Latest news with #Shostakovich
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Piano virtuoso Alexander Gavrylyuk: ‘It is unfortunate to see music as a competition. It is a uniting force'
Youthful and rebellious is how Alexander Gavrylyuk describes Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No 1, the work with which he will mark his debut appearance with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on Friday. 'It's a work where he fights to be heard,' says the Australian-based virtuoso, speaking from a waterside cafe a stone's throw away from the ACO's Walsh Bay home. 'One gets a feeling that it's been written by someone cornered who is trying to remain an individual in resistance to the system.' And yet, bleak it is not. There is much humour to be found in the notoriously neurotic yet brilliant composer's early work, Gavrylyuk says: 'Laughter through clenched teeth, so to speak.' Like Shostakovich, Gavrylyuk quietly rejected the strictures of a regimented Soviet-era approach to artistry, but at a much earlier age. Coming to Australia as a teenager only seven years after the iron curtain fell, the sense of light, space and personal freedom he instantly experienced on arriving in Sydney was exhilarating. The Ukraine he had left behind was 'still very closed, still very Soviet' in most ways, he says; a country where gifted children were drilled with military precision and concert pianists were 'produced like in a factory'. 'It was a place where you did not express yourself,' he recalls. 'You followed the path that was given to you by the hierarchy, and that in itself is completely opposite to what music is all about – the freedom of expression, the freedom of creation.' Practising for up to 10 hours a day, Gavrylyuk gave his first concert performance at the age of nine. His fondest childhood memories are those of spending rare breaks away from the keyboard, such as visiting the countryside with his grandmother. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Gavrylyuk was only 13 when he arrived in Australia as part of a teenage troupe of gifted young pianists offered full scholarships by the privately run Australian Institute of Music. The teenager and his four young Ukrainian peers dazzled audiences at school with their precocious virtuosity. At 15, Gavrylyuk returned to his homeland to collect first prize and the gold medal at the Vladimir Horowitz competition. By the age of 21 he had achieved a trifecta, having won the Hamamatsu and Arthur Rubinstein international piano competitions. Back then, winning was everything, and competitions were considered a stress-riddled rite of passage. Much like its athletes, musically gifted prodigies were held up to the capitalist world as symbols of Soviet superiority. But in many cases, Gavrylyuk says, the system churned out 'broken individuals'. '[Competitions] open doors, they can be really helpful. But it is unfortunate to see music as a competitive activity,' he says. 'Music is a uniting force … if one sees it as a festival, rather than a competition, then that is wonderful.' In any Gavrylyuk performance, there remains plenty of old Russian school-style keyboard pyrotechnics – but as the Times' Anna Picard wrote in her review of his BBC Proms performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 3 in 2017, there is much more to him than just technical brilliance: 'It is emotionally gripping, structurally thoughtful, and deeply musical,' she wrote of the performance. As Classical Source music critic Peter Reed put it, Gavrylyuk's 'presence harks back to the old, formal Russian style of pianism – white tie and tails, impeccable stage manners, and plenty of old-fashioned performance histrionics – eyes gazing heavenwards, rapt expressions, the pianist as artwork – with playing that brings together grandeur, nobility, dazzling virtuosity and a sublime sense of style'. Here's a taste of Gavrylyuk playing 'the Rach 3' – a famously difficult piece which was popularised after the release of the film Shine. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Gavrylyuk considers the ACO's decision to pair Shostakovich with the joyful ode to jazz-era New York, Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin's self-described homage to the 'musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot' – a masterstroke in programming. 'On one side you have this darker perspective from the Soviet era … and then you have this wonderful exuberance, the swagger … the lack of constraints, lack of regulation, lack of anything really,' he says. Despite his global career and 13 years living in Germany and the Netherlands, Gavrylyuk, his wife and their two daughters have called Sydney home since making the decision to 'wait the storm out' during the pandemic. 'But we got too attracted to Sydney. We loved it here too much, and the girls started schooling here, so we're staying.' Now approaching middle age, Gavrylyuk continues to set himself new challenges, including widening his focus beyond the Russian repertoire. 'I'm so fortunate to have a huge repertoire but I am passionate about diversifying,' he says. 'There's always a stigma attached to a name like mine to play Russian composers' works … well, maybe I shouldn't use such a strong term. But it's definitely something that comes with having my background.' Alexander Gavrylyuk's ACO debut Gershwin and Shostakovich is touring Australia 1-18 August; see here for dates.
