Artyom Vargaftik.

The largest musicians of the world cooperate with Musica Viva, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Vladimir Yurovsky, Andras Adorian, Robert Levin, Andreas Steyer, Eliso Virsaladze, Natalia Gutman, Ivan Monighetti, Nikolai Lugansky, Boris Berezovsky, Alexei Lyubimov, Giuliano Carmignola, Isabelle Faust, Thomas Zetmeier, Antoni Marwood, Shlomo Mintz, prima donnas of the world opera scene: Joyce DiDonato, Annick Massis, Vivica Geno, Deborah York, Susan Graham, Malena Ernman, M. Tzencic, F. Fagioli, Stephanie d’Ustrak, Khibla Gerzmava , Yulia Lezhneva and others. World-famous choirs – Collegium Vocale and “Latvia” performed with the orchestra.

Musica Viva is a regular participant of international music festivals. The orchestra has toured in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Turkey, India, China, Taiwan. Annually tours the cities of Russia.

The orchestra has recorded more than twenty discs, including for the labels “Russian Season” (Russia – France), Olympia and Hyperion (Great Britain), Tudor (Switzerland), Fuga Libera (Belgium), Melodiya (Russia). The last work of the collective in the field of sound recording was the album of the Cello Concertos by Hasse, K.F.E. Bach and Hertel (soloist and conductor A. Rudin), released in 2016 by Chandos (Great Britain) and highly appreciated by foreign critics.

Information provided by the press service of the orchestra