On 16 March the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will present the Russia-Japan Cultural Bridge Concert featuring young Japanese soloists and the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage, The concert will be held as a part of the international cultural project “Russian Seasons” and with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Japan.
The evening will open with the Festive Overture by D. Shostakovich. Then, young virtuoso Kazuhiro Miyamura will present Rimsky-Korsakov’s Variations for oboe and wind orchestra. The brilliant piece was created by the composer, while he was working as an inspector of navy bands. Rimsky-Korsakov tried to broaden their repertoire by introducing new works with interesting expressive means, which are now included into the golden treasury of concert sheet music for wood instruments.
Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich is a composition of a truly symphonic scope. The solo violin becomes a hero of the resistance movement, which runs throughout all its movements. These titanic struggle requires the performer’s superhuman efforts - not only in terms of virtuosity of instrumental delivery, but also in terms of his physical stamina. Having been composed with David Oistrakh’s phenomenal mastery in mind, the Concerto No. 1 is regarded as a “male’ piece, however, 16 March will see its solo performance by young Japanese violinist Mayuko Katsumura, who considered Shestakovich to be one of her favourite composers: this concerto, as well as Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata, was recorded by the artist in Great Britain.
The evening programme will be concluded with another grand score: Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 for Piano and Orchestra is also oriented towards the soloist’s powerful style combined with his flair for subtle contrasts. For the pianist Yosuke Niino, whose creative background includes victories at solo piano competitions and awards for the best chamber performance, this composition presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase the strongest facets of his performing gift.
