REVELATIONS OF GIDON KREMER

The National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine has hosted a concert that had been long impatiently awaited and which became one of the central events of this season. Renowned violinist Gidon Kremer’s visit to Kyiv is extraordinary and very significant. Even if one momentarily forgets about all the regalia of the maestro, one can confidently call his current creative efforts tremendous. Devising more and more new programs by discovering for listeners the works of hitherto little known composers (Astor Piazzolla is perhaps the brightest of them of late), Kremer’s work feeds the souls of the multitude.

While on his previous visit to Kyiv the maestro was accompanied by his orchestra Kremerata Baltica, this time he came together with soloist of this orchestra Marta Sudraba, a beautiful violoncellist who in her time, like Kremer himself, had graduated from the Emil Darzin musical school in Riga. Along with this brilliant duet the symphony orchestra of the National Philharmonic Society, led by Roman Kofman, took part in the concert. Symphony No. 5 and Sad Waltz by Jean Sibelius were performed in the first part of the program. After intermission, the Concerto Grosso No. 2 by Alfred Schnittke was heard, a mighty work depicting the conflict between the individual and outside world. As the concert hall was full not so much with music lovers as with the public that could afford the very high-priced tickets, it was much feared how the opus of so “specific” and interesting composer would be received. Kremer himself appeared to be nervous during the performance, for at first he took a faster tempo than had been rehearsed. Several times in the course of the performance the maestro had to tear out a broken hair from his bow. But the performance itself was remarkable for its extraordinary vividness both on the part of the two soloists and the orchestra. The musicians managed to literally captivate the hall: the audience froze, enjoying what was heard and simultaneously fearing to break the state of complete expressiveness onstage. Later, after the concert, I heard somebody exclaim what was obviously the response to some remarks regarding the symphony heard: “This music is like our life!” These words seem to contain precisely the truth that the remarkable musicians were attempting to convey to us.