Onderdrukking – Musical Witnesses of a Totalitarian Era
Classical music at the New Church in The Hague: violinist Maria Milstein and pianist Nathalia Milstein perform a powerful programme about oppression, memory and resilience, woven around the turbulent life of composer Valéry Arzoumanov.
Valéry Arzoumanov was born in 1944 in the Gulag, the son of victims of Stalin's terror. He grew up near the Arctic Circle, and that background runs deep in his music: nostalgia, sharpness and a striking inner strength resonate throughout his work. After his forced emigration to Paris, he studied with Olivier Messiaen and found a new artistic voice. This concert places his compositions at the centre, surrounded by music from three composers who each share something of his sound world.
The programme at the New Church The Hague
The evening opens with Messiaen's Thèmes et variations, followed by two works by Arzoumanov: the Romance "Ich hab' im Traum geweinet" and the triptych "Voyage en Russie". Poulenc's lyrical Violin Sonata and three Nostalgic Waltzes by Arzoumanov form the centrepiece. The concert closes with Prokofiev's monumental Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80, one of the heavyweights of the violin and piano repertoire.
Maria and Nathalia Milstein
Maria Milstein (violin) and Nathalia Milstein (piano) are two sisters known as a chamber music duo for their intense interplay and deep musical engagement. With this programme, they do more than give a concert: they bear witness to what totalitarian violence can do to a life, and how music can nonetheless transcend it.
