Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra have released a new recording of masterpieces by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Australian Chamber Orchestra brings its unique energy and excitement to this thrilling recording of two chamber orchestra masterpieces so beloved in its repertoire: Tchaikovsky’s joyful Serenade for Strings, and Shostakovich’s dark, visceral Chamber Symphony.
Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String Orchestra is one of the composer’s most heartfelt pieces, blending lush Romanticism with the clarity, wit and elegance of his hero Mozart. Tchaikovsky was one of music’s greatest melodists, and the opening movement, after its grand and stately opening, rollicks along with a cheerful tune. A graceful Waltz follows, revealing a Mozartian lightness in Tchaikovsky’s subtle elaboration of its textures and melodies. In the third movement 'Elegy', Tchaikovsky reaches into something very deep and personal, without ever losing the charm and magic that characterise the Serenade as a whole. For the Finale, Tchaikovsky reaches into the treasures of Russian folksong to bring the Serenade to a dancing finish.
ACO Principal Cellist Timo Veikko-Valve then takes centre stage for a transcendent performance of Tchaikovsky’s Andante Cantabile. Originally written as a string quartet, the music at its premiere so moved the great author Tolstoy that he dissolved in tears at its beauty and passion. Tchaikovsky knew immediately that the world needed to hear this piece, so he reworked it for larger forces, adding the colour, warmth and richness of the orchestra’s string section to the poignant longing of the cello’s sublime song.
The Chamber Symphony in C minor is an arrangement for string orchestra by Russian conductor Rudolf Barshai of Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet, authorised by the composer himself. The quartet, composed in 1960 shortly after the composer had reluctantly joined the Communist Party, is one of Shostakovich’s most popular chamber works and is the only substantial work written outside of his native Russia. Shostakovich composed the Quartet while residing in East Germany, where he was working on the score to Five Days, Five Nights, a film about the ruin of Dresden during World War II. Overwhelmed with sadness for the bombed city and the recollections of those who lived through these horrors, Shostakovich dedicated the work ‘In memory of the victims of fascism and war’. Its five movements flow without a break, passing through both sombre and war-like musical landscapes before fading into a silence both rich and empty with grief.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra, under its Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, is one of the world’s most daring and exciting ensembles, renowned globally for its inspired programming, energy and individuality.
Click here to stream & download the ACO's recording of Tchaikovsky & Shostakovich.
