Corona Strings perform works by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Mozart in a sparkling string programme for a summer evening entitled ‘Russia with love’.
Acclaimed professional Oxford-based orchestra Corona Strings, conducted by Janet Lincé, are joined by soloists, pianist Viv McLean and trumpeter Stephen Bailey in this concert which forms part of Oxford Festival of the Arts; a two-week celebration of culture and the arts in venues throughout the city.
Shostakovich’s Concerto for piano, trumpet, and strings was completed in 1933, while the composer was still in his 20s. In this colourful work of neo-baroque style, Shostakovich includes parodies, quotes and themes from some of his own works, as well as from Beethoven and Haydn, which was somewhat innovative at the time.
Inspired by the silent film comedies he once accompanied as well as the explosion of the jazz scene, the work is technically challenging at times, demanding the pianist to perform rapid leaps, runs and stretches, the trumpet often interrupting with sardonic outbursts and the orchestra offbeat to the soloists. In this performance, the soloists will be Stephen Bailey (trumpet), and Viv McLean (piano), who is a regular performer at St John’s.
The vibrancy and originality of this concerto is contrasted by the exquisite beauty and lyricism of the three string works surrounding it: Sibelius’s intense string miniature ‘Romance’ from 1903 is followed by Tchaikovsky’s evergreen ‘Serenade’, which was composed in 1880 and has become so popular that excerpts have been used in films and television. Tchaikovsky intended the first movement to be an imitation of Mozart's style, and opening the programme is one of the best-loved of all pieces in classical music: Mozart’s perennial favourite ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’, which translates as ‘A Little Night Music’.
"Shostakovich is, for me, one of the most exciting composers of the twentieth century”, explained conductor, Janet Lincé. “I had been keen to engage Viv McLean as soloist and his love of jazz presented me with the perfect opportunity to invite him to play Shostakovich's first, fun-laden piano concerto along with trumpeter Steve Bailey as co-soloist. You can hear elements of the composer's own jazz leanings in this delightful piece and I think it will go down well alongside Tchaikovsky's fantastic 'Serenade', which is a favourite of ours."
Corona, formed in 2012, led by Catherine Leech, is a professional string orchestra based mainly in and around Oxford and known as a flexible and vibrant ensemble which includes a fine group of ‘period’ instrument players at its core. Repertoire showcases many of the standard classical works and the players share a particular enjoyment for programming pieces by home-grown composers.
St John’s Church, Iffley Road, Oxford provides a warm, comfortable venue with a superb acoustic for these vibrant and atmospheric works.