Eliso Virsaladze

“I pay tribute to her concept and her extraordinary musicality. This is an artist of great scale, perhaps the strongest female pianist today... She is a very honest musician, and at the same time she has real modesty.” (Svyatoslav Richter)

Eliso Virsaladze was born in Tbilisi. She studied the art of piano playing from her grandmother Anastasia Virsaladze (Lev Vlasenko and Dmitry Bashkirov also started in her class) - a famous pianist and teacher, an elder of the Georgian pianistic school, a student of Anna Esipova (mentor of Sergei Prokofiev). She attended her class at the Paliashvili Secondary School of Music (1950-1960), and under her leadership she graduated from the Tbilisi Conservatory (1960-1966). In 1966-1968 she studied at the graduate school of the Moscow Conservatory, where her teacher was Yakov Zak. “I loved to do everything myself - whether right or wrong, but myself... Probably it’s in my character,” says the pianist. “And of course, I was lucky to have teachers: I never knew what pedagogical dictatorship was.” She gave her first solo concert when she was a 10th grade student; The program includes two sonatas by Mozart, an intermezzo by Brahms, Schumann's Eighth Novella, and a Polka by Rachmaninoff. “When working with my granddaughter,” wrote Anastasia Virsaladze, “I decided not to even resort to etudes at all, except for the etudes of Chopin and Liszt, but selected the appropriate repertoire... and paid special attention to the works of Mozart, which allowed me to polish my skills to the utmost.”

Laureate of the VII World Festival of Youth and Students in Vienna (1959, 2nd prize, silver medal), All-Union Competition of Performing Musicians in Moscow (1961, 3rd prize), II International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1962, 3rd prize, bronze medal), IV International Schumann Competition in Zwickau (1966, 1st prize, gold medal), Schumann Prize (1976). “Eliso Virsaladze left a wonderful impression,” Yakov Flier said about her performance at the Tchaikovsky Competition. “Her playing is surprisingly harmonious, you can feel real poetry in it. The pianist perfectly understands the style of the works she performs, conveys their content with great freedom, confidence, ease, and real artistic taste.”

Since 1959 - soloist of the Tbilisi, since 1977 - Moscow Philharmonic. Since 1967 he has been teaching at the Moscow Conservatory, first as an assistant to Lev Oborin (until 1970), then to Yakov Zak (1970-1971). Since 1971 he has been teaching his own class, since 1977 - associate professor, since 1993 - professor. Professor at the Higher School of Music and Theater in Munich (1995-2011). Since 2010 - Professor at the Fiesole School of Music (Scuola di Musica di Fiesole) in Italy. Gives master classes in many countries around the world. Among her students are laureates of international competitions Boris Berezovsky, Ekaterina Voskresenskaya, Yakov Katsnelson, Alexey Volodin, Dmitry Kaprin, Marina Kolomiytseva, Alexander Osminin, Stanislav Khegai, Mamikon Nahapetov, Tatyana Chernichka, Dinara Clinton, Sergei Voronov, Ekaterina Richter and others.

Since 1975, Virsaladze has been a member of the jury of numerous international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky, Queen Elisabeth (Brussels), Busoni (Bolzano), Geza Anda (Zurich), Viana da Mota (Lisbon), Rubinstein (Tel Aviv), Schumann ( Zwickau), Richter (Moscow), etc. At the XII Tchaikovsky Competition (2002), Virsaladze refused to sign the jury protocol, disagreeing with the majority opinion.

Performs with the world's largest orchestras in Europe, the USA, and Japan; worked with such conductors as Rudolf Barshai, Lev Marquis, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Yuri Temirkanov, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Sanderling, Dmitry Kitayenko, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, Alexander Rudin and others. Performed in ensembles with Svyatoslav Richter , Oleg Kagan, Eduard Brunner, Viktor Tretyakov, the Borodin Quartet and other outstanding musicians. A particularly long and close artistic partnership connects Virsaladze with Natalia Gutman; their duet is one of the longest-living chamber ensembles of the Moscow Philharmonic.

