Altos

Victoria Rudakova

In the choir since 2018

Graduated from the Conducting and Choral Faculty of the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory (the class of Eduard Fertelmeister). She teached the classes of Conducting and Reading Choral Scores at the Nizhny Novgorod Regional College of Culture. She has been the musicAeterna choir artist since 2018.

WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER ENSEMBLES?

The first thing that struck me when I came to work here is how friendly everyone was to each other. Another important thing is, of course, the highest grade of each member’s professionalism. Even at rehearsals, nobody is just “going through the motions”: it is a truly creative process for everyone involved.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE?

Music itself does, I guess. I’m fond of old music. That’s where our roots are at. Old music feels perfect to me, and it inspires me more than modern pieces. If I were to choose, I’d prefer to live in the 17th and 18th century, in the Baroque age or maybe a little later. That’s when truly beautiful music was created and performed.

WHAT DOES MUSIC MEAN TO YOU?

It’s my life. Even when things aren’t going my way, I never lose the desire to work on music — on the contrary, it becomes even stronger. To me, music is the sanctuary where I can get away from any life problems. Music is also my hobby. I think I’m truly lucky that my job revolves around doing my favourite thing in life.

ASIDE FROM MUSIC, WHAT ELSE APPEALS TO YOU?

Poetry does. I love poetry of the Silver Age. I also enjoy doing yoga: it helps me to get my thoughts in order and to view the world form a different angle. And I love dancing — when I was a child, my dream was to be a ballerina.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I would remove all killings from the world, and I would turn everyone vegetarian. There’s too much cruelty in the world that surrounds us. Killing an animal is no less cruel than killing a human. Every living being deserves the right to live.

musicAeterna choir events

June 1, 21:00

St. Petersburg | Hermitage Museum

The musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir. Ars Vivendi

Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764)
The thunderstorm scene from Act II of the opera-ballet Platée ou Junon jalouse (1745)
Act IV, Scene 4: Entry of the muse Polyhymnia from the lyrical tragedy Abaris ou les Boreades (1763)
Tambourines I, II from the prologue to the lyrical tragedy Dardanus (1739)

Antonio Lotti (1667–1740)
Crucifixus a 8 voci from Credo in F Major (before 1717)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto for Cello and Strings in C Minor, RV 401 (late 1720s)

Allegro non molto
Adagio
Allegro ma non molto

The soloist Rabbani Aldangor

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Ombra mai fu (There was never a shadow), aria of Xerxes from Act I of the opera Xerxes, HWV 40 (1738)
The soloist Andrey Nemzer, countertenor
Furie terribili! (Terrible Furies!), aria of Armida from Act I of the opera Rinaldo, HWV 7a (1711/1731)
The soloist Elizaveta Sveshnikova, soprano
Piangerò la sorte mia (I will mourn my fate), aria of Cleopatra from Act III of the opera Julius Caesar, HWV 17, (1724)
The soloist Elizaveta Sveshnikova, soprano
Venti, turbini (Winds, whirlwinds), aria of Rinaldo from Act I of the opera Rinaldo, HWV 7a (1711/1731)
The soloist Andrey Nemzer, countertenor

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Komm, Jesu, komm (Come, Jesus, come), motet for double choir in G minor, BWV 229 (before 1731–1732)
Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (Praise the Lord, all ye nations), motet for four-voice choir, dubbing instruments and basso continuo in C major, BWV 230 (n.d.)
Erbarme dich, mein Gott (Have mercy, my God), aria of the alto No. 39 (47) from the sacred oratorio St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (1727–1729/1736)
Soloists:
Andrey Nemzer, countertenor
Vladislav Pesin, violin

George Frideric Handel
Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa (Leave the thorn, pluck the rose), aria of Pleasure from Act II of the oratorio The Triumph of Time and Disillusion, HWV 46a (1707)
Soloists:
Elizaveta Sveshnikova, soprano
Andrey Nemzer, countertenor

Jean-Philippe Rameau
Les Sauvages/Forêts paisibles (The Savages/Peaceful Forests) from Act IV of the opera-ballet The Gallant Indies, (1725/1736)

Duration: 60 minutes

June 2, 19:00