Edison Denissow – Anatol Vieru – Sergei Rachmaninoff

Soundscapes from Moscow to Bucharest

Edison Denisov – one of the most significant Russian composers of the post-Shostakovich generation – takes pride of place at the top of the bill. His orchestral work »Peinture« shifts restlessly between Ligeti-like chromatic dissonances and sweeping, richly textured passages that echo the grand traditions of the Russian school. In contrast, the evening’s second piece – Symphony No. 2 by the still too little-known Romanian composer Anatol Vieru – offers a far more playful sonic landscape. Eclectic yet never alienating, it brims with variety, colour, and intriguingly crafted sound worlds.

Rachmaninov’s »Bells« in the Shadow of the 20th Century

Less playful, though imbued with a deep inner darkness, is Sergej Rachmaninov’s choral symphony »The Bells«, where the Rundfunkchor Berlin finally takes centre stage. The composer himself regarded it as one of his finest works – and with good reason. This concert, presented as part of the Musikfest Berlin and performed alongside the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, is packed with genuine twentieth-century treasures and is simply not to be missed.