The glorious sounds of Russian masterpieces, performed by a star-studded roster of world-class talents, will fill NEC's magnificent Jordan Hall for the final concert of the 2nd International Rachmaninoff Russian Music Festival.
At the heart of the program is the festival’s organizing group, the Rachmaninoff Festival Choir of America, combining with two guest choirs, Kovcheg, an all-male ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia, and Elegia, a mixed chorus from Moscow, to form a mighty 100-voice strong choir led by Irina Shachneva, Artistic Director and Festival founder.
Selected soloists for this powerful group include rising stars of international repute: renowned pianist Vassily Primakov, prize-winning soprano Maria Lyudko, and countertenor Andrey Nemzer, a Grand Prize winner in the 2012 Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious National Council competition. Also performing are instrumentalists from the Würzburg (Germany) Youth Orchestra and Juventas New Music Ensemble of Boston.
Audiences will be treated to rarely performed sacred, secular and operatic works by Russian masters such as Berezovsky (his motet "Do Not Reject Me in My Old Age"), Tchaikovsky, Gretchaninoff, Glinka and, of course, the festival’s namesake, Rachmaninoff, including the "Études Tableaux" performed by pianist Vassily Primakov, "Three Russian Songs" for orchestra and choir, and selections from his deeply moving "Vespers". Bells will peal out for the grand finale, featuring all the festival performers in a resounding rendition of the chorus “Glory!” from Glinka’s opera "A Tsar’s Life," concluding an extravagant musical afternoon not to be missed!
