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| Vol. 18, No. 4 | Sept. 24, 1998 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 4 | Sept. 24, 1998 |
Conductor Misha Rachlevsky with the orchestra
An elegant four-course dinner, served with the orchestra's music as a backdrop, will be available prior to the performance at the University's Blue & Gold Club. Reservations can be made for 5-7:30 p.m.
Chamber Orchestra Kremlin was founded by conductor Misha Rachlevsky in 1991. One of the most successful new ensembles to emerge from Russia in the last decade, the group made two successful tours of the U.S. in 1995. Virtually without exception, the ensemble's committed, high-energy performances have endeared it to concertgoers. Average age of the musicians is 28, and all are graduates of the Moscow Conservatory and the Russian Academy of Music.
In addition to its U.S. tours, the group has toured the Far East three times and Europe 16 times. It has recorded 12 CDs on the Swiss label Claves and has won critical acclaim and a number of international awards.
Rachlevsky is a native of Moscow who began studying violin at the age of 5. In 1973, he left the Soviet Union and, after three years of living and working in different countries, settled in the United States. In the 1980s, he founded the New American Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble with which he appeared as leader and soloist in hundreds of concerts.
In explaining the chamber orchestra's name, Rachlevsky said, "Kremlin Chamber Orchestra would imply a connection with the Moscow Kremlin, which is not the case. The reasons for incorporating the word 'Kremlin' are a bit more involved. During the Soviet years, performing groups that were allowed to travel abroad, or perhaps more accurately 'sent' abroad, were treated by the government as political weapons. A dreadful practice, of course, but there was one positive feature...only those of the highest professional order were considered for such trips. Then, in the mid to late '80s, Perestroika came and with it the long-awaited freedom of travel abroad. In no time, the fax machines of Western managements began cranking out offers from countless Russian performing groups offering very attractive fees for concerts by orchestras which at times existed only on those very faxes and then were hastily put together right before the tour departure....When I decided to start a new orchestra, I did not want it to be mistaken with any others, so I looked for a name which would not have 'Moscow' or 'Russian' in it, yet would clearly identify our origin. Looks like it worked."
Tickets for Chamber Orchestra Kremlin are $15 for the general public, $10 for UD faculty, staff, alumni and senior citizens and $6 for children and UD students. Cost of the Blue & Gold Club dinner is $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 5-11.
Tickets can be purchased at University of Delaware box offices at the Bob Carpenter Center, Trabant University Center or Hartshorn Hall. Credit card orders can be placed by calling 831-2204, or by calling Ticketmaster at 984-2000, where a convenience charge may apply.
