In the Footsteps of the Russian Greats
The virtuoso Violin Concerto, which Tchaikovsky composed in the spring of 1878 in Switzerland, is considered today to be one of the most difficult works for violin. The piece was performed by excellent Russian violinist Sergei Krylov, who lives in Italy and was highly respected by legendary violoncellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich.
The second half of the evening saw a performance of Prokofiev’s Fifth, the first of three symphonies that the Russian composer wrote following his return to the Soviet Union. This majestic work, created in the summer of 1944 while WWII was still raging, was conceived by the author as, in his own words, “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.”
Petr Iljič Čajkovskij – Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Sergej Prokofjev – Symphony No. 5 in B major, Op. 100