Virsaladze's art was highly appreciated by Alexander Goldenveiser, Heinrich Neuhaus, Yakov Zak, Maria Grinberg, Svyatoslav Richter. At the invitation of Richter, the pianist took part in the international festivals “Musical Festivals in Touraine” and “December Evenings”. Virsaladze is a permanent participant in the festival in Kreuth (since 1990) and the Moscow International Festival “Dedication to Oleg Kagan” (since 2000). Founded the international chamber music festival in Telavi (held annually in 1984-1988, resumed in 2010). In September 2015, under her artistic direction, the chamber music festival “Eliso Virsaladze Presents” was held in Kurgan.

For a number of years, her students took part in the philharmonic concerts of the “Evenings with Eliso Virsaladze” subscription at the BZK. Among the monograph programs of the last decade played by undergraduate and graduate students of her class are works by Mozart in transcriptions for 2 pianos (2006), all Beethoven sonatas (a cycle of 4 concerts, 2007/2008), all etudes (2010) and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies (2011 ), Prokofiev's piano sonatas (2012), etc. Since 2009, Virsaladze and students of her class have been participating in subscription chamber music concerts held at the Moscow Conservatory (a project of professors Natalia Gutman, Eliso Virsaladze and Irina Kandinskaya).

“I get a lot from teaching, and there is a purely selfish interest in this. Starting with the fact that pianists have a gigantic repertoire. And sometimes I instruct a student to learn a piece that I would like to play myself, but do not have time for. And so it turns out that I study it willy-nilly. What else? You are growing something. Thanks to your participation, what is inherent in your student comes out - this is very pleasant. And this is not only musical development, but also human development.”

Virsaladze's first recordings were made at the Melodiya company - works by Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, and a number of piano concertos by Mozart. Her disc is included by the BMG label in the “Russian Piano School” series. The largest number of her solo and ensemble recordings were released by Live Classics, including works by Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, as well as all of Beethoven’s cello sonatas, recorded in ensemble with Natalia Gutman: this is still one of the duo’s signature programs , regularly performed all over the world (including over the past year - in the best halls of Prague, Rome and Berlin). Like Gutman, Virsaladze is represented in the world by the Augstein Artist Management agency.

Virsaladze's repertoire includes works by Western European composers of the 18th-19th centuries. (Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Chopin, Brahms), works by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Virsaladze is cautious about modern music; however, she took part in the performance of Schnittke's Piano Quintet, Mansurian's Piano Trio, Taktakishvili's Cello Sonata, and a number of other works by composers of our time. “In life, it so happens that I play the music of some composers more than others,” she says. - In recent years, my concert and teaching life has been so busy that I often cannot focus on one composer for a long time. I am delighted to play almost all the authors of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. I think that the composers who composed at that time had practically exhausted the possibilities of the piano as a musical instrument. In addition, they were all unrivaled performers of their kind.”

People's Artist of the Georgian SSR (1971). People's Artist of the USSR (1989). Laureate of the State Prize of the Georgian SSR named after Shota Rustaveli (1983), State Prize of the Russian Federation (2000). Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2007).

“Can one wish for a better Schumann after the Schumann played by Virsaladze today? I think that after Neuhaus I have not heard such a Schumann. Today's Klavierabend was a real revelation - Virsaladze began to play even better... Her technique is perfect and amazing. She sets standards for pianists.” (Svyatoslav Richter)

Alexander Rudin

Alexander Rudin is a world-famous cellist, conductor, pianist, harpsichordist, teacher, researcher of ancient scores, author of orchestral editions of chamber works and unique thematic cycles. His repertoire includes works from four centuries - both the most famous and never performed. Thanks to Rudin's attention to forgotten pages of musical history, music lovers heard a number of compositions for the first time. These include Theme and Variations for cello and orchestra by Mikhail Vielgorsky, cello concertos by Antonin Kraft, Jean-Balthasar Tricleer, Johann Heinrich Facius, Robert Volkmann, Dvořák’s First Cello Concerto, author’s versions of works for cello and orchestra by Tchaikovsky - “Variations on a Rococo Theme” and Pezzo capriccioso. A significant part of Rudin's repertoire consists of works by our contemporaries - Valentin Silvestrov, Vyacheslav Artyomov, Edison Denisov, Rodion Shchedrin, Andrei Golovin.

