ANDREJS OSOKINS UN IGAUNIJAS NACIONĀLAIS SIMFONISKAIS ORĶESTRIS

Andrejs Osokins, piano

Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO)

Conductor Kaspar Mänd

Programme: Raimo Kangro, Arcus; Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade

The concert opens the residency of Andrei Osokin at Cēsis Concert Hall; the residency will last through 2020.

Marking the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, the programme includes his Piano Concerto No. 5 performed by the pianist Andrejs Osokins. Winner of the Grand Music Award, Andrejs has won acclaim at some of the world’s most significant piano competitions. Critics have described him as ‘impeccably stylish, praised for his powerful intellect and charisma, wide expressive sound palette, notably convincing in many different styles of music’.

The gem of the programme is undoubtedly Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular piece, his symphonic suite Scheherazade that reveals to the listener the Oriental wonders of the composer’s source of inspiration, the cycle of Arabic folk tales One Thousand and One Nights. It is a known fact that Rimsky-Korsakov did not translate whole stories into his music, stringing together unrelated little episodes instead. It is generally accepted that the opening theme depicts the Sultan and the popular violin solo is a portrait of Scheherazade. The second movement paints a battle. The third movement makes us imagine some love scenes, whereas in the fourth movement some quite wild celebration is interrupted by a storm, culminating with a ship smashing against a cliff. The waves calm down, Scheherazade’s voice fades out, and the Sultan falls asleep.

 
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