Photo courtesy of Luca Valenta
Augustin Hadelich
This weekend, get a glimpse into Russia’s provocative past with war and revolution with the second and final installment of the Columbus Symphony’s Russian Winter Festival.
Performing compositions from both pre- and post-war eras, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra will undertake the opposing ideals of realism and romance with the compositions of Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff.
In addition to the main performance, the symphony has invited Dr. Nicholas Breyfogle from The Ohio State University’s Department of History to help illustrate the contrasting worlds of both composers. Breyfogle’s lecture will lay the foreground for a nation’s story that the music will convey with colorful vigilance.
In addition to the main performance of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, the audience is invited to stay afterward to enjoy a string quartet performance of works from Shostakovich.
Conducting the performances is CSO Music Director, Rossen Milanov. Graduating from the prestigious Juilliard School, Milanov is now the director of four symphony orchestras and has established himself as a distinguished national and international conductor.
Guest starring the performance is world-renowned violinist, Augustin Hadelich. Earning a 2016 Grammy Award for his recording of Dutilleux’s violin concerto, “L’arbre des songes,” with the Seattle Symphony, Hadelich is one of the greatest violinists of his generation. His highly anticipated performance of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 will leave the audience in a state of ambivalence and contemplation.
The symphony will perform at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) Friday, Feb. 9-10 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.
Alex Curran-Cardarelli is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.