Malaysian Reserve
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
A Trio of Talent: Spanish Maestro, Korean Violinist, and Local Soprano Launch New Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong SAR
The Hong Kong RH Philharmonic's inaugural 'Echoes of Resilience' concert aims to inspire fortitude in challenging times HONG KONG, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The newly established Hong Kong RH Philharmonic (RHPhil) will present its debut concert, 'Echoes of Resilience,' on 19 July 2025 at the Academic Community Hall, Hong Kong Baptist University. This event celebrates Hong Kong's enduring spirit and unity through music. Led by Stanley Chen and Alan Tam, and supported by RH Music Gallery and Y Mission Limited, RHPhil brings together 80 exceptional music graduates aged 18 to 35, creating a youth-driven professional orchestra rooted in the community with a global outlook. Stanley stated, 'Having myself inspired under various batons when I was younger, understanding the true value of diverse learning, we are dedicated to building an international stage for our young musicians—so they may shine through exploring limitless possibilities in their musical journey—and we remain committed to creating more opportunities to support their growth and development.' To foster East-West cultural exchange, the debut concert features Spanish maestro Unai Urrecho Zubillaga, Korean violinist Jeong Yeonoo, and Hong Kong SAR's acclaimed soprano Hedy Chan. Together, they will present rare masterpieces: Bernstein's Overture to 'Candide,' Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major (Op.35), and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor (Op.47). Shostakovich's works, known for their large orchestration and technical difficulty, are considered a major challenge for orchestras. In fact, major Hong Kong orchestras only perform such works about once every three to four years, with just five large-scale performances in the past decade. This concert will offer a rare live rendition of both concerto and symphonic masterpieces, promising audiences an unforgettable first-hand experience. The concert aims to: Spark intercultural creativity through international collaboration Showcase the resilience of Hong Kong's youth in challenging times Provide performance and career opportunities for young musicians, advancing local arts development Reimagines classical music as civic cultural infrastructure through grassroots participation Event DetailsDate: 19 July 2025 (Saturday)Time: 8:00 PMVenue: Academic Community Hall (AC Hall), Hong Kong Baptist UniversityTicketing: 3972 3880 or orchestra@
Edinburgh Reporter
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Aurora is making its Edinburgh debut this August
Aurora Orchestra will be appearing at a bean bag concert in Edinburgh this August. This orchestra founded in 2005 by Principal Conductor, Nicholas Collon, memorise whole symphonies – sometimes an hour long and present music with theatrical elements to allow their audiences to get a better understanding of it. This summer Aurora marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most influential and performed composers of the 20th century, with a deep-dive into his Fifth Symphony – a work born in the shadow of Stalin's regime that reveals music on the edge of life and death by a composer treading a dangerous line between political obedience and artistic defiance. Aurora will make their long-awaited debut at the Edinburgh International Festival, with two performances, including one in the Festival's Beanbag Concert Series. Shostakovich Inside Out (Monday 18 August, 2pm) invites audiences to learn more about the Fifth Symphony in a fresh and immersive way, through a conversational presentation led by Nicholas Collon as the orchestra play the symphony by memory, pausing to share insights and delve into its emotional depth and historical context. Later the same day, Aurora performs the full symphony by memory, as part of a concert that also includes Abel Selacoe's cello concerto Four Spirits, with the composer himself and percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger as soloists (Monday 18 August, 7:30pm). Made up of a roster of fearless musicians who have developed and grown with the orchestra, Aurora is the pioneer for memorised orchestral performance and has performed entire symphonies from memory at the BBC Proms and beyond for the last 11 years. They will play at BBC Proms on 16 and 17 August ahead of appearing in Edinburgh. The Artistic Director and Co-Director, Concept and Script for Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart, Jane Mitchell, said: 'Shostakovich's 5th symphony was written under extraordinary circumstances and has been put under a magnifying glass since the moment it was first presented. The stories surrounding the symphony provide a fascinating lens through which to look at the role of artists in a totalitarian state. Our presentation of the 5th symphony will look at these stories alongside an exploration of the score itself, and will take a look at the endless ways in which we can interpret abstract music, throwing light on both the terrifying and farcical nature of a state attempting to control a composer's voice.' Aurora Orchestra at Kings Place credit Nick Rutter Like this: Like Related
