The sound of greatness: Valery Gergiev and the Stradivarius Ensemble at Toronto's Koerner Hall

By Stanley Fefferman, 28 October 2012

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Reviewed at The Royal Conservatory of Music, TELUS Centre, Koerner Hall, Toronto on 26 October 2012

Strauss R., Metamorphosen

Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony in C minor (arr. Rudolf Barshai), Op.110a

Tchaikovsky, Serenade for strings in C major, Op.48

Valery Gergiev, Conductor

Stradivarius Ensemble

Three card trick: La Scala’s gamble pays off in Pique Dame

Mark Pullinger, 23rd February

Valery Gergiev finally turns up to conduct an electrifying evening, crowned by Asmik Grigorian's full throttle performance as Liza.

****1

Miraculous Russians: Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky in Florence

Elena Luporini, 11th December

Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra call in at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino for a programme of Prokofiev, Bartók and Stravinsky... and Gergiev picks up the keys to the city too.

****1

Grand Romantic statements from Gergiev at the Enescu Festival

Edward Sava-Segal, 6th September

Two giants of the Romantic repertoire that were met with disdain by Eduard Hanslick at their premieres are given persuasive readings in Bucharest.

****1

Technicolor Shostakovich and Brahms from the Munich Philharmonic

Laurence Vittes, 3rd September

A full frontal assault by Valery Gergiev on Brahms' First Symphony and Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto in explosive performances.

****1

Turn of the screw: Gergiev’s masterful Tchaikovsky in Munich

Mark Pullinger, 8th May

In his busy Mariinsky schedule, Valery Gergiev squeezes in a visit to the Munich Philharmonic, joined by poetic pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

****1

Suntory Hall hosts the Vienna Philharmonic in exceptional times

Nahoko Gotoh, 10th November

"Is the Vienna Philharmonic coming or not?" This had been the talk of town amongst classical music fans in Japan since September, when its concert scene regained some semblance of normality.

*****

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Stanley Fefferman

Stanley Fefferman is Professor Emeritus at York University, Toronto. He is active in classical, new music, and jazz circles as a writer and accredited performance photographer. His work is archived on Canadian sites The Live Music Report.com, Showtimemagazine.ca, and OpusOneReview.com. His website is here.