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Romantically Russian: Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale

Michael Zwiebach on May 31, 2011
Elena Sharkova

Elena Sharkova, who heads the 90-voice Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale is an internationalist (having just returned from New York and performances of Will Todd's Mass in Blue with the Chorale). But she also was musically formed in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the few Russian music concerts she's done so far have benefitted from her strong training and development there.

So when the Chorale presents Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov's 1907 All-Night Vigil, in what may be its Bay Area premiere, they'll be using translations and scores prepared especially for them, and benefitting from Sharkova's intimate knowledge of the piece. Unheard for decades due to Soviet censorship, Vigil makes its appearance along with pieces of Rachmaninov's famous setting of the Vigil liturgy.

It's a concert that music lovers of all kinds should make an effort to see.