ETERNAL RACHMANINOFF

Monday, July 15
Church of the Holy Spirit, 9 p.m.
ETERNAL RACHMANINOFF

Dragan Đorđević, cello
Andrey Gugnin, piano

PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Theme and Seven Variations on 'Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen' from Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte, WoO 46
Theme. Andante
Variation I
Variation II
Variation III
Variation IV
Variation V. Si prende il tempo un poco pìu vivo
Variation VI. Adagio
Variation VII. Allegro ma non troppo – Coda

Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Violoncello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19
Lento – Allegro moderato
Allegro scherzando
Andante
Allegro mosso

Dragan Đorđević, cello, began his education at the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija. After completing his studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Sandra Belić, he continued his education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Professor Stefan Popov. He then pursued specialization at the University of Music in Essen, studying under Professor Young-Chang Cho. Dragan Đorđević has further honed his skills in solo and chamber music under renowned music educators. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe, the United States, China, and South Korea. As a soloist, Dragan Đorđević has collaborated with leading symphony and philharmonic orchestras in the region and has worked with artists such as Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, Emil Tabakov, Manues Hernández -Silva, Clemens Schuldt, Tan Dun, Denis Shapovalov, Roman Simović, and Nemanja Radulović. In 2011, he was a Guest Cellist of the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, invited by maestro Valery Gergiev. He has served as the Artistic Director of the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija and was appointed as the Artistic Director of the Ravanelius Festival of Musical Exceptionality in 2019. Dragan Đorđević plays a cello made by James and Henry Banks in 1797. He currently works as a Professor of Cello at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade.

Andrey Gugnin, piano, has become known for his virtuosity and passionate style of interpretation. In 2013, he won the Twelfth International German Piano Award. His talent became widely recognized after winning the Gold Medal and Audience Award at the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition in 2014, and after his success at the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016. Since then, as a soloist with orchestras such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Andrey Gugnin has performed in some of the world’s greatest concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Auditorium du Louvre, Musikverein in Vienna, the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater, and Victoria Hall in Geneva. He has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Jaap van Zweden, Robert Trevino, Daniel Raiskin, Stanislav Kochanovsky, and Asher Fisch. His discography includes recordings of live performances of various works. Among his released albums are recordings of Dmitry Shostakovich's Sonatas (Hyperion, 2019), Franz Liszt's Transcendental Etudes (Piano Classics, 2018), amd the CD titled Homage to Godowsky (Hyperion).