Chandos Orchestra 1900 Pershore Abbey
Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
For this concert we welcome back Richard Laing to conduct us in two of the great orchestral showcases of the mid twentieth century. The three movement set of dances by Rachmaninov contains many lively and melodic passages contrasted by moments of pure beauty, not least in the waltz-like 2nd dance. Rachmaninov made full use of all the different textures available from the orchestra, including a saxophone and a large percussion section.
The 10th Symphony of Shostakovich, however, is a powerful and at times brutal work which, as do so many of his pieces, reflects the times in which it was written. In this case it was the immediate aftermath of the death of Stalin and many commentators have found the violent 2nd movement to be an expression of Shostakovich’s feelings towards him.
The work ends however on a feeling that things may now improve and with an emphatic statement of the four note phrase Shostakovich used throughout many of his works to represent himself.
Tickets £17 for sale at Pershore Visitor Information Centre, Town Hall 34 High Street Pershore WR10 1DS or www.chandos.org.uk through Eventbrite.