Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Stravinsky’s Les Noces are among the Questa Musica’s large-scale projects. In 2011, the ensemble received the First-Order Award for Technical Mastery from the Belcanto Foundation. Moscow Philharmonic Society also invited Questa Musica to perform in the Philharmonic Debut concert series.
«We want our audience to rediscover classical music.It’s here, it’s modern, beautiful and emotional. Mistaken are those who think classics are too complicated and difficult to grasp for someone who is not ready. But I say the opposite», explains Philipp Chizhevsky, conductor, founder of the ensemble, Moscow Conservatory graduate and a winner of the All-Russia Competition of Choral Conductors.
The concert will celebrate dreamy and melancholic music of John Dowland (1563–1626), a composer who played his lute at the courts of Christian VII of Denmark and King James VI of Scotland, the first Stuart King of England. 20th century saw the revival of Dowland’s music, when Renaissance and Baroque influences came forward again, and numerous modern transcriptions of lute music for the guitar appeared.Benjamin Britten also used music by John Dowland in his work.
Concerto Grosso, one of the most famous compositions by G. F. Handel, genius of British and German Baroque, and Henry Purcell’s Abdelazer Suite are also included into the concert programme.
Programme
John Dowland, Henry Purcell and G. F. Handel
First part
John Dowland: Lute Songs
Performed by Questa Musica (vocal ensemble)
Oleg Boyko, lute, guitar
Asya Grechishcheva, lute, theorbo
Second part
Henry Purcell: Abdelazer Suite
G. F. Handel: Concerto Grosso N9 op.6 F-Dur
Performed by Questa Musica (orchestra)
G. F. Handel: Ending of Messiah oratorio Part II — Hallelujah
Performed by Questa Musica (vocal ensemble and orchestra)
Conducted by Philipp Chizhevsky
QUESTA MUSICA ENSEMBLE
Questa Musica Ensemble has quickly won praise from Russian and international audiences. The ensemble was formed a couple of years ago in Moscow.Its members are young and gifted, most of them graduates of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and Moscow Academy of Choral Art. The collective owes its success to extraordinary skills of the musicians and well-selected repertoire.
Music that these talented young Russian artists play varies a lot. They perform both Russian and European classical music, secular and church compositions, Renaissance and Baroque music, works of contemporary composers, also spirituals, folk music and their own interpretations of instrumental compostitions.