Kian Soltani plays Prokofiev

A musical journey of discovery through the vast winter landscapes of Tsarist Russia. In his mature years, Tchaikovsky called his symphonic debut from 1869 a "sin of dear youth". And yet he remained faithful to the work throughout his life: "Even if it is very immature in many respects," he said, "it is, strictly speaking, more substantial and better than many others that are more mature." He found a model for this above all in Mendelssohn's symphonies, the "Scottish" and the "Italian", and it was these programmatic names that encouraged him in his idea of composing symphonic "Winter Dreams". - From Prokofiev's later years in the Soviet Union came completely different, more "realistic" sounds: the large-scale Sinfonia concertante. This late work was composed in 1950/52 and was only completed shortly before his death. It is dedicated to the famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who had already offered the composer advice and support during its composition and successfully premiered it in Moscow on February 18, 1952.

Tsarist Russia and Soviet, Stalin-influenced realism: two worlds collide here that seemingly have nothing to do with each other, yet ultimately draw on the same cultural sources.

Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
Conductor: Stanislav Kochanovsky
Violoncello: Kian Soltani

Composers & Works
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
Sinfonia concertante for violoncello and orchestra op. 125
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
Symphony No. 1 in G minor op. 13 "Winter Dreams"

Please note: The program and the artists performing are subject to change. The current program can be found on the website.