10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
FROM RUSSIA
WITH LOVE
At Liberty Theatre, classical musicians
offer taste of Astoria Music Festival
DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO
Pianist Ilya Kazantsev plays with cellist Sergey Antonov on the Liberty Theatre stage in 2014.
By WILLIAM HAM
FOR COAST WEEKEND
O
ne of Russia’s greatest cultural
exports — classical music —
comes to the Liberty Theatre on
Saturday, Jan. 13, when “Russian Gold
III: A Russian ‘Old New Year’s Eve’” is
presented by two more notable exports:
cellist Sergey Antonov and pianist Ilya
Kazantsev.
Timed to coincide with the informal
celebration of the “Old” Russian New
Year, which falls on Jan. 14 on the Julian
calendar, the event serves two purposes:
first, to showcase the works of some
of the greatest Russian composers, and
second, to offer an early taste of the 16th
annual Astoria Music Festival.
The official start of the Festival is still
several months away, but “we like to
keep our irons in the fire,” as co-found-
er, conductor and artistic director Keith
Clark put it. The recital is the first of
several winter events to be presented
under the AMF umbrella in the run-up to
the Festival proper.
“It’ll be an opportunity to celebrate
the New Year a second time,” Clark said.
The all-Russian program features
two longer pieces — Sergei Rach-
maninoff’s Sonata in G minor for Pia-
no and Cello, and Nikolai Myaskovsky’s
Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor — as well
as several shorter works by Rachmani-
noff and Tchaikovsky.
“It’s a very, very Russian program,”
Antonov said. “When you think of Rus-
sian music, Rachmaninoff always pops
up; it’s international, like we are. The
‘Sonata’ is an enormous joy to perform
and to hear. And Myaskovsky’s work is
almost folkloric, filled with the spirit of
Russia. It’s Russian soul music.”
‘To Astorians with Love’
“Russian Gold III” marks the third
joint appearance of Antonov and Kazant-
sev in Astoria.
“Sergey and Ilya are regular and
longtime members of our creative
team,” Clark said. “They’ve developed
a very strong following on the coast.
The ‘Gold’ part is that they have won
IF YOU GO
What: “Russian Gold III: A Russian ‘Old New
Year’s Eve’”
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13
Where: Liberty Theatre (1203 Commercial St.)
Tickets: Level-A seating and post-concert
reception $40. General admission $20. Students
$5. Tickets available at the Liberty Theatre.
In person: Liberty Box Office will open 2 p.m.,
stay open until 8 p.m.; “will call” tickets available
for pickup day of the concert. Online: libertyas-
toria.org. By phone: 503-325-5922, extension 55.
A reception with the artists for $40 ticket
holders follows the concert at Hotel Elliott wine
bar (357 12th St.).