Violin Concerto “Jacob’s Dream” performed at the 3rd Violin. Festival. St. Petersburg event in honor of David Oistrakh
On October 11, the Grand Hall of the Shostakovich St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia hosted the gala concert of the 3rd international violin festival in honor of David Oistrakh.
As part of the gala, the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sergey Stadler, an Honored Artist of Russia, and featuring guest violinist Graf Murzha, a Merited Artist of Russia, performed the violin concerto “Jacob’s Dream” by composer Baruch Berliner and producer Nachum Slutzker.
The prodigiously talented Graf Murzha, one of the most accomplished violinists of his generation, has won numerous competitions, including the “Premio Paganini” International Violin Competition (1990), the 10th Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow (1994), and the Monte Carlo Music Masters (Violin) (2010), to name a few.
Mr. Murzha regularly gives solo recitals and collaborates as a soloist with symphony orchestras throughout Russia and Europe, performing at prestigious concert venues.
Sergey Stadler, conductor and artistic director of the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, is undeniably a legendary figure. An Honored Artist of Russia and a renowned violinist, he was dubbed by Dmitry Likhachev “the Russian Paganini.” Mr. Stadler is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including Concertino-Praga (1976, 1st prize), the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow (1982, 1st prize and gold medal), the Long-Thibaud International Competition in Paris (1979, second grand prix and a special award for the best performance of French music), and many others.
Having toured 70 countries, Mr. Stadler enjoys a busy concert schedule. He has performed at the Wiener Musikverein, the Royal Festival Hall, the Salle Pleyel, the Royal Concertgebouw, and the Suntory Hall, collaborating with conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Yuri Temirkanov, and Valery Gergiev. Mr. Stadler has played in an ensemble with Heinrich Schiff, Viktor Tretyakov, Liana Isakadze, Julian Rachlin, Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman, Aleksandr Knyazev, Truls Mørk, and David Geringas. Moreover, he was the first to be honored with the opportunity to perform on Paganini’s Il Cannone violin in public concerts.
The St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, established by Mr. Stadler, quickly gained recognition among the St. Petersburg audience, who admired both the diversity of the repertoire and the musicians’ prowess. The orchestra performs music ranging from the Baroque to the avant-garde, including pieces rarely heard in Russia, at the country’s most renowned venues: the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the State Academic Chapel of St. Petersburg, and the State Hermitage Museum.