Details

Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) was a friend and colleague of Grieg, but he was a very different musical personality. The concert gets off to a lively start with his high-spirited tone-poem Carnival in Paris, described by Wagner, no less, as "a lot of fun". Sibelius’s Violin Concerto echoes his early ambitions to be a virtuoso soloist. From the spine-tinglingly unforgettable opening to vigorous finale it is one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertoire. Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was his courageous response to the very public dressing-down he received from the Soviet authorities over his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The first performance was greeted with a forty-minute ovation and restored him to official favour. With its mixture of heroic determination, sardonic humour and profound emotion it took Shostakovich’s creative maturity to a new level.

Cast/Performers

Alena Baeva (violin)

Creatives/Company

Music: David Gibb
Conductor: Terje Mikkelsen