PROKOFIEV | Piano Concerto No.1 in D-Flat Major, Op.10

 

SHOSTAKOVICH | Symphony No.7 in C Major “Leningrad”, Op.60

 

*Program is subject to change

 

 

People's Artist of Russia, Chief Conductor of the St Petersburg Philharmonia Nikolay Alexeev graduated from the Leningrad Choral College named after Mikhail Glinka and the Leningrad Conservatory as a choral conductor (class of A. Mikhaylov), opera and symphony conductor (class of A. Jansons), and had his traineeship at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Opera under the direction of Yuri Temirkanov.

 

Winner of the Herbert von Karajan Foundation’s International Competition (West Berlin, 1982), V.Talich Competition (Prague, 1985) and Min-On (Tokyo, 1985), the musician’s life is full of artistic events. He led the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra; performed with the Moscow Philharmonic orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Symphony and Russian National orchestras; worked with such foreign companies as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam, Dresden, Stuttgart, and Copenhagen Philharmonic orchestras, the Berlin and Baltimore symphony orchestras, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the New Japan Philharmonic.

 

In 2001–2010 Nikolay Alexeev led the Pribaltic’s oldest Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (in 2006 he was awarded the 3rd degree Estonian order of the White star for his work with the orchestra, and in 2010 he received the Estonian Republic’s prize in the sphere of culture).

 

The conductor tours in countries of Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania) and Latin America, in South Korea, Japan and USA. From 2018 till January 2024 Nikolay Alexeev was the Principal Conductor of the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea) – being the first foreign conductor in the history of the orchestra to lead it.

 

The conductor's performances opened and closed the last four seasons, two of which were dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Philharmonic. On August 9, 2022, he led the united Philharmonic symphony orchestra conducting Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony as part of the historical and musical project "Score of Memory" dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the siege performance of the symphony. In December 2023 and 2024, concerts under Nikolay Alexeev’s direction were opening the International Winter Festival "Arts Square ". Memorable events of the past season were a concert of works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev with D. Matsuev, a performance of piano concertos by Beethoven and Prokofiev with N. Lugansky and I. Papoyan, Mahler's First Symphony, Prokofiev's Sixth, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, a closing concert of the Music Collection Festival and the Philharmonic season with Brahms' Third Symphony and Dvorak's Cello concerto (soloist A. Ramm).

 

Under the direction of N. Alexeev the Philharmonic’s 2024/2025 season poster features the opening and closing concerts, the XXIV Arts Square Festival, and the following works are performed – the Sixth and Eighth Symphonies, and First Cello Concerto by Shostakovich', the Second Symphony and both Piano Concertos by Brahms, Third Symphony and “Francesca da Rimini” by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven's Third Symphony, musical excerpts from opera “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh” by Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev's Second and Third Piano Concertos, Ravel’s Concerto in D Major for the Left Hand, Schumann's Piano Concerto. The concerts feature soloists I. Papoyan, N. Lugansky, D. Matsuev, B. Berezovsky, E. Virsaladze, E. Leonskaja. Of considerable interest was the world premiere of Voronov's Symphony (dedicated to the Distinguished Orchestra of Russia), the performance of Tishchenko's Dante-Symphony No. 5 "Paradise" (to the composer’s 85th anniversary), Honegger's Symphony No. 3 "Symphonie Liturgique", Taneyev's "St. John of Damascus" Cantata and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (in the program for 110th anniversary of A.V. Mikhailov’s birth).

 

Last season, under the Nikolay Alexeev’s leadership the Distinguished Orchestra of Russia toured in Sochi, Nalchik, Voronezh, Krasnoyarsk, as well as in China. The conductor's touring schedule for the 2024/2025 season included performances with the Distinguished Orchestra in Sochi, Nalchik (August 2024), Yerevan (September 2024), Moscow (November 2024).

