Sunday June 8th 2014, 8:30 p.m
Full programme:
Dmitri Shostakovich: Selected songs From Jewish Folk Poetry, opus 79
Veniamin Fleishman (orchestrated Shostakovich/ Junemann): Rothschild’s Violin
Shostakovich’s young student, Veniamin Fleischman composed his one-act opera Rothschild’s Violin between 1939 and 1941. Based on Anton Chekhov’s short story, Fleischman sets his tale in an Eastern European shtel at the end of the 19th century, paying musical homage to a world on the verge of extinction.
Written and performed in Russian, the work explores those conflicting elements which humanity must continually address- racial tension versus community, oppression versus freedom of belief. Ultimately, however, this is a tale of hope and reconciliation, the violin itself becoming a symbol of redemption and of love.
Conducted by Ian Ryan, we are joined by two of Scotland’s finest and well-loved tenors, Iain Paton and Matthew Bridle, and emerging young artists, Russian Baritone Alexey Gusev, and Ayrshire soprano, Lauren McQuistin.