Armenian cellist, Gold Medal winner in 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition Narek Hakhnazaryan will mark his Australian debut in a series of concerts scheduled for May 4-7, according to the official website of the Sydney Opera House.
Two vastly different Russian voices will meet in the concerts – Tchaikovsky’s elegant and graceful Rococo Variations and the fierce and exciting Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich.
Shostakovich said his mighty Leningrad Symphony was ‘how I hear the war’. It was written in a besieged city, its creation an act of defiance. After its premiere in 1942 it was smuggled to the West, its musical and political impact quickly felt everywhere. Even today the music is full of emotional power, from a mood of tragedy to the spirit of heroism and hope.
The Rococo Variations for cello and orchestra makes a complete contrast: graceful music inspired by Tchaikovsky’s favorite composer, Mozart. And we’ve invited Paul Stanhope to write a companion work. The soloist is a young Armenian cellist, Gold Medal winner in 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition, making his Australian debut.
