Program

Stravinsky Concerto in E-flat Dumbarton Oaks
Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1
Elena Kats-Chernin Dance of the Paper Umbrellas
Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 Classical

About the performance

Pianist Konstantin Shamray and conductor Fabian Russell bring Russian mastery to the Melbourne Town Hall with the towering talents of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.

• A prestigious piano talent
  Russian-born, Australian-based pianist Konstantin Shamray studied in Moscow before receiving both first prize and the audience choice award at the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition in 2008. He has performed to great acclaim across Europe and Australia, eventually taking up a position of Piano Lecturer at the University of Adelaide in 2019.

• An astounding technical showcase
  Premiering in 1933 with the composer himself at the piano, Shostakovich’s first piano concerto is intentionally technically astounding – so he could showcase his own significant talents in performance! Also included in this program is Prokofiev’s compact masterpiece, his Classical Symphony, reminiscent of Haydn. The concert is completed with Stravinsky’s Concerto in E-flat, penned for the 30th wedding anniversary of a prominent American couple whose house was named Dumbarton Oaks, and Elena Kats-Chernin’s brisk and playful Dance of the Paper Umbrellas.

• A master of musical diversity
  A near three-decade career of great musical diversity has seen Fabian Russell hold positions with leading orchestras and ensembles across the nation, including Principal Tuba with the MSO. In conducting Victorian Opera’s Nixon in China, Limelight editor Clive Paget described Russell as handling, “the not inconsiderable challenges with aplomb”.