In 1979, conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov founded his ensemble despite the cultural stagnation that marked the late Brezhnev era in the history of the Soviet Union. The new Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra, which attracted musicians from leading Moscow orchestras, became known for its technical precision and impeccable musicality.

В. Spivakov and his famous ensemble began their tour of five concerts in the USA [the tour included 6 concerts in the USA and 1 concert in Canada – a.s..] Friday night at the Cutler Majestic Theatre with its varied programme of chamber music and opera arias.  The highlight of this evening’s fascinating music was the participation of two soloists: the Russian soprano Hibla Gerzmava and the young cellist Danielle Akta.

H. Gerzmava is a bright star of the opera scene of our days, famous for her role in productions of Eugene Onegin by the world’s leading opera houses. She has a deep and brilliantly lyrical voice, and at the same time she managed to master the elegant bel canto style in «Casta Diva» from Bellini’s opera Norma. This richly coloured voice is also good for Verdi, and her performance of Amalia’s «Stretto» from the opera «The Bandits» was deep and powerful.

The lighter side of the voice X. Gerzmava showed two songs. In Pulenka’s Roads of Love, her singing elegantly soared over the melodic accompaniment of Spivakov’s orchestra. Ernesto de Curtis’ Neapolitan song «Ti voglio tanto bene» became a real gift: Gerzmava led the melody flooded with the sun, standing on the podium and dancing with V. Spivakov, who wove a silk cloth of sound.

Daniel Akta’s career is just beginning; the precise technique and singing tone of the 15-year-old Israeli cellist should ensure her a bright musical future. But there were still a couple of inaccuracies in her performance on Friday. In David Popper’s lovely virtuoso play Concert Polonaise, her technical work led to some uneven intonation. However, her expressiveness is beautiful. Max Bruch’s Friday’s work «Kol Nidrei» for cello and orchestra shone with a warm mahogany tone and the beauty of lyrical drawing. V. Spivakov provided smooth and sensitive accompaniment in both works.

Each of the orchestral works of the programme was marked by a special sound, «Moscow Virtuosi» playing with lyrical elegance and ensemble unity.

Grieg’s «Two Melodies» in the arrangement for the string orchestra was luxuriously romantic. «Wounded Heart» was imbued with a sense of sweet nostalgia, and the sounds of «Last Spring» seemed elegant, like a feather, soaring in the air. The orchestra had a similar approach to Friedrich Gulda’s Hymn to Beauty, a short work filled with gloomy melancholy.

Even Mozart’s Divertissement No 1 in D Major, K. 136, who opened the concert, had a lush ensemble sound. V. Spivakov conducted intentionally broad gestures, letting the music speak for itself. When the first part of the exhibition was repeated, he emphasized the counterpoint of the viola and cello.

The energy required of Mozart was present throughout the work and the final part was performed at the speed of a whip, which gave the music direction and momentum.

A key part of the first part of the concert was a performance of Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, an arrangement for his Eighth Quartet’s string orchestra.

В. Spivakov knows this work very well, and his reading was filled with quiet insights. The beginning of the first movement, which quotes the composer’s famous motif DSCH (ré-mi flat dosi) and themes from the Fifth Symphony, sounded deeply mysterious. The driving force behind the subsequent, lively movement was without the tonal unevenness that is often heard when performing this work. The section of the strings took up these passages so dashingly that the concertmaster even broke a string (he switched violins with another musician and the performance continued without the slightest delay).

In Scherzo, you could hear mocking, sarcastic humour, and the piercing chords that complemented the unpainted themes of the final part sounded particularly accurate. In a recent interview, Spivakov said that Shostakovich wrote this work as a monument to himself, and «Moscow Virtuosi» showed the humanity of this work.

The rapturous applause was rewarded with two beads. The first was «O mio babbino caro» from Puccini’s opera Gianni Skikki, delicately performed by H. Gerzmav. In the second – «Morgen» from «The Last Four Songs» by Richard Strauss – the singing of H. Gerzmav was complemented by a bright and light tone of the violin by W. Gerzmav. Spivakov. It was a beautiful conclusion to the evening.

Author: Aaron Kibo

Translation: Svetlana Simonova