The Guardian
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Op 87 album review – Avdeeva brings a light touch in an accomplished performance
Shostakovich composed his 24 Preludes and Fugues in 1950 and 1951, between his Ninth and Tenth Symphonies. As a judge in the first International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1950, he had been hugely impressed by the playing of the Soviet pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva in The Well-Tempered Clavier. On his return to Moscow he began composing a series of preludes and fugues for Nikolayeva, consciously modelling them on Bach, though ordering them according to the circle of fifths rather than chromatically as Bach does, and larding them with references not only to his model but to his own works. He completed the set in all the major and minor keys the following year and Nikolayeva gave the premiere in Leningrad in 1952. She went on to make no less than four recordings of it, including one for Hyperion in 1990 that has become the benchmark version. Comparing Nikolayeva's performances with those by Yulianna Avdeeva on her new set is fascinating. Avdeeva, who won the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2010, takes a lighter approach, less forthright, and perhaps not digging as deeply into the barely disguised tragedy of the E minor Prelude as Nikolayeva does, but equally dazzling in the exuberant display of the A minor. She finds exactly the right mood of delicate insouciance for the F sharp minor prelude, too, and for the mysterious halting fugue that follows. Avdeeva follows her performance of the set with a recording of a prelude in C sharp minor that Shostakovich originally drafted for his Op 87 set, but discarded unfinished; the Polish composer Krzysztof Meyer completed the draft and added a fugue of his own. She gave the world premiere of the complete work in 2020, and it makes a neat envoi to a very accomplished performance. This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Listen on Apple Music (above) or Spotify
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Shostakovich: Preludes & Fugues Op 67 album review – Avdeeva brings a light touch in an accomplished performance
Shostakovich composed his 24 Preludes and Fugues in 1950 and 1951, between his Ninth and Tenth Symphonies. As a judge in the first International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig in 1950, he had been hugely impressed by the playing of the Soviet pianist Tatiana Nikolayeva in The Well-Tempered Clavier. On his return to Moscow he began composing a series of preludes and fugues for Nikolayeva, consciously modelling them on Bach, though ordering them according to the circle of fifths rather than chromatically as Bach does, and larding them with references not only to his model but to his own works. He completed the set in all the major and minor keys the following year and Nikolayeva gave the premiere in Leningrad in 1952. She went on to make no less than four recordings of it, including one for Hyperion in 1990 that has become the benchmark version. Comparing Nikolayeva's performances with those by Yulianna Avdeeva on her new set is fascinating. Avdeeva, who won the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2010, takes a lighter approach, less forthright, and perhaps not digging as deeply into the barely disguised tragedy of the E minor Prelude as Nikolayeva does, but equally dazzling in the exuberant display of the A minor. She finds exactly the right mood of delicate insouciance for the F sharp minor prelude, too, and for the mysterious halting fugue that follows. Avdeeva follows her performance of the set with a recording of a prelude in C sharp minor that Shostakovich originally drafted for his Op 87 set, but discarded unfinished; the Polish composer Krzysztof Meyer completed the draft and added a fugue of his own. She gave the world premiere of the complete work in 2020, and it makes a neat envoi to a very accomplished performance. This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Listen on Apple Music (above) or Spotify