Rudin was born in 1960 in Moscow. In 1983 he graduated from the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute (cello class of Lev Evgrafov, piano class of Yuri Ponizovkin), in 1989 - opera and symphony conducting class of the Moscow Conservatory (director Dmitry Kitayenko). Laureate of the international competitions named after J. S. Bach in Leipzig (1976), G. Cassado in Florence (1979), P. I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow (1978, 1982). Soloist of the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic (1983). Artistic director (since 1988) and chief conductor of the chamber orchestra “Musica Viva”. Since 1989 he has been teaching at the chamber ensemble and quartet department of the Moscow Conservatory, and since 2002 he has been a professor. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art (2003). People's Artist of Russia. Member of the jury of a number of international competitions, including the X, XI and XII (chairman of the cello jury) Tchaikovsky competitions.

Having received an academic education, Alexander Rudin became interested in the authentic performance of ancient music and over time came to an organic synthesis of both directions. He plays both the modern cello and the viola da gamba, performing the music of the romantics, works of the Baroque and early classicism. This line of creativity led Rudin and the MusicaViva orchestra to close collaboration with recognized masters in the field of authentic performance, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Christopher Moulds, Andreas Steyer, Alexey Lyubimov.

“The achievements of the authenticists have not passed me by; I have had a lot of contact with this area - primarily thanks to recordings, since until recently such groups almost never came to our country,” says Rudin. - I have never played music with exaggerated expressive intentions, with a lot of vibration and a fat sound. This can be heard even in my old recordings, and it turns out that I have not moved so far away from what I did before - as a soloist and as a conductor. As a cellist, I dealt with Haydn almost from childhood - even at my first competition in Prague, where, as a 1st prize winner, I played his Concerto in C major. And I can’t say that my principles have changed radically since then.”

With the Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva, Rudin presented unique concert programs in the capital and established himself as a brilliant interpreter of opera scores and large-scale works of the cantata oratorio genre. In Moscow, under his leadership, the Russian premieres of the oratorios “Judith Triumphant” by Vivaldi, “The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus” by C. F. E. Bach and the author’s edition of the oratorio “Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow” by Degtyarev took place. Haydn’s oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (“Hymn of Praise”), and concert versions of the operas “Idomeneo” by Mozart and “Oberon” by Weber were performed.

The largest event in Moscow musical life was the concert dedicated to Rudin’s 50th birthday, held on November 22, 2010. During the evening, Rudin presented two Russian premieres (Wagensail's Cello Concerto in C major, Sibelius's Two Pieces for Cello and Orchestra), as well as five major cello concertos - Haydn, C. F. E. Bach, Kraft, Shostakovich, Dvorak.

Rudin performs with many famous orchestras, including the Honored Ensemble of Russia, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Grand Symphony Orchestra, the Svetlanov State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, symphony and chamber orchestras of Norway, Finland, and Turkey. As a soloist and conductor, Rudin participated in the international festivals Les Pianos Folies (France), La Folle Journée (France, Spain, Japan) and others. Rudin's solo concerts are held in Germany, Finland, Holland, Canada, Great Britain, Hungary, Slovenia, Turkey and other countries.

Rudin's discography includes more than 30 discs. Particularly famous were his recordings of six suites by Bach (Naxos), cello concertos of Triklir, Myaskovsky, works by Alyabiev and A. Tcherepnin, “Grieg Album”, as well as a recording of a concert from the Great Hall of the Conservatory (Beethoven’s Third Symphony and Kraft’s Cello Concerto).

Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva

The history of the Musica Viva orchestra dates back to 1978, when violinist and conductor Viktor Kornachev founded an ensemble of nine people, recent graduates of Moscow music universities. In 1988, the group, which by that time had grown into an orchestra, was headed by conductor and cellist Alexander Rudin, who gave it the name Musica Viva. Under his leadership, the orchestra acquired a unique creative image, reached the highest performing level and became one of the leading orchestras in Russia.

Today Musica Viva is a universal musical group that feels free in a wide variety of styles and genres. The quintessence of the orchestra’s creative projects was the concert cycle “Masterpieces and Premieres” at the Moscow Philharmonic: in the subscription programs, well-known works sound fresh, as if they were being performed for the first time, and musical rarities become genuine discoveries for the public. In 2011, the “Silver Classics” series appeared; it is based on works that were not included in the golden repertoire fund, although they are worthy of it. As part of the cycle, there is a youth program representing laureates of European international competitions, as well as annual “Cello Assemblies”, in which Alexander Rudin invites his fellow cellists to participate.

