The Oratorio Society is renowned for both the high level of quality and professionalism of the performances and its interesting and lively repertoire of music.The Moscow Oratorio Society (Хор «Московсквая Оратория») would like to invite all music-lovers to our upcoming spring concert.
The Oratorio Society is renowned for both the high level of quality and professionalism of the performances and its interesting and lively repertoire of music.
Entitled «Light and Shadow / Свет и тень» the concert combines two seemingly antithetical parts: Anton Bruckner's «Requiem D minor» and a sample of popular and favoured songs of Soviet times, brilliantly arranged especially for this concert.
The Moscow Oratorio Society will be conducted by Alexander Tsaliuk and accompanied by the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra.
Bruckner finished the Requiem in the year 1849 when he was 25 years old. The Requiem was his first more extensive composition and at the same time his first musical work including a score for orchestra. Bruckner, known as very self-critical, judged when he was in his seventies: «Es ist nicht schlecht! [It is not bad!]» As the composition of the Requiem was caused by the death of Bruckner's patron Franz Seiler, dark moments and mourning are in the foreground. However, the music also expresses hope of salvation and eternal peace.
In the second part of the concert the topic will change and the audience will be presented with very well known Russian songs from the Soviet period. As Lenin famously remarked, «Cinema is the most important of all the arts for us», Lenin famously said and some of the finest creative talents in the Soviet Union were put at the service of its film industry, composers included. Some of their songs will be heard here, and even if the words and sentiments of the lyrics sometimes seem dated these days, the instantly memorable and hummable tunes in which these songs retain strong appeal to all ages and nationalities, and prove what just fine melodists composers such as Isaak Dunayevsky were.
Several of his songs will be performed in this concert, along with settings of some of Russia's best-loved folk songs, such as «Moscow Nights». Hopefully the mix may spark some interesting after concert discussions on the extent to which we all lean towards glorification of our past and try to conceal some of the «shadows.»
We would be pleased to welcome you to our concert on the 31st of May, 7 p.m., at the Palace on the Yauze Theatre (DKMELZ), 1 Zhuravleva Square (Metro station: Elektrosavodskaya). Tickets from 300 up to 750 Rubles are available at tickets@moscoworatorio.com, or in the lobby on the evening of the concert.