75. Main Evening Concert

This concert opens with one of Mozart’s best-known violin sonatas, a work that sings with brilliance and cheerfulness, the few moments of introspection soon cast aside with a flourish. This Sonata can boast one of his loveliest slow movements followed by an exuberant Finale that banishes all serious thoughts. Victoria Poleva is a Ukrainian composer as Anna Fedorova is a Ukrainian pianist. Simurgh Quintet is a magical work for the Simurgh is a mythical flying creature in Persian mythology that is believed to help purify the environment and provide fertility. The bird symbolized the union between the sky and earth by serving as a messenger between the two. The music hovers between pianissimo and piano gradually building the tension until the giant bird slowly awakens and with a sudden burst rises into the sky and vanishes. Brahms G minor Piano Quartet was written at a time when he still gave his richly romantic themes a chance to breathe and allow us to luxuriate in this magnificent music, the slow movement in particular is a thing of wonder.