Undeservedly forgotten works occupy a significant place in the orchestra’s repertoire: for the first time in Russia, Musica Viva performed works by C. F. E. Bach, Cimarosa, Dittersdorf, Dussek, Pleyel, Tricleer, Volkman, Kozlovsky, Fomin, Vielgorsky, Alyabiev, Degtyarev and many others. Musica Viva also introduces listeners to the best pages of modern music: the orchestra performed world and Russian premieres of works by Artyomov, Pärt, Sallinen, Silvestrov, Manotskov, Akhunov, Andrei Golovin and others.

Over the past decade, Musica Viva has successfully carried out major projects - operas in concert performance and oratorios. Under the direction of Alexander Rudin, the oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons” by Haydn, the operas “Idomeneo” by Mozart, “Oberon” by Weber, “Fidelio” by Beethoven, Schumann’s Requiem, the oratorios “Judith Triumphant” by Vivaldi and “Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow" by Degtyarev. For the first time in Russia, Handel's cantata "Apollo and Daphne" and his serenata "Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus", as well as the serenata "Mark Antony and Cleopatra" and the oratorio "Pilgrims to the Holy Sepulcher" by Hasse were performed. In collaboration with the British maestro Christopher Moulds, the Russian premieres of Handel's operas Orlando, Ariodante and the oratorio Hercules were performed.

Musica Viva attracts the world's largest musicians to collaborate, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Vladimir Jurowski, Andras Adorian, Robert Levin, Andreas Steyer, Eliso Virsaladze, Natalia Gutman, Ivan Monighetti, Nikolai Lugansky, Boris Berezovsky, Alexey Lyubimov, Giuliano Carmignola , Isabelle Faust, Ruhl Diltins, Thomas Zetmayr, Christian Tetzlaff, Shlomo Mintz, prima donnas of the world opera stage: Joyce DiDonato, Annick Massis, Vivica Geno, Deborah York, Susan Graham, Malena Ernman, Stephanie d'Ustrak, Khibla Gerzmava, Yulia Lezhneva. The world-famous choirs Collegium Vocale and Latvia, as well as the Russian vocal ensemble Intrada, performed with the orchestra.

Musica Viva is a regular participant in international music festivals, including the world-famous “Crazy Days”, held in France, Spain, Japan, Poland, Russia (Ekaterinburg). The team toured in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Turkey, India, and Taiwan. He performs annually in Russian cities.

The orchestra has recorded more than twenty discs, including for the labels “Russian Season” (Russia-France), Olympia and Hyperion (Great Britain), Тudor (Switzerland), Fuga Libera (Belgium), “Melody” (Russia). The group's recent successful recordings include a disc of music by Dvořák (2013, Fuga Libera) and an album of cello concertos by Hasse, C. F. E. Bach and Hertel (2016, Chandos).

In the 2018/19 season, the Musica Viva orchestra celebrates 40 years since its founding.

The history of the orchestra dates back to 1978, when violinist and conductor V. Kornachev founded a musical ensemble of 9 people, young enthusiasts, recent graduates of Moscow music universities. In 1988, the ensemble, which by that time had grown into an orchestra, was headed by Alexander Rudin, who came up with the name “Musica Viva” (live music - lat.). Under his leadership, the orchestra acquired a unique creative role and achieved a high level of performing skills and became one of the leading orchestras in Russia.

Today Musica Viva is a universal musical group that feels free in a wide variety of styles and genres. In the orchestra's non-trivial programs, musical rarities are heard along with generally recognized masterpieces. The orchestra, which masters many performing styles, always strives to get as close as possible to the original appearance of the work, sometimes already indistinguishable behind the dense layers of performing cliches. The quintessence of the orchestra’s creative projects was a special concert cycle at the Moscow Philharmonic - “Masterpieces and Premieres”, in which musical masterpieces are presented in their pristine splendor, and musical rarities recovered from oblivion become genuine discoveries.

