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Silent music, composed for strings in 2002, experiments with various forms of Viennese Waltz and Serenade. It is elegant as well as elegiac, but as always, the positive attitude of Silvestrov's music shines through.

A highlight of the evening is the Sonata for Cello and Piano, a single-movement work. Composed in 1983, it was reworked in 2000 and is performed by Anja Lechner and Alexei Lubimov. Looking nearly as fragile as Silvestrov's music sometimes sounds, Lechner unites strength and sensitivity in her playing, self-confidence and complete abandon in her attractive appearance. She is the ideal cellist for that sonata, and Lubimov is her dignified partner. The separation between main tune and accompaniment often fades: while the piano has excessive forte parts with intense pedal, the cello sometimes disappears behind it, comes back subtly, then they interweave, playing with overtones whose parallel structures are competing, complementing, and end surprisingly. The Sonata gets hefty applause, even by the composer himself. During the concerto, Silvestrov is leaning forward in his chair, fully concentrated, as though listening to the piece for the very first time.

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