<Translated from Russian automatically, it will be edited later.>
A chamber orchestra differs from a symphony orchestra not only in the composition of the instruments and the number of participants, but also in a completely different type of creative relationship between the musicians and their artistic director. If a symphony orchestra exists as an independent entity, capable in principle of fully functioning under the direction of any good conductor, then the relationship between a chamber orchestra and its immediate ideologist is not just close, but sometimes inseparable. Beyond his power, the collective "loses face", losing both the uniqueness of its manner and the unity of its ensemble breathing. This often happens because a chamber orchestra is not so much an orchestra for the conductor as an orchestra for the first violin, a quartet in a square, an extension of its creator's own "I", dependent on this "I" entirely.
At first glance, it seems that the "Virtuosos of Moscow" is no exception — there are few teams in the game that recognize the artistic director's handwriting so unmistakably. Nevertheless, the orchestra has been successfully working with other conductors for a long time, each time surprising listeners with its ability to transform. The performance of the "Virtuosos" under the direction of the GABTA's chief conductor Alexander Vedernikov, which took place in the Small Hall of the Conservatory, is especially significant in this sense, because the collaboration of the chamber orchestra and the opera and symphony conductor does not happen very often. The presented program can be called a corporate one: a traditional, but not too often performed repertoire with a slight hint of operatic style — R. Strauss's Oboe Concerto (solo by A. Utkin) and R. Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll in the first movement and J. Sibelius's Rural Symphony and B. Britten's Simple Symphony in the second.
It took a while for the "Virtuosos" to get used to Alexander Vedernikov's strong-willed and emotionally open manner of conducting. But by the second movement, an amazing metamorphosis had occurred, and the musicians were able to fully demonstrate the sound potential and dramatic capabilities of a real symphony orchestra. The concert culminated with Britten's "Simple Symphony". Without losing its neoclassical charm, Alexander Vedernikov's interpretation acquired completely new colors: close-ups, bold dynamic throws, combined with an impeccably calibrated passage of time, gave the music an additional dramatic tension, highlighting a completely new and unexpected layer of content.
So the last concert once again demonstrated that the Moscow Virtuosi is an extraordinary and constantly evolving team. In any case, it is difficult to imagine another chamber orchestra capable of so skillfully "pretending" to be a symphonic one.
Source.
A chamber orchestra differs from a symphony orchestra not only in the composition of the instruments and the number of participants, but also in a completely different type of creative relationship between the musicians and their artistic director. If a symphony orchestra exists as an independent entity, capable in principle of fully functioning under the direction of any good conductor, then the relationship between a chamber orchestra and its immediate ideologist is not just close, but sometimes inseparable. Beyond his power, the collective "loses face", losing both the uniqueness of its manner and the unity of its ensemble breathing. This often happens because a chamber orchestra is not so much an orchestra for the conductor as an orchestra for the first violin, a quartet in a square, an extension of its creator's own "I", dependent on this "I" entirely.
At first glance, it seems that the "Virtuosos of Moscow" is no exception — there are few teams in the game that recognize the artistic director's handwriting so unmistakably. Nevertheless, the orchestra has been successfully working with other conductors for a long time, each time surprising listeners with its ability to transform. The performance of the "Virtuosos" under the direction of the GABTA's chief conductor Alexander Vedernikov, which took place in the Small Hall of the Conservatory, is especially significant in this sense, because the collaboration of the chamber orchestra and the opera and symphony conductor does not happen very often. The presented program can be called a corporate one: a traditional, but not too often performed repertoire with a slight hint of operatic style — R. Strauss's Oboe Concerto (solo by A. Utkin) and R. Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll in the first movement and J. Sibelius's Rural Symphony and B. Britten's Simple Symphony in the second.
It took a while for the "Virtuosos" to get used to Alexander Vedernikov's strong-willed and emotionally open manner of conducting. But by the second movement, an amazing metamorphosis had occurred, and the musicians were able to fully demonstrate the sound potential and dramatic capabilities of a real symphony orchestra. The concert culminated with Britten's "Simple Symphony". Without losing its neoclassical charm, Alexander Vedernikov's interpretation acquired completely new colors: close-ups, bold dynamic throws, combined with an impeccably calibrated passage of time, gave the music an additional dramatic tension, highlighting a completely new and unexpected layer of content.
So the last concert once again demonstrated that the Moscow Virtuosi is an extraordinary and constantly evolving team. In any case, it is difficult to imagine another chamber orchestra capable of so skillfully "pretending" to be a symphonic one.
Source.
"Virtuosos of Moscow" was conducted by the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater
Olga FILIPPOVA, Belcanto.ru . March 6, 2003
