Romantic Musical Pilgrimage
National Symphony
Orchestra of Uzbekistan
Orchestra of Uzbekistan
Dubai, UAE
On Friday 17th February, the 2023 InClassica International Music Festival will welcome one of the most renowned cellists of our time to the stage of the Coca-Cola Arena. Winner of the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and the ARD Competition in Germany, Artistic Director of the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival in Cyprus and the Yerevan Music Festival in Armenia, and Cello professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Alexander Chaushian (Armenia/UK) is a man who needs no introduction, and one whose presence in Dubai is eagerly awaited by many. For this concert, he will be joining the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, who shall continue their stay in Dubai under the baton of the award-winning Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, Tomàs Grau (Spain). Together, these illustrious artists will be presenting a programme consisting of some of the most beautiful works from across the spectrum of the classical canon in an evening which is sure to delight and exalt in equal measure.
An inspired and highly sensitive conductor, Tomàs Grau is characterized by his precise and clear gesture and by the sincerity of his musical readings, which seek to transmit the light, delicate emotions of each of the scores, sharing with the audience his love for the music.
He has conducted many international soloists, including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires, Midori, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Gautier Capuçon, Mischa
Maisky, Javier Perianes, Sabine Meyer,Steven Isserlis, Paul Lewis, Alexei Volodin, Stephen Kovacevich, Alexander Melnikov, Seong-Jin Cho, Mark Padmore and Alice Sara Ott in all the main concert halls in Spain, including the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Auditorio in Zaragoza, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Auditori in Barcelona, as well as internationally at the Tonhalle in Zurich.
Nowadays, Tomàs is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, and he is often invited to conduct other orchestras, such as the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia, Orquesta de Córdoba, Orquesta Sinfónica de Burgos, Beethoven Philharmonie and Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, among others. He has recorded for labels such as SONY Classical, ARS Produktion (label of the year at the International Classical Music Awards) and Discmedi.
Among his immediate commitments, he will be conducting such soloists as Ivo Pogorelich, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Katia & Marielle Labèque and, once again, Midori. Born in Barcelona in 1979, Tomàs Grau studied music at the Superior Conservatory of Music in his own city. He continued his conducting studies at the Superior School of Music of Catalonia, where he graduated in Orchestral Conducting, with top ratings. His Orchestral Conducting studies were completed in the Wiener Meisterkurse.
Now regarded as one of the finest cellists of the younger generation, Alexander Chaushian has performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the Academy of St Martin-in- the-Fields, The London Mozart Players, The Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, The Boston Pops and The Armenian Philharmonic, and has given highly acclaimed performances in such venues as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi Milan, Konzerthaus Vienna, Suntory Hall Japan, the main Carnegie Hall New York, and Symphony Hall Boston.
He performs regularly in festivals throughout the world and is the Artistic Director of the International Pharos Chamber Music Festival in Cyprus and the Yerevan Music Festival in Armenia.
After initial studies in Armenia, Alexander Chaushian studied in the UK at the Menuhin School and the Guildhall School, London. He then pursued advanced studies at the Hochschule Berlin, graduating with distinction in 2005. He is a laureate prize winner of many international competitions including the 12th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the ARD Competition in Germany. As an alumnus of Young Concert Artists, New York, he toured extensively in the USA. Amongst the many distinguished musicians whom he has collaborated with are Yehudi Menuhin, Julia Fischer, Levon Chilingirian, Yuri Bashmet, Diemut Poppen, François-Frédéric Guy, Emmanuel Pahud. His regular chamber music partner is Yevgeny Sudbin.
Alexander’s recordings include several highly acclaimed CDs for the BIS label in which he is partnered by Yevgeny Sudbin, and his recently released concerto CD with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, also on BIS, received rave reviews and was selected ‘Album of the Week’ by the Independent. His many concerts during this season include performances in France, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, China and Japan.
“Alexander Chaushian firmly establishes himself in the echelons of international cellists” — The Strad
The National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan is a highly professional community of musicians, one of the leading collectives of the republic, rightfully constituting the pride of the national musical culture.
In the 80-year history of the orchestra there are a lot of significant events: participation in numerous music festivals, joint performances with outstanding soloists of our time - masters of the domestic and foreign scenes. The repertoire of the orchestra includes almost all major works of Uzbek, Russian, Western European classical music, many modern composers trust the team to premiere performances of their compositions. Also an important place in the activity of the orchestra is occupied by symphonic educational programs for children and youth.
Today there are about 80 musicians in the orchestra. Among them are many of those whose creative activity in this team has been going on for more than a dozen years. At the same time, recently, fresh forces — creative youth, graduates of the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan — have actively joined the orchestra. The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) was created on December 1 in 1937. Its founder and first conductor was N. Gorchakov. In 1948 he was replaced by A. Kozlovsky. From 1956 to 1963, the orchestra was headed by a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory Nariman Alimov, and from 1963 to 1997, the orchestra was headed by a professor, People's Artist of Uzbekistan - Zahid Khaknazarov. In 1986, the NSO was awarded the title of Honored Team of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In connection with the independence of Uzbekistan, the government of the Republic showed great concern for the aesthetic, cultural, quality service of the population in 1998, the orchestra was separated into an independent creative and economic unit: “The State Unitary Enterprise“ National Symphony Orchestra ”of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This was a new, powerful impetus for the development and fruitful work of the team. The NSO was led by new, young, talented, energetic leaders: People's Artist Ismail Dzhalilov was appointed artistic director and director; chief conductor - composer - Anvar Ergashev; conductor - Vladimir Neimer.
Among the conductors with whom he had the honor of performing the orchestra are the chief conductor of the Sicilian Academy of Music, Gaetano Kolayianni, and the principal conductor of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra (USA) is Ricardo Capasso. These concerts were a great success with the Tashkent public.
The National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan is widely known not only in its own country, but also abroad. Twice the NSO went on tour to foreign countries - to Thailand, where he performed with an independent concert program. All these performances have always been a great success, and as noted by the foreign press at the highest professional level. The concerts of the group were appreciated by the audience of Russia, Germany, France and other countries.
The main achievement of the orchestra in recent years has been the acquisition of its public, primarily due to its high performing skills and well-thought-out repertoire policies. The repertoire of the orchestra is truly limitless - it is a kind of “calling card” of the collective: compositions of all eras, genres and styles, numerous- premiere performances of works by contemporaries. Concerts of world vocalists: A. Bocelli, A. Safin, H. Carreras, A. Netrebko, and instrumentalists: Behzod Abduraimov (piano), Vladimir Sverdlov-Ashkenazi (piano), Yuri Gandelsman (alto) caused a big resonance in the musical life of Tashkent. , Rochelle Sennet (piano), Igor Kalnin (violin) and many others.
But a truly grand event was the Open Spring concert, held on April 15 2018 at the Palace of the International Forums "Uzbekistan", dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, which was attended by stars of national, national, academic and pop music.
The National Symphony Orchestra continues to develop successfully and still remains in the very center of the cultural life of the capital. It is doubly pleasant to see that the orchestra not only keeps its high-quality brand, but also surprises listeners with professional growth and surprises in the form of rarely performed compositions. Today, the country's musical life is unthinkable without symphony concerts for connoisseurs of classical music, without programs opening the world of great music for small ones, without meetings with new and new soloists and conductors.
It should be noted that the National Symphony Orchestra makes a worthy contribution to the development of cultural ties in Uzbekistan, contributes to strengthening interaction in the field of classical music, as well as rapprochement of different peoples and nationalities of the world.
