String Quartet No. 5 'Songs of Alkonost'

The subtitle of Lera Auerbach's String Quartet No. 5 is ‘Songs of Alkonost’. Alkonost are magical birds of happiness and hope that are well-disposed towards people. They originate from Russian mythology, but can also be found in the Russian Orthodox Church, where they are regarded as the personification of divine will. The work was premiered on 15 September 2011 at the Semperoper in Dresden. It was performed by the Shostakovich Festival Quartet. The String Quartet No. 5 was commissioned by the Staatskapelle Dresden as part of Lera Auerbach's Dresden residency as Capell-Compositrice 2011/12.”