A large place in the orchestra's repertoire is occupied by the performance of undeservedly forgotten works: for the first time in Russia, the orchestra performed works by Handel, the sons of J.S. Bach, Cimarosa, Dittersdorf, Dussek, Pleyel, Tricleer, Volkman, Kozlovsky, Fomin, Vielgorsky, Alyabiev, Degtyarev and many others. The wide stylistic range of the orchestra allows the ensemble to perform both musical rarities and works of modern composers at an equally high level. Over the years, Musica Viva premiered works by V. Artyomov, A. Pärt, A. Sallinen, V. Silvestrov and others.

Over the past decade, Musica Viva has successfully carried out major projects - operas in concert performance and oratorios with the participation of outstanding foreign singers and conductors. Under the direction of Alexander Rudin, masses and oratorios by Haydn “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”, operas “Idomeneo” by Mozart, “Oberon” by Weber, “Fidelio” by Beethoven, Schumann’s Requiem, oratorios “Judith Triumphant” by Vivaldi and “Minin” were performed in Moscow and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow" by Degtyarev, oratorio "Paul" by Mendelssohn. For the first time in Russia, Handel's cantata "Apollo and Daphne" and his serenata "Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus", as well as the serenata "Mark Antony and Cleopatra" and the oratorio "Pilgrims to the Holy Sepulcher" by Hasse were performed. In collaboration with the British maestro Christopher Moulds, the Russian premieres of Handel's operas Orlando, Ariodante and the oratorio Hercules were performed.

Immersion in the materials of a particular era has led to a number of almost archaeological musical finds. This is how the “Silver Classics” cycle appeared, which started in 2011. It is based on music that is not included in the “golden” repertoire fund. As part of this cycle, there is a youth program representing laureates of European international competitions, as well as the annual “Cello Assemblies”, in which Maestro Rudin invites his fellow cellists.

Musica Viva attracts the world's largest musicians to collaborate, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Christian Tetzlaff, Thomas Zetmayr, Vladimir Jurowski, Andras Adorian, Robert Levin, Andreas Steyer, Eliso Virsaladze, Natalia Gutman, Ivan Monighetti, Nikolai Lugansky, Boris Berezovsky , Alexey Lyubimov, Giuliano Carmignola, Isabelle Faust, Ruhl Diltins, prima donnas of the world opera stage: Joyce DiDonato, Annick Massis, Vivica Geno, Deborah York, Susan Graham, Malena Ernman, Stephanie d'Ustrak, Khibla Gerzmava, Yulia Lezhneva and others. The orchestra was performed by the world famous choir Collegium Vocale, the choir “Latvia”.

Musica Viva is a regular participant in international music festivals. The orchestra toured in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Turkey, India, and Taiwan. Every year he tours cities in Russia.

In the field of sound recording, the orchestra has released several dozen discs at various companies: Russian Season (Russia-France), Olympia and Hyperion (UK), Tudor (Switzerland), Fuga Libera (Belgium), Melodiya (Russia), Chandos (UK ). The golden collection includes the orchestra's recordings with maestro A. Rudin as a soloist: Cello concertos by J.-B. Tricleir, Cello Concerto by N. Myaskovsky, A. Kraft, Cello concertos by composers of the Baroque era, which received rave reviews from international critics. “Grieg Album” introduces listeners to A. Rudin - not only a conductor and cellist, but also a master of orchestration. The disc presents chamber works by Edvard Grieg in the original orchestral version by A. Rudin. Also of particular interest are discs from works by A. Alyabiev, M. Glinka, the Tcherepnin Family, as well as live albums - recordings of Beethoven's Third and Sixth Symphonies from the Great Hall of the Conservatory. In 2019, Naxos released an album of Symphonies by J. Stamitz.

The Moscow chamber orchestra Musica Viva was created in 1978 at the Vladimir Regional Philharmonic by violinist and conductor Viktor Kornachev. In 1988, the orchestra was led by conductor, cellist and pianist Alexander Rudin.

For many years, the orchestra's activities have been supported by a Grant from the President of the Russian Federation.

In the 2018/2019 season. The Musica Viva orchestra celebrated 40 years since its founding.

Musica Viva is a state budgetary cultural institution in Moscow, its rehearsal base is located in Moscow, in the Basmanny district in Gardnerovsky Lane (the lane is named after the merchant Gardner, who once built a mansion for himself as a residential building; later, just before the revolution, he owned the property Greek Panayot).

