S. Prokofiev - “CLASSICAL SYMPHONY”Symphony No.1, Op.25, Sergey Smbatyan with MPO

On Sunday 30th May, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) joined by the young violin virtuoso, Daniel Lozakovich, for an iconic performance at the Hilton Hotel Grand Master Suite, featuring works from the early romantic period through to the modern day. Prokofiev’s Symphony No 1, often referred to as the Classical Symphony due to the apparent influence of Mozart’s output in the composition of the work, will open the concert. The symphony was first premiered in Petrograd in 1918, and remains an intriguing and playful offering from the famous Russian composer. The MPO will be then joined onstage by Daniel Lozakovich for a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor. Considered to be an important work in the violin’s extensive repertoire, Mendelssohn’s concerto has long been a favourite of classical music lovers, its instantly recognisable opening motif and fluid technical passages throughout the work indicative of the composer’s confident and melodic style. The concert will close with Alexey Shor’s Phantasms, a piece which has gained rapid appeal in recent years, its contrapuntal and melodic writing providing an interesting and varying dialogue between the orchestra and solo part across the work’s three movements. For this concert, the MPO will be directed by their Principal Conductor, Sergey Smbatyan.