Chamber Orchestra Kremlin Orchestra   

The Chamber Orchestra Kremlin was founded in 1991 by conductor Misha Rachlevsky, who continues to lead the ensemble. Over the past decade, the orchestra has earned national and international recognition as one of Russia's leading chamber ensembles. The orchestra presents a regular season of well-attended concerts in Moscow each year, and tours regularly to North and South America, Europe, and the Far East. They have recorded a great deal of music - over 20 CDs, several of which are featured here at the Classical Archives.

Maestro Misha Rachlevsky was born in Moscow, and received his music training at the College of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin's Academy of Music, studying violin and conducting. Upon graduating, Mr. Rachlevsky left the Soviet Union (in 1973), and ultimately settled in the US in 1976. There, in 1984, he founded the New American Chamber Orchestra (NACO), which he led to international prominence, completing nine European tours in 4 years. In 1989, Mr. Rachlevsky accepted an invitation to conduct in Granada, Spain - where he worked with the NACO and founded another, local chamber orchestra. Then in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he accepted an invitation by the Claves label to return to Russia, where he quickly formed the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin.

Reviews

"The program that the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin played at Merkin Concert Hall on Tuesday evening combined distinctively Russian coloration and spirit with a kind of internationalism that kept Moscow at its heart... At Merkin, the ensemble of 18 young string players sounded fresh and energetic, and they responded to Mr. Rachlevsky with an admirable flexibility."

New York Times

"'World class' is hardly sufficient to describe what Misha Rachlevsky and his string ensemble of 17 offered. The majority of the predominantly young musicians have performed with the ensemble since its founding seven years ago. But beware, this is not an ensemble of Russian string professionals who are looking for additional income through guest appearances in the West; this chamber orchestra is made up of musicians who have invested all of their energy into their repertoire...The result: a compact, dense sound that can assume frightening proportions."

Süddeutsche Zeitung

"However, for Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, the standing enthusiasm Friday evening at Old First Church was well deserved. Under founding director Micha Rachlevsky, the Russians covered themselves and the music at hand with uncanny musicality, precision and verve. The 16 string players offered the sort of superb playing one expects only from a top string quartet on a good night... [E]verything made a stunning effect, largely due to the quality of the playing. These musicians are so terrific that they can make even secondary music sound impressive."

San Francisco Classical Voice