THE CROWN OF ROMANTICISM, JAMES ALTENA, FANFARE MAGAZINE

Feb. 2, 2019

2018 GRAMMY Nominee Vladimir Gorbik conducts Music of Austro-German Romantic Composers.

A performance of the Capital Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Gorbik took place on the stage of the Lesser Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

The musicians presented their audience with two early symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Schubert.

The Capital Symphony Orchestra is a young ensemble, but has already exceptionally proven itself. It was founded by the widely renowned Moscow conductor Vladimir Gorbik in the spring of 2017. From the very first months of its existence, the new orchestra has outlined the expected development and prospects of its ongoing creative work. It has given a number of concerts, performing in venues such as the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Arkhipovsky Music Salon of the International Music Professionals Union, and at the Center for the Performing Arts at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. This international audience highly appreciated the performing artistry of the Capital Symphony Orchestra, thanks to the dedication and fervent energy of its artistic director and chief conductor, Vladimir Gorbik.

Gorbik is so tuned in to the process of making music on stage during a concert that you occasionally forget that you are actually in a concert hall. This is truly the music of some higher plane! Vladimir Gorbik is an amazing musician with an original vision and a deep perception of the musical world. Any symphony score comes alive in his hands. He is able to captivate and lead not only the players, but also the listeners. And there are many such people, who sincerely and truly love and appreciate classical music! The most recent concert was given on January 30th, dedicated to the works of two Austro-German romantics, and it served as a vivid confirmation of this love and appreciation.

In the first part of the program, the Capital Symphony Orchestra, under Vladimir Gorbik’s direction, performed the Fourth (“Tragic”) Symphony in C minor by Franz Schubert with its amazing and gentle cantilena, expressing a fervor of feelings and emotions. This symphony was composed by a young Schubert at the age of nineteen. Mendelssohn composed his First Symphony even earlier. Meanwhile, the music is full of beaming light, harmony, and romantic expression.

The performance of this program on the small stage of the Lesser Hall of the Conservatory can be considered somewhat unique. Indeed, symphonic groups do not often play here. However, the music of Schubert and Mendelssohn is distinguished by the use of a chamber orchestra and its penetrating lyricism.

Vladimir Gorbik comments:
“For me, Russian and Austro-German music have always been inextricably linked. Since childhood, I have enjoyed playing the Russian classics. Later, this resulted in many years of work in the field of Russian sacred music. Yet even among German composers, for example, I always felt Johann Sebastian Bach to be very close to me in his inner desire to create according to musical canons. I feel the relationship between this moment and the fact that the Orthodox Christian people have a desire to live within the canons of the Church. The classics are amazing because, despite many limitations, these creations reach perfection in various forms of art. I love to play Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. This is regarding the resonance in my heart summoned forth by the Austro-German musical tradition. When I was a student, I discovered Schubert and Mendelssohn. In my heart, I felt their romantic style."

“The programming choice of these two early symphonies of Schubert and Mendelssohn is also related to the fact that their material breathes with the extraordinary sincerity of young hearts. The music of these two symphonies shows them echo each other; they really complement one another. Trepidation, anxiety, and the youthful feeling of tragedy on the one hand, and equally pronounced feelings of enthusiasm and exultation on the other. And one of the most important reasons for these choices is the fact that both of these beautiful compositions are, unfairly, rarely performed in Russia. I would like to introduce as many listeners to them as possible. ”

Listening to both symphonies as interpreted by Vladimir Gorbik and the Capital Symphony Orchestra’s musicians, it was amazing to watch how such a young group is mobile and united, not trying to limit itself merely to technically correct execution, but rather to ascend to the level of co-creation with the composers whose works they perform.

Gorbik continues:
“The orchestra was very excited about my proposal to perform both of these symphonies. Any good musician is happy to play such music. One could see from the expressions on their faces and their performance their deep immersion into the very essence of these works.”

The audience of the Lesser Hall enthusiastically welcomed the performers, not wanting to release them from the stage.

The Capital Symphony Orchestra’s current season has a tour schedule that includes not only performances in Russia, but also concert trips to the United States and Italy. This spring, the orchestra and its conductor, Vladimir Gorbik, are expected at the opening of an international music festival in New York City: “Russian-American Friendship in Manhattan,” which will feature an extensive program featuring the music of both Russian and American composers.