The Choral Arts Society’s annual Christmas music concerts are always a highlight of the season. This year’s concerts, a special gift from Russia with love, will be remembered for seasons to come. For many years, CAS Music Director Norman Scribner has worked with one of the embassies to plan this special event. Because Russian music holds a special place in his heart, he invited the Russian Embassy to participate in this festive program the final year of his role with CAS. Little did he suspect that the concert patrons, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and Mrs. Sergey L. Kislyak, would arrange a finer event than he ever could have dreamed.
Scribner and Debra Kraft, CAS executive director, first met Ambassador Kislyak at a performance of Verdi’s “Requiem,” the first concert he attended after arriving in Washington. “He’s a remarkable man,” Kraft said. “He sat next to me at that concert and amazed me with his knowledge about all music. He has more than 300 different requiems in his personal collection and he is an expert of opera, able to recognize the voices of major artists worldwide.
| Onstage |
| ‘Holiday Treasures from Russia’ |
| Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall |
| When: 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 1 p.m. Saturday |
| Tickets: from $15 at 202-244-3669 or choralarts.org. |
“Ambassador Kislyak is a good friend of the Belgian ambassador, and after Belgium brought over the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides for last year’s Christmas concert, he began thinking about what Russia could do this year. Last summer, he told us he would like to bring over an orchestra. When Norman explained that we’re a small organization unable to handle such an expense, he assured us that would not be a problem.
“We cannot imagine what magic he used to make it come true, but he arranged to bring the award-winning Ural Philharmonic Orchestra of 81 instrumentalists, two conductors and the distinguished mezzo-soprano Irina Shishkova. This, the orchestra’s American debut, should not be missed.
“The program they have prepared gives the sense of winter in Russia. It evokes the feeling of the countryside in the film ‘Doctor Zhivago.’ And when the orchestra and chorus perform the waltz from ‘Eugene Onegin,’ you can envision everyone in furs and gowns waltzing in a Russian castle.”
The program opens with the fanfare from J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” followed by “Schlafe, Mein Liebster” (Sleep, My Beloved) from the oratorio sung by Shishkova. Several traditional English and German numbers precede the music from Russia. which begins with Rachmaninoff’s “Ave Maria” from his “Vespers.” That is followed by two movements from the “Christmas Oratorio” by Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Shishkova next sings a cradle song by Gretchaninoff backed by an a cappella chorus. Tchaikovsky is represented by “Jesters’ Dance,” his incidental music from Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden” and the selection from “Eugene Onegin.” The final group of carols features Shishkova in Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and the traditional German carol “Josef, Lieber Josef Mein” arranged by Scribner.
Enkhbaatar Baatarjav conducts the programs Monday and Wednesday. On Christmas Eve, the orchestra’s artistic director, Dmitry Liss, will fly in to conduct the final concert that begins at 1 p.m. At its close, everyone is invited to remain for a very special treat: a performance by the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra of the entire score from “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov.
“Ambassador Kislyak has been a joy to work with on this program,” Kraft said. “The huge gift of music he has given to the U.S. is truly a treasure.”
