Melodiya Chamber Ensemble – February 28, 2016
Melodiya Chamber Ensemble
Olga Rakitchenkov, harp; Sergey Rakitchenkov, viola; Arkady Serper, piano
with special guest Dawn Walker, flute
Jean-Philippe Rameau Clavecin Concerto No. 5
Claude Debussy Trio for flute, viola, and harp
Ludwig van Beethoven Romance, Op. 50
Johannes Brahms Sonata in F major, Op. 120, No. 1
The Melodiya Chamber Ensemble is comprised of long-standing members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and are celebrating their 25th anniversary as an ensemble with this performance. Their chamber music performances are well known for a colorful, literate style, as well as an exacting technical precision. Featuring expressive collaboration between the musicians and compelling variations in instrument combinations, including several transcription premieres. Often the members offer lively introduction in performance providing the audience with thoughtful insights and interpretations to the music at hand. The members of Melodiya also display an eclectic sensibility in their presentations, performing works from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, all with equal aplomb. Individually, their musical pedigrees are unmatched. Harpist Olga Rakitchenkov and her husband, violist Sergey, received their musical training in the former Soviet Union’s most elite schools for gifted children. Both Olga and Sergey continued their studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow and graduated with the highest honors. Pianist Arkady Serper received his education at the Gnessin State Musical College and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, leading a distinguished career in Russia as a pianist, composer and educator before immigrating to the United States. He continues to perform in solo recitals through the Bay Area, Europe, and Asia, and is on faculty at the Crowden School.