Internationally Acclaimed Chamber Orchestra Kremlin to Perform at EIU

October 5, 2009

Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, recognized internationally as one of Russia's leading ensembles, will perform at Eastern Illinois University on Sunday, Oct. 18.

The concert, in which founder and conductor Misha Rachlevsky will seamlessly meld music from 17 of Russia's finest young string players, will begin at 4 p.m. in the Doudna Fine Arts Center's Dvorak Concert Hall.

Chamber Orchestra Kremlin is known for its warmth and high energy, which create addictive performances that stay with listeners long after the last note has been played.

"The playing is outstanding for its sharpness of ensemble and its accuracy of intonation," stated a review in Fanfare Magazine. "The sheer exuberance and musicality of the group are exhilarating, indeed, offering, alternatively, an appealing rush of energy and a high degree of sensitivity -- engaging performances."

The EIU program includes "Serenade in E Minor" by Elgar, "Chamber Symphony" by Shostakovich, "Contrapunctus No.1" from "The Art of the Fugue" by Bach, and "Serenade for Strings" by Dvorak.

"The emotional high point of this program falls on the Shostakovich masterpiece," according to the orchestra's materials. "Dark, tragic, it never fails to reach every listener in the hall. Bach's 'Contrapunctus' immediately follows … to help both performers and listeners make the transition to the rest of the program, and Dvorak's sunny, careless 'Serenade' restores inner comfort for everyone."

The audience will then vote on which of three compositions to hear for the final performance: "Serenade for Strings, Op. 48" by Tchaikovsky, "Serenade for Strings, Op. 22" by Dvorak, or "Death and the Maiden" by Schubert.
In addition to an active schedule of presenting concerts and festivals in Moscow, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin tours regularly in North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

Rachlevsky, a Moscow native, began studying violin at age 5. His lifetime affinity for chamber music and chamber orchestra repertoire began at the College of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Academy of Music.
Rachlevsky left the Soviet Union in 1973, and after living and working on three continents, he settled in the United States, where he became active in the field of chamber music.

In 1984, Rachlevsky founded the New American Chamber Orchestra and led it to international prominence, completing nine European tours in four years. In 1989, NACO became the resident orchestra of Granada, Spain, where Rachlevsky also founded and led Granada's own chamber orchestra.

The Russian musicians Rachlevsky assembled in 1991 for a Claves Records album of Russian works became the basis for the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin.

Seating is reserved. Tickets -- $15 for adults, $13 for senior citizens and EIU employees, and $7 for EIU students -- may be purchased in the Doudna Fine Arts Center box office (217-581-3110) from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, or one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved via e-mail at doudnatix@eiu.edu.

The Doudna Fine Arts Center, a division of EIU's College of Arts and Humanities, is located one block west of Ninth Street at Garfield Avenue in Charleston. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.eiu.edu/doudna.