Shostakovich: Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok for Soprano, Violin, Cello, and Piano, Op. 127
Dmitri Shostakovich: Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok for Soprano, Violin, Cello, and Piano, Op. 127 (1967)
Ophelia's Song
Gamayun, the Bird of Prophecy
We were together
The city is asleep
The Storm
Secret Symbols
Music
Recorded live in Alice Tully Hall on February 1, 2026
Produced by IBIS Productions
Edited by Allison Kraus
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Sitkovetsky Trio
Alexander Sitkovetsky
Wu Qian
The Sitkovetsky Trio is one of today’s outstanding piano trios, appearing on the most important stages around the globe. Their playing has been described as “musically exceptional, sonically versatile, with focused energy, analytical clarity, and intensity” (FonoForum).
The ensemble consists of Russian-British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, German cellist Isang Enders, and Chinese pianist Wu Qian. The trio has existed for nearly 20 years and has earned the highest recognition for its progressive programming and remarkable ensemble cohesion. For many years, they have performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Auditori in Barcelona, Lincoln Center in New York, and, with particular regularity, London’s Wigmore Hall.
The Sitkovetsky Trio’s recordings on the BIS Records label have received multiple awards and high critical praise. Their album featuring works by Ravel and Saint-Saëns was awarded the BBC Music Magazine Award and the Diapason d’Or ARTE. Their complete recording of the piano trios by Ludwig van Beethoven was hailed by international critics as “one of the best recent releases” (Elisabeth Richter). The “Archduke” Trio was selected in blind-listening competitions as the top interpretation by FranceMusique and the BBC’s “Build your Library” series, while The Times praised the Beethoven cycle as one of the “Best Classical Albums of 2024”: “The Sitkovetsky Trio works its magic in Beethoven’s music.” Crescendo Magazine awarded the album its highest honor, the “Joker Absolu.”
Most recently, the Sitkovetsky Trio was Artist in Residence at the Beethovenfest Bonn, where they premiered a new triple concerto by Ferran Cruixent with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. A longstanding advocate for contemporary music, the trio has commissioned numerous works, with a particular emphasis on works by female composers.
Last year, the trio toured Israel, Hong Kong, the USA, and China, collaborating with artists such as Michael Collins, Vivi Vassileva, Brett Dean, and Sharon Kam.
Highlights of the 2025–26 season include returns to New York, London, Vienna, Copenhagen, and the Schubertiade in Hohenems, along with tours to North and South America and Australia.
Isang Enders and Alexander Sitkovetsky both perform on fine instruments generously loaned by the J. & A. Beare’s Violin Society in London. The Antonio Stradivarius violin, known as the “Parera,” dates from 1679, and the cello was crafted by Carlo Tononi in Venice in 1720.
Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow into a family with a well-established musical tradition. Since his concerto debut at the age of eight, he has performed as soloist and chamber musician in many of the major venues around the world including Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Wigmore Hall in London. This season he will make his subscription debut with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, among other engagements. He is the Artistic Director of the NFM Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra in Wrocław, Poland, and is a founding member of the Sitkovetsky Trio, which regularly performs throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas and is recognized as one of the most important ensembles performing today. Sitkovetsky is an alum of CMS’s Bowers Program and plays the 1679 “Parera” Antonio Stradivari violin, kindly loaned to him through the Beare’s International Violin Society by a generous sponsor.
Winner of a 2016 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, as well as classical music’s bright young star award for 2007 by The Independent, pianist Wu Qian has maintained a busy international career for over a decade. She has appeared as soloist in many international venues including the Wigmore, Royal Festival, and Bridgewater halls in the UK, City Hall in Hong Kong, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. As a soloist she has appeared with the Konzerthaus Orchester in Berlin, the Brussels Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, I Virtuosi Italiani, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, and the Munich Symphoniker. She won first prize in the Trio di Trieste Duo Competition and the Kommerzbank Piano Trio competition in Frankfurt, and has received numerous other awards. Appearances this season include performances in the UK, Germany, USA, Korea, Australia, Spain, and The Netherlands and collaborations with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Leticia Moreno, Cho-Liang Lin, Clive Greensmith, and Wu Han. Her debut recording of Schumann, Liszt, and Alexander Prior was met with universal critical acclaim. She is a founding member of the Sitkovetsky Piano Trio with which, in addition to performing in major concert halls and series around the world, she has released two recordings on the BIS label and also a disc of Brahms and Schubert on the Wigmore Live Label. Wu Qian an alum of The Bowers Program.