Nicola Benedetti in Russia

“Only” forty years separate these two Concertos], one by the master Glazounov written in 1904, and one by his disciple Chostakovitch, written in 1947. But within those forty years, the world witnessed the Russian Revolution, Stalin’s Terror and the horrors of WWII, enough change to radically alter the musical landscape in Russia. Where Glazounov is still writing in a post-romantic, incandescent lyricism, both nostalgic and tender, poignant and hard-hitting, Chostakovitch closes himself off in a language stuck somewhere between disheartened sarcasm and the thrill of escape, exuberant in its hopelessness and the gaiety of death… Only the final Burlesque seems to be inspired by the “old” Russia. The Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti (we know, the name is misleading), whose career took off very early and who is never one to shy away from playing both classical and jazz, has delivered a brilliant rendition of both] of these very different, yet very complimentary pieces. @SM/Qobuz.

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