Mikhail Pletnev has won recognition first and foremost as a conductor, and also as a pianist, specialising in stylistically assured interpretations of Russian music. He now lives in Switzerland, where he founded the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra, which, in his own words, “embodies a belief in the power of music to transcend borders and unite people from different cultures”. Pletnev is also a composer, and Warsaw audiences will have an opportunity to hear his new Suite for Cello and Orchestra, with the solo part performed by one of today's most acclaimed and charismatic masters of the instrument, Steven Isserlis. Pletnev readily admits that he avoids the pursuit of novelty, remaining firmly rooted in the great post-Romantic tradition, with Rachmaninov’s emotionally charged style serving as his model. In the cello he sees, above all, an instrument of great lyricism and expressiveness, but also one capable of dazzling virtuosity.
The evening’s second work corresponds to the first in terms of genre, being likewise a suite assembled from a sequence of colourful, relatively brief episodes from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty. First staged in St Petersburg in 1890 to choreography by the celebrated Marius Petipa, the ballet quickly became one of the pillars of the classical repertoire. Although initially received with reserve outside Russia, it gradually gained immense popularity. The score, rich in beautiful and kaleidoscopically varied musical images, inspired numerous concert versions, ranging from the composer’s own selections to later arrangements, such as the dazzling suite freely assembled by Mikhail Pletnev.
Piotr Maculewicz
