Finnish conducting sensation Santtu-Matias Rouvali takes the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for a marvelously program: the Dutch premieres of works by Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Ennio Morricone, plus Shostakovich’s philosophical, allusive 15th Symphony! The charismatic Rouvali, known for championing new and unique repertoire is the perfect choice for these two Dutch premieres: Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s “Metacosmos”, a fascinating “balance between beauty and chaos,” and the late, great Ennio Morricone’s “UT”, a concerto for trumpet performed by the excellent Omar Tomasoni, the RCO’s principal trumpeter. Rounding off the program is Shostakovich’s final completed symphony, No. 15 in A, the product of a burst of creativity in the early 1970s. Tonally expansive and delightfully referential, the symphony seemed to Shostakovich to “[appear] in my mind with total clarity from first note to last. There was nothing left for me to do but write it down.” PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No 15; Thorvaldsdottir: Metacosmos; Morricone: UT
Jan Lisiecki plays Chopin
Polish-Canadian star pianist Jan Lisiecki together with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra play the two enchanting Piano concertos by Frédéric Chopin and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, in one of Oslo’s most beautiful venues: the University of Oslo’s ceremonial hall. Edvard Munch completed his Aula paintings in 1916, and they have decorated the walls of the Aula ever since. It is also home of Det Norske Kammerorkester (DNK), the most famous chamber orchestra in Oslo that was founded in 1977. The ensemble was founded by violinist Bjarne Fiskum, who got the idea after a summer course for young string talents in the summer of 1975. Polish-Canadian Jan Lisiecki is considered one of the most promising young pianists in the world. As the youngest musician ever he received Gramophone’s Young Artist Award in 2013. PROGARM Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2; Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony
LSO: Rattle conducts Brahms and Shostakovich
It begins with the engines of industry: mechanical marches, pounding brass. An uneasy second movement, and then a nightmarish vision of life in Stalin’s Russia explodes in a frenzied succession of dance themes. Shostakovich withdrew his Fourth Symphony before its first performance, after hints that he was treading a fine line with the Soviet authorities. It shines on as an extraordinary vision of thwarted humanity. Brahms wrote his Violin Concerto with, and for, his friend, the virtuosic Hungarian musician Joseph Joachim, and its foot-stomping finale honours Joachim’s heritage. PROGRAM Brahms: Violin Concerto; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
Nelsons conducts Shostakovich No 7
At the centre of the Shostakovich Festival 2025 in Leipzig was a performance of Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony, in which Andris Nelsons led the combined forces of the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Gewandhaus. Since 2018, both orchestras, at the helm of both of which Andris Nelsons stands, have continuously developed an ever-closer transatlantic partnership. Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, known as the “Leningrad Symphony”, was composed during World War II and stands as a masterpiece of both artistic and historical significance. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Symphony No 7
Nelsons conducts Shostakovich
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich’s death in 2025, the Leipzig Gewandhaus organized a unique festival featuring world-class artists and orchestras. The opening concert was the first highlight: the Gewandhausorchester, under the baton of its music director Andris Nelsons, performed Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the acclaimed pianist Daniil Trifonov as well Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4. PROGRAM Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Piano Concerto No 2, Symphony No 4