Wednesday, October 9, 2002 20:00
Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium
280
| Programme: | |
| Verdi: | Overture from La Forza del Destino |
| Tchaikovsky: | Rococo Variations for Cello and Orchestra in A Major, op. 33 |
| Mendelssohn: | Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64 |
| Brahms: | Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, op. 102 |
Nina Kotova: Cello
Lu Siqing: Violin
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Daniel Lipton
The Romantic period in the history of Music reflected a struggle to find freer modes of expression. It can be divided roughly into two phases: early Romanticism (1820-1850), and later Romanticism (1850-1890), and two major forces, the conservatives and the iconoclasts. Felix Mendelssohn epitomises the conservative approach which sought to use classical forms and adapt them to an individual ideal. Nurtured on the music of the Baroque, especially Bach and Handel, he used a typically Romantic lyricism in his melodies while retaining a clearly classical structure.
Brahms followed in the same trend and was influenced by Bach, Beethoven and Schumann who he knew and who was responsible to a large degree for propelling him to fame. He was an ardent student of counterpoint and fugue and produced a formal perfectionism marked with a uniquely personal sentimentalism.
Tchaikovsky, the greatest of the Russian greats, is remembered for his universally appealing works. His own traumatic life marked his scores producing a highly emotionally charged opus seeped in despair and overwhelming contradictory feelings. He composed in the traditional symphonic form as well as using more advanced styles such as the symphonic poem but his most enduring works include his ballets, a form that was somewhat neglected in his own day. By producing works such as The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky did much to enhance the standing of ballet.
Romantic Concertos gives an opportunity to enjoy some of the most outstanding works for violin and cello written in the 19th century.
| 
Nina Kotova |
Nina Kotova, a 26-year-old cellist whose teachers include Rostropovich and Aldo Parisot, has attracted considerable media attention both through the release of her debut CD on Philips and by the fact that she supported her musical studies for some years by working as a fashion model. She made a strong impression in Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations op. 33, which she performed with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and conductor Constantine Orbelian in Carnegie Hall (9 October). The Strad, UK, December 1999
| 
Lu Siqing |
Lu Siqing, an outstanding talent. The Strad, UK
With a clear sound, dazzling and crystalline, Lu revealed himself as a great talent, a virtuoso without equal. Corriere Della Sera, Milano, Italy
| 
Daniel Lipton |
Daniel Lipton is widely regarded as one of today’s most exciting and creative conductors, whose superb performances of opera and the concert repertoire have gained him international acclaim.
Running time: approx. 2 hours, with interval