Classical Music in Poland and the Europe of Chopin - From the Reviewer's Notebook

Benjamin Britten - The Rape of Lucretia Musical drama in two acts with an Interlude Libretto by Ronald Duncan based on the play of André Obey ST. PETERSBURG CHAMBER OPERA Director: Yuri Alexandrov Production designer: Zinowij Margolin WIKTOR ALESZKOW - Him JULIA PTICYNA - Her ANTON MOROZOW - Collatinus, Roman General NATALYA VOROBYEVA - Lucretia, wife of Collatinus JADGAR JUŁDASZEW - Junius, Roman General ALEKSIEJ PASZIJEW - Tarquinius, son of the King of Rome VICTORIA MARTEMJANOWA - Bianca, Lucretia's old nurse KAROLINA SZAPOWAŁOWA / JEWGIENIJA KRAWCZENKO - Lucia, Lucretia's maid WŁADISŁAW MAZANKIN - Witness Direction, staging - Yuri Alexandrov Scenography - Zinowij Margolin Costumes - Wiaczesław Okuniew Lighting - Irina Wtornikowa The scenic movement - Dawid Awdysz Director - Tatiana Karpaczew ST. PETERSBURG CHAMBER OPERA ORCHESTRA Musical direction - Nelli Abdi Conductor - Maksim Walkow Photography:  Jarosław Budzyński (click on to enlar

Alexei Lubimov The Russian pianist, fortepianist and harpsichordist Alexei Lubimov has a distinguished reputation as a former pupil of Henryk Neuhaus at the Moscow Conservatory. As with many musicians who are fascinated by the music of the Baroque performed on early instruments, he also harbours a passion for contemporary music of the twentieth century.  I also share these twin passions for as well as playing the harpsichord and period piano , in my twenties I  was writing my own experimental avant garde texts in the style of the Nouveau Roman and was deeply interested in contemporary classical music. In 1968  as an observer  I attended some of the classes given by the German electronic composer Karlheinz Stockhausen at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne ( Courses for New Music ) together with the Australian composer David Ahern. Also of course I studied   Messiaen, Xenakis, Boulez, Pousseur, Berio, Kagel, Cage...Lubimov was highly praised for his exciting  performances of

                                                                                                                                                        KUSC Joseph Haydn  - Sonata in B Minor, No. 47, Hob.XVI:32               1774-1776 Joseph Haydn  - Sonata in G Minor, No. 32, Hob.XVI:44              1771-1773 Joseph Haydn  - Sonata in C-sharp Minor, No. 49, Hob.XVI:36    1770-1775 Ludwig van Beethoven  - Sonata in E Minor, Op. 90 Ludwig van Beethoven  - Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111 As I wandered the streets of Warsaw outside the Filharmonia  just before Christmas , flurries of light snow brushed my cheeks. In somewhat of a daze, perhaps of dissolution, I began to reflect on one of the handful of truly remarkable musical experiences of my life, the piano recital this evening by Grigory Sokolov.  Such a  miraculous phenomenon went far beyond  what is normally regarded as a 'performance', far beyond technical accomplishment or crass celebrity ostentatio