The concert named “Voice of Guarneri’s Violin: Under the Sign of Paganini” is a tribute to great Niccolo Paganini, whose phenomenal playing revealed capacities of excellent violins made by Italian masters. Pieces for violin which had been on the repertoire of violin virtuosos from different countries and epochs are to be presented at the concert.

The audience will have a chance to enjoy the famous violin made by Andrea Guarneri, which now forms the State Collection of Unique Musical Instruments of Russia.

The musicians will tell about the role of the violin in 17th-century Italian instrumental music, a period when violin performing art was flourishing and famous dynasties of luthiers advanced and made the instrument perfect. Violin virtuosos and composers Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi influenced the music of contemporaries and succeeding generations greatly. The great Niccolo Paganini acquired mastery of the violin. His unsurpassed success lays in his profound musical talent, purity of playing the most difficult passages, and extraordinary technique.

Niccolo Paganini owned a precious violin collection by Antonio Stradivari, Andrea Guarneri and Nicola Amati, the most famous and favourite made by Guarneri he bequeathed to his native town of Genova, not willing anyone else to play it. After his death, it got the name "Paganini’s Widow".

Andrea Guarneri (1626 – 1698) was a founder of the famous dynasty of luthiers. He studied and worked at Nicola Amati’s workshop where Antonio Stradivari was accepted later as an apprentice. Andrea Guarneri had a passionate and impetuous temper, which affected his works. Having left his teacher’s workshop, he changed the instrument’s construction. His works are rougher compared with those by Antonio Stradivari and Nicola Amati. The applied varnish is similar to the one used by Amati, but the layer is thicker and it has a reddish hue.

PAVEL SEDOV (violin) – PhD in History of Arts, assistant professor of the Moscow State Conservatoire of P.I. Tchaikovsky, organizer and prize winner of many prestigious festivals and competitions, Yehudi Menuhin’s trainee. He was eight years old when he made his debut. Pavel Sedov played on tours a great deal, in particular, at Saint James’ palace, at the NATO headquarters. P. Sedov took the lead in organizing the international festival dedicated to Jascha Heifetz’s 100th anniversary. He was the first to perform Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Violin Concerto No. 2 subtitled “The Prophets”, conducted by Fabio Mastrangelo in the Mariinsky Theatre in 2012.

VITALIY YUNITSKY (piano) – graduated with honours from the Moscow State Conservatoire of P.I. Tchaikovsky and from 2002 he holds classes there. V. Yunitsky is a prize-winner of many international and All-Russian contests.

Nicola Porpora belongs to the Neapolitan School. He was an outstanding vocal teacher and composer. In the main N. Porpora mostly created vocal compositions, but at the concert, the audience will have a chance to enjoy one of his instrumental pieces.

Giovanni Pergolesi, notwithstanding a very short lifespan, managed to leave a considerable heritage. He revealed an innovative talent in many genres. His sacred music has earned worldwide recognition. Pergolesi also wrote several opera seria and created quite a new genre—the Italian comic opera buff.

The auditory will hear the 20th-century suite by Ottorino Respighi, characteristic of the epoch and of the composer’s manner to artistically reinterpret old musical pieces.

THE MOSCOW CHAMBER ORCHESTRA “MUSICA VIVA”
Alexander Rudin has been an artistic director and conductor of the ensemble since 1988, and it was him who invented the name. The ensemble is known for its versatility. Much attention is drawn to unheralded pieces. Universally recognized works are played in the manner maximally corresponding to the author’s idea. The particular part of the repertoire occupies opera projects. Profound immersion into a particular epoch always leads musicians to the discovery of musical rarities. That is how the cycle “Silver Classic” consisting of rarely played pieces has originated.

DILYARA IDRISOVA (soprano)
was born in Ufa city into a family of musicians. She graduated with honours from the Moscow State Conservatoire of P.I. Tchaikovsky. D. Idrisova is the soloist of the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, winner of many international vocal competitions. She received a presidential award for support of the talented youth, as well as the grants of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the Bashkortostan Republic.

MUSICIANS:

ENSEMBLE "MELODIA" (GEORGE GARANIAN’S BIG BAND).
The ensemble existed from 1973 to 1992 and in 2006 it was recreated as George Garanian’s Big Band. The new ensemble is one of the youngest jazz orchestras in Russia. Big Band’s concerts are always a success at the most prestigious festivals of jazz music, such as “Baltic Seasons”, “Crescendo”, “Stars at the Baikal”, “Playing Jazz with Garanian”, “Estate – Jazz”.

When George Garanian passed away, ANTTI MARTIN RISSANEN (Finland) was chosen to head the ensemble. Rissanen has graduated from the Sibelius Academy. He has been conducting symphonic and jazz orchestras since the age of 15. He is considered to be one of the most brilliant trombonists in the world. He directs the orchestra within a distance, coming to Russia a few days before the concert. Thanks to mutual understanding which was formed between the conductor and the musicians, a couple of rehearsals are enough to play the program with virtuosity. Rissanen prefers to play pure jazz, that’s why the repertoire of the orchestra had changed. Nevertheless, he does not refuse the so-called crossovers that combine classical music and jazz. This enlarges the auditory permitting to show new facets and meanings in jazz. A. Rissanen conducts 80 concerts per year. He is also occupied with teaching, composing music and organizing the Big Bands’ Festival at Imatra.