 

The conductor actively cooperates with the Academic Symphony Orchestra pf the Philharmonia. Last season, Nikolay Alexeev opened the orchestra season, and pianist F. Kopachevsky performed in the ensemble with the conductor at the opening concert. The poster of the current season includes a concert of works by Debussy, Prokofiev and Mussorgsky, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of A.S. Dmitriev.

 

 

Born in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Russian Far East, Daniel Kharitonov emerged as one of the brightest talents of the 15th Tchaikovsky International Competition in 2015 at the age of 16, when his triumphant performance brought him the Third Prize.

 

Since his successful debut with The Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev in 2013, Kharitonov became a regular with the orchestra and has already toured with them to China and Italy, and performed across Russia on the Moscow Easter Festival tours in 2014 and 2015. Other highlights in his native Russia include concerts with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra "Evgeny Svetlanov" and National Philharmonic of Russia, and recitals in halls such as the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and Moscow International Performing Arts Center. He has participated at festivals such as Stars of the White Nights, Stars on Baikal and Crescendo, and regularly works with the Spivakov International Charity Foundation in Moscow.

 

Elsewhere, Kharitonov gave an electrifying performance at Carnegie Hall in 2013 as part of the Musical Olympus International Festival’s gala concert and has also appeared at the Annecy Classic and International de Colmar festivals in France.

 

He studied in the class of Professor Valery Piassetski at the Central Music School in Russia. Since 2016, he is studying at the Royal College of Music in London with Professor Dmitri Alexeev and exclusive representative of Daniel Kharitonov is the International Music Agency Harrison Parrott Ltd.

 

 

The Distinguished Orchestra of Russia, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest symphony orchestra in Russia. History of the Orchestra which, according to foreign reviews, “is among the world’s elite and, without a doubt, historically the most important orchestra in Russia”, began with the decree of Alexander III on 16 July 1882, which initiated the creation of the Court Musicians Choir. Transformed into the Court Orchestra at the beginning of the XX century, for the first time in Russia, the orchestra performed the symphonic poems Ein Heldenleben and Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, Mahler's First Symphony and Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy and Stravinsky’s First Symphony. A. Nikisch and R. Strauss conducted the orchestra as well as A. Glazunov. In 1917, the Court Orchestra became the State Orchestra, and was headed by S. Koussevitzky.

 

The orchestra’s repertoire is constantly updated with new works including contemporary. Over the recent years these comprise Russian premieres of Borisova-Ollas' First Symphony “The Triumph of Heaven” and Fantasia “Wunderbare Leiden”, Dutilleux's Nocturne “Sur le même accord” and “Starry night”, Adams’ Piano Concerto “Century Rolls” and “Shaker Loops” for the string orchestra, Gia Kancheli's Opus “Letters to friends”, Widmann’s “The Babylon-Suite”, as well as “Ramifications” for strings. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra and Romanian Concert Romȃnesc by Ligeti, “Epitaph auf Garcia Lorca” for flute and chamber orchestra by Nono, “A String Around Autumn” for viola and orchestra by Takemitsu.

 

The 2024/2025 concert season of the orchestra has traditionally opened on 25th September – Shostakovich’s birthday. Shostakovich's Sixth Symphony and Brahms' Second Piano Concerto (soloist – I. Papoyan) has been performed under the baton of the Philharmonic's chief conductor Nikolay Alexeev. Traditional subscription cycles – “Distinguished Orchestra of Russia – the St Petersburg Philharmonic” and “The First Symphony Orchestra of Russia” (to the 90th anniversary of the award of the title of Distinguished Orchestra of the Republic) include symphonies by Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Tishchenko, Honegger, Schubert, Rachmaninoff; symphonic works by R. Strauss, Ravel, Lyadov, Cantata “Alexander Nevsky” by Prokofiev; piano concertos by Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Ravel, Mozart, violin concertos by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Taneyev's concert suite for violin and orchestra, Harp concerto by Ginastera, symphonic fragments from Wagner’s operas. The soloists are E. Leonskaja, E. Virsaladze, D. Matsuev, B. Berezovsky, I. Papoyan, I. Bessonov, V. Repin, G. Kazazyan, K. Barati (Hungary).