ChroniCle of Current events

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ChroniCle of Current eventsMieczysław WeinbergKirill SerebrennikovGidon KremerKremerata Baltica

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Credits

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info Context

date & time Fri 7 June 2019, 8.30 pm

venue Muziekgebouw

running time approx. 1 hourno interval

introduction by Michel Khalifa7.45 pm

Credits

Musical performance with silent visualsProject dedicated to the 100th anniversa-ry of Mieczysław Weinberg’s birth

music Mieczysław Weinberg

idea and music conceptGidon Kremer

curatorKirill Serebrennikov

art and video direction Artem Firsanov

camera operatorAleksey Venzos

screenwriterValeriy Pecheykin

soloists Gidon Kremer, violinMaija Kovalevska, sopranoGeorgijs Osokins, piano

vjVilius Keras

Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra violin 1Džeraldas Bidva**, Alexandra Tirsu Dainius Peseckas, Rakele Chijenaite Alina Vizine, Ula Klebanovaite violin I1 Linas Valickas*, Stella Zake, Andrei Valigura, Ieva Andreeva, Maarja Helen Oserov, Yulia Goncharova

viola Kristina Anuseviciute*, Zita Zemovica, Vidas Vekerotas, Ingars Girnis

cello Giedrė Dirvanauskaite* (solo), Peteris Cirksis, Emma Bandeniece, Rūta Balciutedouble bass Iurii Gavryliuk* (solo), Kristaps Petersons*percussion Andrei Pushkarev (solo)**concertmaster *group leaders

coproduction Holland Festival, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Berlin Konzerthaus, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra

world premiere 7 June 2019Holland Festival, Amsterdam

websitesGidon KremerKremerata Baltica

programme

Part I / SpringThere are four sorrows in our world:The first springtime woe,But the sun shines brighter thenHelping flowers grow.    1.1. Prelude no.13 from 24 Preludes op.100 for violin solo 1.2. Symphony no. 21 “Kaddish”, op.152 - fragment I1.3. Piano piece from Children’s album, op.161.4. Sonata for double bass solo, op.108 - fragment 

Part II / Summer The second sorrow summer brings:We worry, feel less merry,But in forests, dark and strange,You’ll find tasty berries.    

2.1. Chamber symphony no. 3, op. 151 - movement II2.2. ‘Grief’ from Song cycle Jewish Songs op.132.3. Piano Trio, op. 24 - Aria2.4. Music from ‘Boniface’s holidays’

Part III / AutumnThe third sorrow comes in fall,Or autumn it is said,But late summer, we all know,Apples turn sweet red.    

3.1. Chamber symphony no.2, op. 147 - Movement II3.2. Sinfonietta no.2, op.74 - Movement II3.3. Notturno from incidental music

Part IV / WinterThe fourth sorrow: wind and chill,Hard to breathe untilSpringtime comes so very closeBringing — springtime woes.    

4.1. Piano Quintet op.18 - Movement II4.2. Symphony no. 21 ‘Kaddish’ - Fragment II4.3. Nocturne from Three early pieces4.4. Prelude No. 24 from 24 Preludes op.100 for violin solo 

Poems by: Julian TuwimTranslation: Marek Kazmierski 

notes

Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer and his chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltica present Chronicle of Current Events: a trib-ute to the Russian-Polish composer Mieczysław Weinberg, born a hundred years ago. Weinberg was a contemporary of Dmitri Shostakovich. On the basis of Weinberg’s music the performers draw parallels between the last century and our time. Gidon Kremer: ‘The idiom of Mieczysław Weinberg is highly emo-tional and honest. First I got to know his music, later I discovered a personal connection as well; his tragic fate in many ways was similar to the one of my father, who as well suffered a lot from the Holocaust. With Chronicle of Current Events I intended to tell the life story of Weinberg through his music, and imagined it to be a semi-theatrical production. In my youth, being passionate about theatre, I dreamt about becoming a director. Nevertheless I realized, that for the serious intentions I had regarding this homage, my skills and enthusiasm would not be sufficient. So I looked for help and approached the outstanding director Kirill Serebrennikov with my ‘self-made’ script.’

The project looks at current and past events. At the parallels that can be drawn between today and the last century. The Chronicle of Current Events was the main independent, hand-typed mag-azine in the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 70s where the reality of Soviet life was reflected. Kremer: ‘Our project is about the artist’s fate, about life choices and about the casualties of Communism and the Holocaust. The creative work by Weinberg is a tribute to the entire 20th century, with all its unpredictable events, its pain and loss, its cruelty and hopes for a better future. The music composed by this great artist touches the very essence of the human soul and reflects its subtlest nuances like a mirror. The hard fate of Weinberg marked with numerous losses and distortions did not prevent the composer from devoting himself fully to art. Music was his loyal companion. The composer used his talent to turn his destiny into music.’

The significance of the performance is demonstrated by the fact that director Kirill Serebrennikov was given house arrest by the Russian court in 2017. He was allowed only one walk per day, no in-ternet, no telephone and contact only with his father and lawyer. The reason for his detention remains unclear. Officially it’s about embezzlement of subsidies, but according to insiders it is yet an-other way to silence an artist. Despite these limiting circumstanc-es, the director recently managed to finish his film Leto (2019). This year, the house arrest was lifted, but the charges remain.

