Shostakovich revered him, Rimsky-Korsakov was awed by his genius, and Prokofiev owed him more than he would ever admit. But Alexander Glazunov was more than just a great teacher – and The Seasons is more than just the missing link between Tchaikovsky’s and Stravinsky’s ballets. It’s one of Imperial Russia’s forgotten treasures, glittering with colour and brimming over with hummable tunes. Ilan Volkov will charge it with all his trademark electricity, while Mariinsky Theatre veteran Yuri Vorobiev brings true St. Petersburg style to the pitch-black humour of Mussorgsky’s pungent songs. And Shostakovich’s King Lear offers a bracingly Russian angle on our season-long tribute to Shakespeare.
Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room
Musicologists David Fanning and Michelle Assay explore Shostakovich and Shakespeare.
Post-Concert Coda (approximately 10 minutes after the main concert)
Yuri Vorobiev in a short recital of Russian songs.