The history of the Musica Viva orchestra dates back to 1978, when violinist and conductor Viktor Kornachev founded an ensemble of nine people, recent graduates of Moscow music universities. In 1988, the group, which by that time had grown into an orchestra, was headed by conductor and cellist Alexander Rudin, who gave it the name Musica Viva. Under his leadership, the orchestra acquired a unique creative image, reached the highest performing level and became one of the leading orchestras in Russia.

Today Musica Viva is a universal musical group that feels free in a wide variety of styles and genres. The quintessence of the orchestra’s creative projects was the concert cycle “Masterpieces and Premieres” at the Moscow Philharmonic: in the subscription programs, well-known works sound fresh, as if they were being performed for the first time, and musical rarities become genuine discoveries for the public. In 2011, the “Silver Classics” series appeared; it is based on works that were not included in the golden repertoire fund, although they are worthy of it. As part of the cycle, there is a youth program representing laureates of European international competitions, as well as annual “Cello Assemblies”, in which Alexander Rudin invites his fellow cellists to participate.

Undeservedly forgotten works occupy a significant place in the orchestra’s repertoire: for the first time in Russia, Musica Viva performed works by C. F. E. Bach, Cimarosa, Dittersdorf, Dussek, Pleyel, Tricleer, Volkman, Kozlovsky, Fomin, Vielgorsky, Alyabiev, Degtyarev and many others. Musica Viva also introduces listeners to the best pages of modern music: the orchestra performed world and Russian premieres of works by Artyomov, Pärt, Sallinen, Silvestrov, Manotskov, Akhunov, Andrei Golovin and others.

Over the past decade, Musica Viva has successfully carried out major projects - operas in concert performance and oratorios. Under the direction of Alexander Rudin, the oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons” by Haydn, the operas “Idomeneo” by Mozart, “Oberon” by Weber, “Fidelio” by Beethoven, Schumann’s Requiem, the oratorios “Judith Triumphant” by Vivaldi and “Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow" by Degtyarev. For the first time in Russia, Handel's cantata "Apollo and Daphne" and his serenata "Acis, Galatea and Polyphemus", as well as the serenata "Mark Antony and Cleopatra" and the oratorio "Pilgrims to the Holy Sepulcher" by Hasse were performed. In collaboration with the British maestro Christopher Moulds, the Russian premieres of Handel's operas Orlando, Ariodante and the oratorio Hercules were performed.

Musica Viva attracts the world's largest musicians to collaborate, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Vladimir Jurovsky, Andras Adorian, Robert Levin, Andreas Steyer, Eliso Virsaladze, Natalia Gutman, Ivan Monighetti, Nikolai Lugansky, Boris Berezovsky, Alexey Lyubimov, Giuliano Carmignola, Isabelle Faust, Ruhl Diltins, Thomas Zetmayr, Christian Tetzlaff, Shlomo Mintz, prima donnas of the world opera stage Joyce DiDonato, Annick Massis, Vivica Geno, Deborah York, Susan Graham, Malena Ernman, Stephanie d'Ustrak, Khibla Gerzmava, Yulia Lezhneva. The world-famous choirs Collegium Vocale Gent and Latvia, as well as the Russian vocal ensemble Intrada, performed with the orchestra.

Musica Viva is a regular participant in international music festivals, including the world-famous “Crazy Days”, held in France, Spain, Japan, Poland, Russia (Ekaterinburg). The team toured in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Turkey, India, and Taiwan. He performs annually in Russian cities.

The orchestra has recorded more than twenty discs for the Russian Season, Olympia, Hyperion, Naxos, Chandos, Tudor, Fuga Libera, and Melodiya labels. Among the group's recent successful recordings is the album of symphonies by Johann Stamitz (2019, Naxos). Of particular interest in the orchestra's discography are recordings with Alexander Rudin as a soloist. These include cello concerts by Jean-Balthasar Triclere, Myaskovsky, Antonin Kraft, composers of the Baroque era (Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Wilhelm Hertel, etc.). “Grieg Album” also introduces listeners to Rudin, a master of orchestration: the recording presents his orchestral versions of chamber works by the Norwegian classic.

In the 2018/19 season, the Musica Viva orchestra celebrated 40 years since its founding. For many years, its activities have been supported by a grant from the President of the Russian Federation.

