Kentridge and Shostakovich

Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich

Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt unfortunately had to cancel his participation in the two concerts due to an injury. We are pleased that we were able to secure Ivan Karizna as the soloist. Tchaikovsky was not known for self-praise, but in his Sixth Symphony he did not hold back, considering it highly successful - a judgment that can definitely be agreed upon today. It is a compositional masterpiece and at the same time so peculiar and unique. Tchaikovsky's brother Modest gave it the nickname "Pathétique". Indeed, it is pathetic. More so, the Sixth is tragic, dramatic, gripping, ominous. And it is Tchaikovsky's swan song: Nine days after the premiere, he died of cholera under circumstances that remain unclear to this day.

Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich

Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt unfortunately had to cancel his participation in the two concerts due to an injury. We are pleased that we were able to secure Ivan Karizna as the soloist. Tchaikovsky was not known for self-praise, but in his Sixth Symphony he did not hold back, considering it highly successful - a judgment that can definitely be agreed upon today. It is a compositional masterpiece and at the same time so peculiar and unique. Tchaikovsky's brother Modest gave it the nickname "Pathétique". Indeed, it is pathetic. More so, the Sixth is tragic, dramatic, gripping, ominous. And it is Tchaikovsky's swan song: Nine days after the premiere, he died of cholera under circumstances that remain unclear to this day.

Kentridge and Shostakovich

Shostakovich and Pejacevic

Strings from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, reinforced by guest cellist Andreas Lavotha, form a quartet and perform together with the orchestra's pianist Stefan Lindgren two truly magnificent piano quintets, by Dmitri Shostakovich and Dora Pejačević.Shostakovich's quintet was composed against a dark backdrop, in the war year of 1940. The music, full of contrasts and surprising twists, depicts tragicomic scenes, musical flashbacks, and hopeful gestures. It is one of his most famous and beloved chamber music works.Dora Pejačević's piano quintet is powerful with its dense harmonies and beautiful melodies – it is a highlight in her oeuvre. Dora Pejačević was born in Hungary, and her mother was Hungarian, but her father was a Croatian nobleman, and therefore she became part of the Croatian nobility around the turn of the last century.

Hrůša conducts Beethoven and Shostakovich

The Year 1905: Shostakovich’s monumental symphony meets Beethoven at his brightest. Unchained energy from conductor Jakub Hrůša, pianist Jonathan Biss and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Works by Sibelius, Shostakovich and Beethoven

Shostakovich 5

The Fifth Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich was composed in 1937 during a time of great personal and political tension. After facing criticism of his music from the Soviet government, he had to prove himself once again - and created a work that impressed both the regime and deeply moved his audience. Full of tragedy, hope, and subtle irony, Shostakovich's symphony reflects his courage and genius. Today, in this gripping masterpiece, one can hear the power of a composer who used music as the language of the soul. Equally captivating is the Violin Concerto by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Nordic expanses, passionate melodies, and virtuosic solos merge into an unparalleled auditory experience. The violin tells tales of longing and adventure, of quiet moments and powerful outbursts. This concerto is a celebration for the senses - captivating, touching, and unforgettable.

Shostakovich 5

The Fifth Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich was composed in 1937 during a time of great personal and political tension. After facing criticism of his music from the Soviet government, he had to prove himself once again - and created a work that impressed both the regime and deeply moved his audience. Full of tragedy, hope, and subtle irony, Shostakovich's symphony reflects his courage and genius. Today, in this gripping masterpiece, one can hear the power of a composer who used music as the language of the soul. Equally captivating is the Violin Concerto by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Nordic expanses, passionate melodies, and virtuosic solos merge into an unparalleled auditory experience. The violin tells tales of longing and adventure, of quiet moments and powerful outbursts. This concerto is a celebration for the senses - captivating, touching, and unforgettable.

Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts Mozart and Shostakovich

There are some instruments that are particularly good at touching the innermost – among them is the clarinet. As early as 1784, a journalist raved: »Whoever plays the clarinet soulfully seems to declare his love to the whole world, to the heavenly beings themselves«. Mozart had quickly understood that gripping music was possible with the then newly invented woodwind instrument – and so in 1791, shortly before his untimely death, he composed his famous Clarinet Concerto. Especially in the Adagio, the chanting tone becomes fully effective: in a magical way, the clarinet »sings« of love, joy, beauty and perhaps even of the premonition of the end of life – the dedicatee Anton Stadler is said to have remarked: »Let him sing once more, even if it be his swan song«. Before our solo clarinettist Christoph Müller takes over the soulful performance for this hauntingly beautiful work, we play a piece from the Finnish homeland of our guest conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste: »Hit & Run« was penned by Sauli Zinovjev, born in 1988, who is causing a stir with his emotional orchestral works and was recently a guest in Bamberg for a year on a Villa Concordia scholarship. We conclude with a journey into the cosmos of Shostakovich, who also wanted to reflect current feelings and thoughts with his music – and said: »When I learn that someone is being tortured, I feel the pain myself.« We play his touching Eighth Symphony, with which he did not deliver the heroic work his fatherland wanted in the middle of the war in 1943, but cast the suffering of his soul in mostly gloomy sounds – a conductor friend said that Shostakovich thereby set »the horror of the life of an intellectual at that time« into music.