‘It was Kirill who suggested to tell the story in a different way by building a bridge to our time,’ Kremer says. ‘And I immediately saw the potential of his approach in a much stronger and differ-ent light. Kirill suggested me a cooperation with his assistants and students, something I immediately endorsed, having met them in Moscow. This way Valeriy Pecheykin and Artem Firsanov became our associates’

Chronicle of Current Events was also the name of the main inde-pendent, hand typed magazine in the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 70s, reflecting the reality of Soviet life.

Kremer: ‘In Chronicle of Current Events music and video will feed each other, but not in the usual way in which the music becomes an accompaniment to the screen, like in the famous art works and classics Battleship Potemkin, directed by Sergey Eisenstein orDr. Mabuse, directed by Fritz Lang. In our project Weinberg’smusic comes first and becomes an inspiration for the videomakers, allowing them to reflect on our time. The ‘soundtrack’created by me will be performed live, and will consist of move-ments of some symphonies written for chamber orchestra, some film music of the composer along with solo works and chamber music opuses.’ ‘My personal wish is to speak to an open minded audience and to reach out for its imagination and the heart of each member of it. I wish to remind people, through music and images, that there is plenty of injustice in our world, and I aim to awaken some empa-thy.’

For this article, pieces were used of an interview that Frederike Berntsen had with Gidon Kremer for Holland Festival.

Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg was born in 1919 in Warsaw. His father was a conductor and violinist, his mother an actress. In 1939 Weinberg fled from the Nazis to Russia – his parents and sister, who remained behind, were killed. Weinberg is the creator of a substan-tial oeuvre, ranging from symphony to string quartet, opera and song. His work is not particularly well known, although a Weinberg revival has been in motion for some time. In Moscow Weinberg lived near another Soviet era composer: Dmitri Shostakovich. The men knew one another well, and exchanged tips on composition. Weinberg and Shostakovich’s friendship can be heard in their music. Over his lifetime Mieczysław Weinberg’s music has been played by eminent musicians such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Kirill Kondrashin and Emil Gilels. Violinist Gidon Kremer, an advocate of Weinberg’s work, expresses the power of the composer’s oeuvre as follows: ‘Weinberg’s creative work is a re-sponse to the entire twentieth century, with

all its unpredictable events, its pain and grief, its horrors and its hope for a better future. The music composed by this great artist touches the essence of the human soul and reflects its subtlest nuances like a mirror.’

As a violinist Gidon Kremer (Riga, 1947 has had an unconventional career. After studying under David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory, Kremer won prizes in contests such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the Tchaikovsky Competition. Over the last five decades he has confirmed his reputation worldwide as one of the most original musicians of his generation. Gidon Kremer’s repertoire is unusually large and varied. It includes all classic and romantic masterpieces for the violin, alongside compositions by Berg, Henze and Stockhausen. Kremer promotes the work of living Russian and Eastern European composers. His name is inextricably bound to composers such as Schnittke, Pärt, Kantsjeli, Gubaidulina,

about the artists

Nono, Glass and Piazzolla. No other vio-linist of comparable stature has done so much for contemporary composers and new violin music. Kremer has brought out more than 120 CDs, many of which have been distinguished with major prizes. Gidon Kremer plays an instrument that dates back to 1641, made by Nicola Amati. The four books he has written reflect the full breadth of his artistic goals and his aesthetic vision.

Kremerata BalticaIn 1997 Gidon Kremer  founded the cham-ber orchestra Kremerata Baltica, in which he works with young musicians from the Baltic states. Kremer describes his en-semble as a musical democracy with an open, critical spirit. Since the beginning of this millennium Kremerata has given more than a thousand concerts in six hundred cities and fifty countries. The discography encompasses more than twenty-five titles with Nonesuch, Deutsche Grammophon and ECM, which have won prizes such as the ECHO Klassik and the Grammy Award. Kremerata Baltica works with conductors and soloists of the highest standing. The chamber orchestra’s identity is firmly linked to its varied and inventive programming. The ensemble has premiered many commissioned works. Kremerata Baltica celebrated its twentieth birthday – and Gidon Kremer’s seventieth – with a major world tour.

Kirill Serebrennikov (1969, Soviet Union) is a film and theatre director. The first acclaimed productions Serebrennikov was able to direct outside of Russia were Salome at the Stuttgart Opera andll barbiere di Siviglia at Komische Oper Berlin. He directed opera productions such as Falstaff at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Le coq d’or at the Bolshoi in Moscow and American Lulu at the Wiener Festwochen. Kirill Serebrennikov received the François Chalais Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 for The Student. Further films by Serebrennikov such as The Swallow, Mysteries of the Storm, Playing the Victim, and The Diary of a Murderer have been shown at film festivasl in Rome, Locarno and Venice, as well as nominated for the Golden Lion and the Grand Prix of Kinotvar in Sochi. Beyond the numerous classics of Russian literature which he has brought to the stage, Kirill Serebrennikov has also directed the work of playwrights such as Shakespeare and Brecht, along with that of the Irish play-wright Martin McDonagh. In 2017, Kirill Serebrennikov was arrested during the production of Leto (2018). He completed the film while in Moscow under house ar-rest. In april this house arrest was lifted.

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text editorKaren Welling

translationFrederike Berntsen design thonik

lay-out Mark Drillich, Erna Theys

photography© Paolo Pellegriin/Magnum Photosportretten Gidon Kremer © Angie Kremerportret Kirill Serebrennikov © Ira Polyarnaya/The Gogol Centre

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