Alexander Rudin

Alexander Rudin– world-famous cellist, conductor, pianist, harpsichordist, teacher, researcher of ancient scores, author of orchestral editions of chamber works and unique thematic cycles.

The musician was born in 1960 in Moscow. In 1983 he graduated from the State Musical Pedagogical Institute (now the Russian Academy of Music) named after the Gnessins (cello class of Lev Evgrafov, piano class of Yuri Ponizovkin), in 1989 – opera and symphony conducting class of the Moscow State Conservatory (headed by Dmitry Kitayenko).

Laureate of the international competitions named after J. S. Bach in Leipzig (1976), named after Gaspar Cassado in Florence (1979), named after P. I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow (1978, 1982). Soloist of the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic (1983). Artistic director (since 1988) and chief conductor of the Moscow chamber orchestra Musica Viva.

Having received an academic education, Alexander Rudin became interested in historically informed performance and over time came to an organic synthesis of both directions in the performing arts. He plays both the modern cello and the viola da gamba, performing the music of the romantics, works of the Baroque and early classicism. This line of creativity led Rudin and the Musica Viva orchestra to close collaboration with recognized masters in the field of authenticism, including Christopher Hogwood, Roger Norrington, Christopher Moulds, Andreas Steyer, Alexey Lyubimov and others.

The musician's repertoire includes works from four centuries. Thanks to Rudin's attention to forgotten pages of musical history, music lovers heard many unknown compositions for the first time. These include Theme and Variations for cello and orchestra by Mikhail Vielgorsky, cello concertos by Antonin Kraft, Jean-Balthasar Tricleer, Johann Heinrich Facius, Robert Volkmann, Dvořák’s First Cello Concerto, author’s versions of works for cello and orchestra by Tchaikovsky – “Variations on a Rococo Theme” and Pezzo capriccioso.

Together with the Musica Viva orchestra, for the first time in modern Russia, works by Salieri, Pleyel, Dussek, Dittersdorf, Kozlovsky, Pashkevich, Alyabyev were presented. Having presented unique concert programs in the capital, the maestro has established himself as a brilliant interpreter of opera scores and large-scale works of the cantata-oratorio genre. In particular, under his leadership, the Russian premieres of the oratorios “Judith Triumphant” by Vivaldi, “The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus” by C. F. E. Bach and the author’s edition of the oratorio “Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow” by Degtyarev took place. Haydn’s oratorios “The Creation of the World” and “The Seasons”, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (“Hymn of Praise”), and concert versions of the operas “Idomeneo” by Mozart and “Oberon” by Weber were performed.

The largest event in Moscow musical life was the concert dedicated to Rudin’s 50th birthday, held on November 22, 2010. During the evening, the musician presented two Russian premieres (Wagensail's Cello Concerto in C major, Sibelius' Two Pieces for Cello and Orchestra), as well as five major cello concertos - Haydn, C. F. E. Bach, Kraft, Shostakovich, Dvorak.

A significant part of the artist’s repertoire consists of works by our contemporaries - Valentin Silvestrov, Vyacheslav Artyomov, Rodion Shchedrin, Andrei Golovin. He was the first performer of a number of works for cello by Dmitry Kabalevsky and Edison Denisov.

Alexander Rudin performs with many famous orchestras, including the Honored Ensemble of Russia, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra, the P. I. Tchaikovsky Bolshoi Orchestra, the E. F. Svetlanov State Orchestra of Russia, symphony and chamber orchestras of Norway, Finland, Turkey. As a soloist and conductor, Rudin participated in the international festivals Les Pianos Folies (France), La Folle Journée (France, Spain, Japan) and others. Among the musician’s partners in the ensemble are Eliso Virsaladze, Nikolai Lugansky, Alexey Lyubimov, Natalia Gutman, Anthony Marwood, conductors Roger Norrington, Mikhail Pletnev and others. The musician’s solo concerts are held in Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, Great Britain, Hungary, Slovenia, Turkey and other countries.

