The Performing Arts Center presents the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra in concert on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The internationally acclaimed Russian orchestra will be conducted by music director Pavel Kogan with guest cellist Alisa Weilerstein in a program featuring Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. Tickets are $28 (orchestra and front balcony) and $23 (rear balcony). They are half price for UGA students with a valid ID. Discounts are available for groups.
Founded in 1943, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra has earned a reputation as one of the greatest orchestras from a cultural tradition rich with extraordinary symphonic ensembles. The orchestra’s founder and first musical director was Nikolai Anosov, one of the most outstanding musicians of his time, whose son, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, became one of Russia’s most famous conductors. Apart from its regular appearances at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the orchestra tours extensively throughout the world, playing from 20 to 50 concerts abroad each year.
In 1989 Pavel Kogan was named music director and chief conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. He appears frequently with the leading orchestras of Europe and the U.S., and he also serves as permanent conductor of the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow.
Twenty-four-year-old American cellist Alisa Weilerstein has attracted widespread recognition for playing that combines natural virtuosity with impassioned musicianship. She has given recitals in music capitals throughout the U.S. and
Europe and regularly participates in prestigious international music festivals. Following a performance with The Cleveland Orchestra, The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, “Cellists twice or thrice Weilerstein’s age would be hard-pressed to match the concentrated beauty and power of this young dynamo’s playing.”
A pre-concert lecture will be given at 7:15 p.m. by Matt Jones, a UGA graduate student in musicology. The lecture is free and open to the public.