State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia (State Chamber Orchestra of Russia) |

State Chamber Orchestra of Russia

The orchestra was created by the world famous violist and conductor Rudolf Barshay. He united young talented Moscow musicians into the first chamber orchestra in the USSR, created on the model of European ensembles (in particular, a chamber orchestra from the Federal Republic of Germany, conducted by Wilhelm Stross, toured in Moscow in September 1955). The official debut of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra (as the group was originally called) took place on March 5, 1956 in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, in February 1957 it entered the staff of the Moscow Philharmonic.

“The Chamber Orchestra represents an amazing excellence in music and performance. Characteristic for the artists of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra is the unity of history and modernity: without distorting the text and spirit of early music, the artists make it modern and young for our listeners,” wrote Dmitry Shostakovich.

In the 1950s and 60s, such famous soloists as violinists Boris Shulgin (the first accompanist of the MKO), Lev Marquis, Vladimir Rabei, Andrey Abramenkov, violist Heinrich Talalyan, cellists Alla Vasilyeva, Boris Dobrokhotov, double bassist Leopold played in the orchestra under the direction of Rudolf Barshai. Andreev, flutists Alexander Korneev and Naum Zaidel, oboist Albert Zayonts, horn player Boris Afanasiev, organist and harpsichordist Sergei Dizhur, and many others.

In addition to performing and numerous recordings of European Baroque music, Russian and Western classics, works by foreign composers of the 29th century (many of which were first played in the USSR), the band actively promoted the music of contemporary Russian authors: Nikolai Rakov, Yuri Levitin, Georgy Sviridov, Kara Karaev, Mechislav Weinberg, Alexander Lokshin, German Galynin, Revol Bunin, Boris Tchaikovsky, Edison Denisov, Vytautas Barkauskas, Jaan Ryaets, Alfred Schnittke and others. Many composers created music specifically for the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Dmitri Shostakovich dedicated the Fourteenth Symphony to him, the premiere of which was performed by the orchestra conducted by Barshai on September 1969, XNUMX in Leningrad.

After the departure of Rudolf Barshai abroad in 1976, the orchestra was led by Igor Bezrodny (1977–1981), Evgeny Nepalo (1981–1983), Viktor Tretyakov (1983–1990), Andrey Korsakov (1990–1991), Konstantin Orbelyan (1991–2009) . In 1983 it was renamed the State Chamber Orchestra of the USSR, and in 1994 it was awarded the title of “academic”. Today GAKO is one of the leading chamber ensembles in Russia. The orchestra has performed in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia.

Pianists Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Lev Oborin, Maria Grinberg, Nikolai Petrov, Vladimir Krainev, Eliso Virsaladze, Mikhail Pletnev, Boris Berezovsky, Frederick Kempf, John Lill, Stefan Vladar have performed with the orchestra at various times. violinists David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Leonid Kogan, Oleg Kagan, Vladimir Spivakov, Viktor Tretyakov; violist Yury Bashmet; cellists Mstislav Rostropovich, Natalia Gutman, Boris Pergamenshchikov; singers Nina Dorliak, Zara Dolukhanova, Irina Arkhipova, Yevgeny Nesterenko, Galina Pisarenko, Alexander Vedernikov, Makvala Kasrashvili, Nikolai Gedda, Rene Fleming; flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway; trumpeter Timofey Dokshitser and many other famous soloists, ensembles and conductors.

The orchestra has created an impressive collection of sound recordings on the radio and in the studio, covering the widest repertoire – from baroque music to works by Russian and foreign composers of the 50th century. The recordings were made at Melodiya, Chandos, Philips and others. For the band’s 30th anniversary, Delos released a series of XNUMX CDs.

In January 2010, the well-known oboist and conductor Alexei Utkin became the artistic director of the orchestra. Over the years of his leadership, there has been a significant renovation of the orchestra, the repertoire has significantly expanded. In the programs of the Matthew Passion by Bach, masses by Haydn and Vivaldi, symphonies and concertos by Mozart and Boccherini are side by side with compositions on the themes of rock bands, ethno-style music and soundtracks. In 2011 and 2015, the orchestra conducted by Utkin accompanied the participants of the second round of the XIV and XV International Tchaikovsky Competitions (specialty “piano”).

In the programs of the 2018/19 season, the orchestra collaborates with such outstanding musicians as Andres Mustonen, Alexander Knyazev, Eliso Virsaladze, Jean-Christophe Spinozi. The highlight of the season will be the performance of Vivaldi’s opera “Furious Roland” (Russian premiere) with the participation of foreign soloists and conductor Federico Maria Sardelli.

Source: meloman.ru