大象传媒

New Generation Artists Summer Showcase: Kate Molleson celebrates the talents of the current members of Radio 3's prestigious young artist programme. Today Timothy Ridout plays Shostakovich's Viola Sonata, a work completed just a few weeks before his death, in a performance recorded at the Aldeburgh Festival - where the sonata had it's first performance outside the Soviet Union.

Shostakovich: Impromptu for viola and piano, Op.33
Timothy Ridout (viola), Artur Pizarro (piano)

Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin: Quatre Pr茅ludes Nostalgiques Op. 23 (1923)
Alexander Gadjiev (piano)

Shostakovich: Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op.147
Timothy Ridout (viola), J芒ms Coleman (piano)

Established over two decades ago, Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme is internationally acknowledged as the foremost scheme of its kind. It exists to offer a platform for artists at the beginning of their international careers. Each year six musicians join the scheme for two years, during which time they appear at the UK's major music festivals, enjoy dates with the 大象传媒 orchestras and have the opportunity to record in the 大象传媒 studios. The artists are also encouraged to form artistic partnerships with one another and to explore a wide range of repertoire, not least the work of contemporary and women composers. In recent years Radio 3's New Generation Artists have appeared at many of the UK's music festivals and concert halls. The 大象传媒 New Generation Artists scheme is not itself a prize, rather it offers a unique platform on which artists can develop their prodigious talents. Not surprisingly, the list of alumni reads like a Who鈥檚 Who of the most exciting musicians of the past two decades.