From Russia, with Memories

The pieces listed on Dolce Suono’s Return to Russia program look like a straightforward group of sonatas for piano, viola, and flute, but each entry comes with a story that connects it to some of the deepest currents in modern history. The roster includes Shostakovich’s last piece; the first of the three “war sonatas” Prokofiev wrote during WWII; the American premiere of a neglected 1948 work by a Polish-Jewish composer who escaped the Nazis by fleeing to the Soviet Union; a world premiere by the noted Russian-American immigrant David Finko, who once designed submarines for the USSR; and a sonata that a rising young Russian-American immigrant, Yevgeniy Sharlat, wrote for flutist Mimi Stillman in 2000.

In her capacity as artistic director of Dolce Suono, Mimi Stillman has proved she has a talent for putting together interesting programs; this one looks like an especially promising assembly of emotional, demanding music.

Dolce Suono Ensemble, Sunday, December 15, 2013 at 3:00pm. Gould Rehearsal Hall, Lenfest Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia. Followed by post-concert conversation with the artists: Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; and pianists Charles Abramovic and Tatiana Abramova. General $25 / Senior $20 / Student $10. Available online www.dolcesuono.com, by phone 267-252-1803, and at the door.