Shchedrin: The Left-Hander - VALERY GERGIEV / MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA (2 HYBRID SACDS)

Gergiev conducts a sharp performance, one fully alert to the satires that enmesh the work. --GRAMOPHONE

Andrei Popov, Edward Tsanga, Vladimir Moroz, Kristina Alieva, Maria Maksakova

Mariinsky Orchestra & Chorus, Valery Gergiev

Specially written for Gergiev on the occasion of his 60th birthday, Rodion Shchedrin’s 'The Left-Hander' is a comedy of Russians and Englishmen, new technology, old traditions and strong drink. The premiere was given by the Mariinsky Opera in St Petersburg in July 2013.

Rodion Shchedrin is one of music’s greatest living humourists and his work is laced with pitch-black irony and deadpan wit. Based on Nikolai Leskov’s classical satirical novella of 1881, 'The Tale of Cross-Eyed Lefty From Tula and the Steel Flea', 'The Left-Hander' is a gloriously wry exploration of Russia’s relationship with the West in general and England in particular. The work recently received its UK premiere and was met with great acclaim.