On 12 February the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra gave a concert in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. The evening “We are listening the world…” was divided into Chinese and Hungarian music. En Shao (China) conducted the orchestra. And though each part of the concert lasted not more than forty minutes, the program, in general, turned out uncommonly rich. The compositions, chosen by the conductor, which sound seldom in Moscow, represent the particular interest.  
The poem “Moon Reflecting in the Erquan Pond” by Wu Zuqiang is not technically difficult; the suite “The miraculous Mandarin” by Bartok which finished the concert is another thing. It was prepared perfectly as if the orchestra played it a lot during a tour. Maestro En Shao conducted the most difficult program by heart and one can only dream about often joint work of Maestro and the orchestra: for the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra it would the same present like the permanent contact with Vladimir Yurovsky was for the Russian National Orchestra. When unknown at all in Russia Chinese conductor was at the conductor's stand before the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra it was time to ask oneself if it was in Moscow when the string group was playing on the top-level European orchestra.
The antithesis to “Mandarin” became another ballet suite of Bartok – “Der holzgeschnitzte Prinz”. This music is sunny and looks like “Cinderella” or “The tale of the stone flower” by Prokofiev. The main issue in the concert was “Butterfly lovers” in the perfect interpretation of Elena Baeva. He Zhanhao and Chen Gang created it in 1959, but it was prohibited in the period of the Cultural Revolution. Why? – it is difficult to understand; there is nothing vanguard in the composition, it is wonderful music like impressionism of Szymanowski. However, “The Limpid Stream” of Shostakovich, no way hostile to socialism, was hold up to antinationality; today it is famous in the whole world like as concerto “Butterfly Lovers”

Ilya Ovchinnikov
«Kultura» 12-17 February 2009

12.02.2009

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