Russian Romantics
Linus Roth (violin) / Tom Woods (conductor)
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Tonight’s concert from the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra “Russian Romantics” features the music of Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. Joining the Orchestra is the young German violinist Linus Roth for an impressive performance of Glazunov’s Violin Concerto.
Linus Roth hails from Germany where he studied at the Music Academy of Freiburg. His debut recording on EMI of sonatas by Brahms, Debussy, and Mendelssohn earned him the title “Best Newcomer” by Echo Klassik Award of the German Phonoacademy. He plays the 1703 ‘Dancla’ Stradivarius and the Glazunov concerto is the perfect vehicle to display the burnished and singing tone he produces on the instrument.
Glazunov’s only violin concerto was completed in 1904 and was an immediate hit, perhaps because it was grounded firmly in the late 19th century romanticism that served composers like Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov so well. The music is rhapsodic and Glazunov’s talent for melody and lyricism pervades the entire work.
Also on the programme, Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Fourth Symphony and a concert overture inspired by Shakespeare’s play The Tempest.
This concert was recorded live in the Air Force Museum, Wigram by Radio New Zealand
