Harris Center Presents Russian String Orchestra

Formerly the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, this world-class ensemble returns to the Harris Center with a new name, and a familiar conductor: their celebrated founder, Misha Rachlevsky. Founded in 1991, the orchestra features some of Russia's finest young players and is renowned for their warmth and high energy, creating concerts described as "addictive." The orchestra's 30+ recordings have received widespread acclaim, such as the Diapason d'Or award in France, Critics Choice in London's Gramophone, and the Critics Choice in The New York Times-not to mention over 2.7 million YouTube views to date!

Russian String Orchestra will perform on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm

Tickets are $22-$38; Premium $42. Children under 12 and students with ID $12 (in Zones 2-4). Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 12 noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

Program: ELGAR - Serenade in E minor for String Orchestra, Op. 20 (1892)

SHOSTAKOVICH - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (1960)

(String quartet No. 8, arranged by R. Barshai)

BACH - Contrapunctus No. 1 from The Art of the Fugue (1750)

DVORAK - Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 22 (1875)

"...From work to work, Rachlevsky drew from his players gleaming tone quality, finely nuanced timbres, carefully shaded textures and focused ensemble coordination... But the Shostakovich really caught my attention. The vitality and expressiveness the players spontaneously poured into this work made it the jewel of the day" (Washington Post).

About half of nearly 2,000 concerts the orchestra has performed to date have taken place in Moscow, the rest were played on tours in 25 countries in North and South America, Europe and the Far East. The orchestra's discography of over 30 CDs has received widespread international acclaim.

The signature quality of the orchestra is the depth and variety of its repertoire -- over 1000 compositions from early baroque to works written on commission from Misha Rachlevsky and the orchestra by composers from Russia, Europe and the USA. The orchestra prides itself in offering interesting and often unique programs.

Misha Rachlevsky's lifetime affinity for chamber music and chamber orchestra repertoire began at the College of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Academy of Music. Born in Moscow, his violin studies began at the age of five and continued through the well-traveled path of the Russian school of string playing. After leaving the Soviet Union in 1973, he lived and worked in different countries on three continents, and in1976 settled in the United States, becoming active in the field of chamber music.

Mr. Rachlevsky founded the New American Chamber Orchestra (NACO) in 1984, and led it to international prominence, completing nine European tours in four years.

In 1989, Rachlevsky accepted an offer from the city of Granada, Spain - a two-year project under which NACO became the resident orchestra of Granada while, concurrently, Rachlevsky founded and led Granada's own chamber orchestra. In 1991, in the heady aftermath of Moscow's momentous events of August 1991, Misha Rachlevsky found it impossible to resist an opportunity presented by Claves to record Russian works for this label. When Claves concurred with his suggestion to realize the project with Russian musicians, Rachlevsky called auditions, and Chamber Orchestra Kremlin was created. The name was changed to Russian String Orchestra in 2016 to reduce any confusion with other ensembles. Notes Mr. Rachlevsky "rest assured that all the qualities that made the orchestra popular with audiences, critics, CD collectors, radio stations and YouTube viewers will shine as always, if not more so."

"This orchestra has time and again been critically acclaimed as one of the finest string ensembles in Russia today, which is to suggest that it is arguably one of the best in the world. Misha Rachlevsky has molded these young players into a sonorous whole, amazingly greater than the sum of its seventeen parts" (Andresen Dagbladet).

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.

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