Ashkenazy – Shostakovich 10

In the last of three Shostakovich performances this spring, Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts an all-Russian programme culminating in the composer’s deeply personal Tenth Symphony.

An emotional outpouring of Shostakovich’s suffering during Stalin’s era, the Tenth Symphony premiered shortly after the dictator’s death in 1953.

Out of a gloomy opening in the strings, a lonely clarinet emerges with a quiet melody that returns throughout the movement, juxtaposed against brash scenes of musical terror.

A creeping waltz in the third movement gives way to a finale that builds unstoppably, finally liberated into glorious triumph.

Glazunov’s passionate Violin Concerto, performed by Esther Yoo, remains his most popular composition.

Filled with lyrical melodies and exhilarating solo passages, the piece culminates in a devilish folk-inspired flourish.

Programme

Glinka Overture, Ruslan and Lyudmila
Glazunov Violin Concerto
Interval
Shostakovich Symphony No.10

Performers

Philharmonia Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor
Esther Yoo violin