Two of the biggest names in Russian music in the 20th century are represented in the concert “Pétrouchka”, which the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (OSPA) presents next Saturday (14/10), at 5pm, at Casa da OSPA.
In the first part, OSPA is dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich and his second cello concerto, which will feature cellist Marina Martins as soloist; in the second, Igor Stravinsky and his controversial ballet, “Pétrouchka”. Argentine maestro Luis Gorelik leads OSPA in the presentation, which has tickets on sale through Sympla, for prices between R$10 and R$50. The presentation will include a tribute to the centenary of the Veterinary Medicine course at UFRGS.
In addition to the traditional live broadcast of the concert, at 5pm, OSPA will also show the Concert Notes lecture, at 4pm. Both broadcasts take place on OSPA’s YouTube on Saturday. In this edition, writer Milton Ribeiro comments on the day’s repertoire, in the Recitais Room of Casa da OSPA. According to Ribeiro, “Concerto nº 2 for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 126” alternates “passages of the greatest sadness with bizarre passages and fantastic dances”. Pétrouchka, “despite being complex for any orchestra, is delightful to listen to, with its various and attractive themes”.
In her first performance at OSPA, young Marina Martins, a Brazilian living in Switzerland, performs the solo from “Concerto nº 2 for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 126”, by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975). At the time of his debut in 1966, the composer enjoyed a good relationship with the Soviet regime.
However, some critics see the taciturn nature of the work as a reflection of a contained despair, the result of a life under government oppression. Marina explains that the work is “extremely impactful and dense, it requires enormous concentration from all the musicians and leaves the audience breathless”. Still according to the artist, “Shostakovich’s second cello concerto is not as popular as the first, but it is much deeper emotionally and involves more dialogue between soloist and orchestra”.
After the interval, OSPA performs “Pétrouchka”, one of the famous ballets written by Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company. The work was premiered in 1911, featuring the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky as a typical Russian doll that came to life in the story. Over time, the radicalism of the work was assimilated by audiences, who adopted it as a favorite in concert halls around the world. This Saturday, OSPA performs the reduced version of the work, from 1947.
OSPA House Series Concert – PÉTROUCHKA
- SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2023
- Start of the concert: at 5pm. Concert Notes Lecture: at 4pm, with Milton Ribeiro.
- Where: OSPA House (CAFF – Av. Borges de Medeiros, 1.501, Porto Alegre, RS).
