The Moscow Soloists Ensemble is Coming to Joburg Under the Baton of Maestro, Yuri Bashmet

Yuri Bashmet, one of the world’s most celebrated violinists and conductors, is set to conduct and perform with his Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble in Johannesburg on Thursday, 5 September. This will be the very first time this renowned music powerhouse hosts a concert in South Africa.

Says Bongani Tembe, CEO and Artistic Director of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra: ‘… We look forward to the profound insight they will surely bring to their performances of three much-loved pieces from their mother country – by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Kuzma Bodrov.’

Part of a Russian and South African cultural exchange, this live concert is a must-see on September’s musical calendar.

Yuri Bashmet and the Moscow Soloists Ensemble

More about the Moscow Soloists Ensemble

Maestro Yuri Bashmet is a multi-award-winning artist, receiving awards from countries worldwide. He is currently the artistic director of 15 festivals in eight different countries and also serves as professor and Head of the Viola Department at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. Numerous modern composers have developed works especially for or dedicated to him, including 50 viola concertos.

The Moscow Soloists Chamber Ensemble was created by Yuri Bashmet in 1986. In 1992, the ensemble was completely renewed: Yuri Bashmet reassembled the team, inviting graduates, students and postgraduates of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory.

Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular Serenade for Strings in C Major is on the programme

What’s on the evening programme: Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Bodrov

The programme opens with Dmitry Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony C minor Op. 110, one of the composer’s most popular works. In fact, it is not an original composition but an adaptation for string orchestra by the conductor Rudolf Barshai, made with the special permission of Shostakovich himself in 1967, from his String Quartet No. 8.

⁠Next on the programme is Reflections on the theme of Paganini Caprice No. 24 by Kuzma Bodrov. One of Russia’s most distinguished ‘New Generation’ composers, Bodrov is known for his orchestral, chamber and choral repertoire. His works have been performed across Russia, as well as in Europe, America, Australia, and New Zealand. His Paganini Variations – imbued with the early 19th Century Italian virtuoso’s rich melody and rhythmic pizazz – are widely held to be amongst his most engaging pieces.

The programme ends with Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular Serenade for Strings in C Major. Characterised by its high level of melodic and structural inspiration, it also expresses a variety of moods that flow from one movement to the next.

Cost: From R100pp. Book via Quicket