The artist’s discography includes more than 30 discs. Particularly famous were his recordings of six cello suites by Bach (Naxos), cello concertos by Triklir, Myaskovsky, works by Alyabiev and A. Tcherepnin, “Grieg Album” (chamber works by Edvard Grieg in the original orchestral version by Rudin), as well as a recording of a concert from the Great Hall Conservatory (Beethoven's Third Symphony and Kraft's Cello Concerto). An album of cello concertos by baroque composers (Chandos, 2016) received enthusiastic reviews from leading Western European critics. The latest release is an album of symphonies by Johann Stamitz (Naxos, 2019).

Since 1989, Alexander Rudin has been teaching at the chamber ensemble and quartet department of the Moscow Conservatory, and since 2002 he has been a professor. He was repeatedly a member of the jury of international competitions, including the X, XI and XII (chairman of the cello jury) of the Tchaikovsky Competition.

He was awarded the honorary title “People’s Artist of Russia” (2001) and the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art (2003).

Maite Beaumont

Maite Beaumont was born in Pamplona, ​​where she studied at the Pablo Sarasate Conservatory. Then she continued her education at the Higher School of Music and Theater in Hamburg with Hannah Schwartz. In 2000, she became a participant in the youth program of the Hamburg State Opera, where she made her stage debut as Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina. From 2003 to 2006, she was a soloist with the theater troupe, performing leading roles in repertoire performances, including Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute, Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea, Bizet's Carmen and the opera The Love for Three Oranges. Prokofiev.

In 2005, Maite Beaumont made her debut at the Salzburg Festival with great success in the role of Dorabella from Mozart’s opera “That’s What They Do,” impressing audiences and critics with her “warm, deep voice and incredible stage charisma.” Since then, the singer has been extremely in demand on the opera and concert stage, performing in many of the world's main theaters, including Milan's La Scala, the Opera Garnier, the state operas of Berlin and Munich, La Monnaie in Brussels, the National Opera of Amsterdam, the Teatro Capitole of Toulouse, the Liceu in Barcelona. , Teatro Real de Madrid, Opera Chicago and Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile.

Maite Beaumont's recent performances include the roles of Angelina in Cinderella and Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville at the Dresden Semperoper, Sextus in Handel's Julius Caesar at the Teatro Regio in Turin, and Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Teatro An in Vienna der Wien, Siebel in Gounod's Faust at the Théâtre Capitole in Toulouse, Marquise Melibea in Rossini's Journey to Reims and Octavia in Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea at the Liceu Theatre, Meg Page in Verdi's Falstaff at the Amsterdam Festival, Narcissa in the opera of the same name D. Scarlatti at the festival of early music in Innsbruck and Irene in Handel's Tamerlane at the festival in Ambron. At the end of the current season, Maite Beaumont will once again appear on the stage of the Hamburg Opera, where he will perform the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.

The singer has performed with many famous ensembles, including the Academy of Ancient Music (UK), Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain, Bremen Chamber Orchestra, Salzburg Camerata, Il Complesso Barocco orchestras, Les Talens Lyriques, Mozarteum, Mateus ensembles ", "Gallant Europe", Resonanz and Intercomporain. She has collaborated with conductors Alan Curtis, Christopher Hogwood, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Roger Norrington, Christoph Eschenbach, Martin Haselböck, Adam Fischer, Ingo Metzmacher, Josep Pons, Ivor Bolton, Christophe Rousset, Daniele Gatti, Fabio Biondi, Simone Young, Emmanuel Aim, Jonathan Knott , Alessandro de Marchi, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Enrique Mazzola, Giovanni Antonini, Giacomo Sagripanti, directors Pierre Audi, Steffen Piontek, Laurent Pelli, Robert Carsen and others.

The artist's concert repertoire ranges from Baroque music to works by contemporary composers. She recently sang mezzo-soprano roles in Mozart's Mass in C Minor and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Maite Beaumont took part in the recording of the operas “Alcina” and “Radamist” by Handel, “Montezuma” by Vivaldi, “Flavius ​​Bertarid, King of the Lombards” by Telemann and “Feast at Sea” by the modern German composer Jorn Arneke; released a solo disc, Dolce mio ben, with arias from little-known composers of the Baroque era, and a disc, La Maga Abbandonata, with arias from Handel’s operas (together with soprano Simone Kermes). The performances “Julius Caesar” by Handel, “That’s What Everyone Do” and “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart, “Lunar Peace” by Haydn and “The Coronation of Poppea” by Monteverdi were released on DVD with her participation.