retrospective of works on the theme of Niccolo Paganini: L.Auer, E.Ysaÿe, S.Rachmaninov, K.Szymanowski, W.Lutosławski
“CAPRICE #24”
Honored collective of the Republic of Belarus
State Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus
Chief Conductor – Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Evgeny Bushkov
Soloists –
Floriana Frankchina flute, piano (Italy)
Svetlana Smolina piano (Russia – USA)
Marina Romeyko piano
Anastasia Karizna violin
Pavel Batyan violin
Pavel Kukhta guitar
Conductor – Evgeny Bushkov
It so happens that just one idea feeds the thoughts of an entire era, just one image overshadows the whole human life, and just one theme becomes the seed for a huge tree of music, which continues to grow through time, without ceasing to give new benefits.
And you will never know in advance, what idea, image, theme is destined to become a seed. No recipe, no plan, no algorithm. Only distance - in space-time, space of art, space of thought - gives us the opportunity to realize all the greatness of “simply” an element in the immense picture of the world.
The theme of the 24th caprice by Niccolo Paganini has become a great element for music – romantic, but rooted in the depths of traditions, and perhaps that is why it is so magnetic, incomprehensible, universal and, at the same time, deeply personal. This theme has been dominating the minds and souls for several centuries, and its influence continues unabated.
On October, 26 an exceptional rarity, a monothematic concert of music on the theme of the famous caprice will be held at the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society The author of the idea, artistic director of the State Chamber Orchestra, Evgeny Bushkov, is an extraordinary personality in our musical horizon. In past, an outstanding violinist, in present – a venerable conductor, a musician with the broadest erudition, in each of his programs he brings not only his richest performing and listening experience, but also a particle of his personal, private life. And this openness makes these programs especially attractive.
It is what the maestro himself says about the idea: “October 26 is a special day for me personally, since childhood ... This is the birthday of my mother, the outstanding violinist Zori Shikhmurzaeva! And the next day of October, Niccolo Paganini was born, back in 1782. And these two dates are inextricably intertwined in my mind of the violinist – which will find its embodiment this year in my unusual idea of the conductor ... Paganini, a composer, may not have taken a place on the musical Olympus in a par with Liszt or Chopin, virtuosos who lived with him in the same era, but among many of his violin works there is one that has been able to capture the consciousness for many authors up to the present … Not even the whole work, but only the issue! This is the theme of the 24th Caprice for solo violin…And so, on my mother's birthday, thanks to whom the violin became an instrument of my life, I want to devote the entire (!) program to the theme of this caprice. The arrangements by Auer and Szymanowski, Rachmaninoff and Lutosławski’s own Paganini Variations, as well as our “signature” edition of Eugene Ysaÿe’s Variations, in which each variation is performed solo by the violinist of our chamber orchestra ... But in order to bring variety to the realm of violin and piano sounds, I decided took a risky step and invited an Italian ... flutist to perform the musical “epigraph” to our program – caprice in the original! And it will not be a version for a solo flute, but an original author’s version with guitar accompaniment (with some allusion “History of Tango” by Astor Piazzolla’s written two centuries later for the same ensemble). It seems to me that this play in such a form has never been performed in Minsk... And the only “not caprice” in this program will be the premiere of the charming “Centone di Sonata” for violin and guitar, in my arrangement for string orchestra.
The audience will meet with a large number of very different outstanding soloists as in a real concert: there are laureates of international competitions violinists Pavel Batian, Anastasia Karizna, pianists Svetlana Smolina (USA–Russia), Marina Romeiko, guitarist Pavel Kukhta and, finally, a guest – Floriana Frankchina, a flutist from Paganini’s homeland”.
This October evening at the Philharmonic is a gourmet evening.
