Rostropovich Day

Wigmore Hall, Saturday 2 May 2009, 10am - 10 pm
(36 Wigmore Street London W1U 2BP)

Goldsmiths has had a long association with Mstislav Rostropovich, and in 2000 he received his Honorary Degree there. He also conducted his unforgettable masterclass in a packed Deptford Town Hall Council Chamber, which has been used extensively as a concert venue since then. Goldsmiths has also established The Rostropovich Scholarship for gifted string players – the initiative was strongly supported by the Maestro himself for the first time.

Mstislav Rostropovich’s personality was boundless and an inspiration to all musicians.  The  chamber music programmes  at the Wigmore Hall will be focused on Rostropovich’s lesser-known roles as a chamber musician, pianist, composer and arranger, as well as a great promoter of twentieth-century music, working with virtually all of the major composers.

Afternoon and evening concerts will highlight the universality of Rostropovich’s musical interests, from Beethoven and Schubert to Boulez and Piazzolla, as well as his own compositions and arrangements, and the works he premiered as a pianist and a chamber musician. In addition, two unknown filmed performances by Rostropovich (including his premiere of Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto) will be shown for the first time, with comments from the Maestro’s friends, performers and the composers.

A Rostropovich Day, Chamber Music Festival

10.00 – 14.00
Finals of VTB Capital Prize for Young Cellists
Young cellists will perform Britten's Solo Cello Suites plus selection of works for solo cello written for Rostropovich.

15.00 – 16.30
Rostropovich’s Contrasts
Joan Rodgers, soprano; Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin/conductor
Alexander Zemtsov, viola; Alexander Ivashkin, cello
Dmitri Alexeev, piano
London cello students: Gregory Duggan, Stjepan Hauser
Wei-Tsen Lin, Alissa Lyubarskaya, Alice Murrey, Rebecca Turner

Beethoven Serenade for string trio, op. 8.
Schnittke Minuet for string trio
Prokofiev Andante from unfinished Concertino op 132
Arr. Rostropovich (arranged for five cellos)
Boulez Messagesquisse for seven cellos
Piazzolla Le Grand Tango
Shostakovich Seven Songs on poems by Alexander Blok

17.00 – 18.30 (Bechstein Room)
Rostropovich’s Unknown filmed première performances
Alexander Knaifel Chapter Eight for church, cello and chorus (1995), World première

Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.2 (1966), World première

7:30 pm – 9.40 pm
Rostropovich: cellist, pianist and composer
Joan Rodgers, soprano; Dmitri Alexeev, piano
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violin; Alexander Ivashkin, cello
Alexander Zemtsov, viola; Michel Lethiec, clarinet
Frank Lloyd, horn; Chilingirian Quartet

Tchaikovsky Three songs for soprano and piano
It was in the early spring, op.11 No.2
Rondel, op.65 No.6
At the Ball, op.38 No.3
Rostropovich Humoresque, op. 5
Penderecki Sextet. (UK premiere)
Schubert Quintet in C major, D.956

Further details available from: crm (@gold.ac.uk).