Polina Leschenko and the ACO perform Chopin
Russian musician Polina Leschenko returns to the City Recital Hall to perform with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO). Leschenko is renowned for her deep affinity with the romantic composer Chopin and her fine performances of his music.
During her career, Leschenko has built a rapport with the artistic director of the ACO, Richard Tognetti. Together with the talented orchestra, they perform a rendition of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2. The piece features stylistic nocturnes in the second movement and is inspired by an unrequited love.
Born into a family of musicians in St Petersburg, Russia, Leschenko began playing the piano at the age of six. Her solo debut was made two years later with the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra. Leschenko is now an accomplished and admired chamber musician who works with orchestras worldwide and plays frequently at festivals.
The ACO was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975 and is now led by Tognetti. He has since culturally transformed the orchestra, performing over 100 times each year in Australia and across the globe. The orchestra consists of seventeen musicians with a strong passion for music and specialises in adventurous performances, collaborations, and dynamic programs. The ACO shows strive to incorporate a balanced mix of celebrating the classics and embracing new music.
The upcoming performance features a piece by Chopin’s fellow composer and close friend Felix Mendelssohn. Having inspired the ACO, Leschenko and Tognetti will join forces in a Mendelssohn Double Concerto. The program will close with an energetic and inventive Fanny Mendelssohn string quartet arranged by Tognetti.
The works of Chopin and the other romantic composers evoke deep emotions and profound connections, emphasised by Leschenko, Tognetti, and the talented ACO instrumentalists.
