Russian Dolls

In Glazunov’s composition, the cello—played by the up-and-coming internationally renowned soloist Bryan Cheng—sings like a melancholic minstrel of courtly romance in the Middle Ages. Then, with Rococo Variations, the instrument becomes a chameleon, changing its voice with utmost virtuosity to develop Tchaikovsky’s theme, inspired by 18th-century music.

Then it’s time for Shostakovich to take us back in time with Symphony No. 11, a piece led by one of the most important conductors of his generation, Louis Langrée. The composer tells the story of Bloody Sunday in 1905, when tsarist soldiers violently repressed an initial attempt at a revolution by firing upon a hungry crowd gathered outside the Winter Palace.

Artists
Louis Langrée, conductor
Bryan Cheng, cello

After recently winning several prestigious international competition prizes, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Geneva Competition, and the Paulo Cello Competition, Canadian-born and Berlin-based cellist Bryan Cheng has established himself as one of the most compelling young artists on the classical music scene.

During the 2024/25 season, Bryan Cheng will make his debut with the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt performing Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 under the baton of Erina Yashima. He will also perform with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, playing Elgar’s Cello Concerto under the direction of Simone Menezes, the Prague Philharmonia performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 under Oscar Jockel, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra performing Mason Bates’ Cello Concerto under Robert Moody, the Orchestre Métropolitain performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations under Louis Langrée, the Bochumer Symphoniker with Nil Venditti, the Orquesta Reino de Aragón under Ricardo Casero, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Ankara, the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, and the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

Program
Alexandre GLAZUNOV, Minstrel’s Song
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY, Rococo Variations
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH, Symphony No. 11, “1905”

Maison symphonique
Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 3:00pm

To purchase your tickets, visit: www.placedesarts.com