Gewandhausorchester, Semyon Bychkov: Shostakovich, Strauss at Gewandhaus

Leipzig, Gewandhaus zu Leipzig — Grosser Saal

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About the Event

In Leipzig's beloved Gewandhaus, hear the Gewandhaus Orchestra and violinist Karen Gomyo under the baton of Semyon Bychkov for a captivating performance of masterworks by Shostakovich and Strauss.

A great orchestral work was written during a dark period of Shostakovich's life: the 1st Violin Concerto.
The opening movement is a night piece. Broodingly, low strings, bassoon, contrabassoon and the moon‐pale bass clarinet circle around a thought. Against this dark background of sound, the solo violin stands out brightly celesta notes shine like twinkling stars. The rapid scherzo in second place was described by the premiere violinist and dedicatee David Oistrakh as a demonic dance of despair. Shostakovich, a Bach admirer, fashioned the 3rd movement as a passacaglia. The soloist hardly has a break in this concerto. She plays not a voice, but a role. She celebrates her solitude in the endlessly long cadenza.
The Alpine Symphony by the enthusiastic mountaineer and Nietzsche reader Richard Strauss also begins and ends in the nocturnal fog. Between the symbolic ascent and the turbulent descent in a thunderstorm, the music provides sublime summit moments of overwhelming radiance.

Practical Information

Due to its history, the Gewandhaus Orchestra stands for civic engagement in a special way. With a view to the challenges of the present and the community‐building, inspiring and transformative potential of music, it has launched a democracy initiative in 2022. On pressing issues of justice, resources, media, institutions, education, identity, resilience and faith, public and cultural figures engage in dialogue with each other, with the audience and with musical performances.

'Resonance' is the motto above the musically inspired, culturally initiated discussion of basic values, understanding of democracy and social togetherness. We invite you to join in the discussion at round tables and to experimentally explore and musically experience political, sociological, acoustic and interpersonal facets of resonance in workshops and performances. Inspired by musical artworks, we open spaces for voices of the present and for ideas that strengthen the common good — in exchange between all those who want to help shape society.

Program

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich – 1. Konzert für Violine und Orchester a‐Moll op. 77 (rev. op. 99)
Richard Strauss – Eine Alpensinfonie, op. 64

Program is subject to change

Artists

Orchestra:	Gewandhausorchester Leipzig The Leipzig Gewandhausorchester is a German orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. It is named after the concert hall in which it is based, the Gewandhaus. The orchestra has a good claim to being the oldest continuing musical performing organization in Europe. In the early 19th century, Felix Mendelssohn was the kapellmeister. Later principal conductors included Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Vaclav Neumann, and from 1970 to 1996 Kurt Masur. In 1998, Herbert Blomstedt took over the post until 2005 and will be succeeded by Riccardo Chailly. As home to the Gewandhausorchester, the city of Leipzig possesses an orchestra of the highest world renown — one with an extraordinarily illustrious heritage spanning 275 years. In March 1743, sixteen Leipzig merchants founded a concert society, which was to shape musical history. Today, the Gewandhausorchester thrills and inspires music lovers the world over with both its passion for music and its unique, unmistakable sound. Alongside its 70 symphonic Große Concerte per season, the Gewandhausorchester performs as the orchestra both of the Leipzig Opera — a role it has fulfilled for over 200 years — and of St. Thomas‘s Church, performing the music of JS Bach each week with the celebrated Thomanerchor. In addition, the Orchestra gives approximately 35 concerts per season all around the globe, and is documented on countless recordings. The unique diversity of the Gewandhausorchester‘s activities is a fundamental factor of Leipzig‘s international renown as ‚City of Music‘.
Conductor:	Semyon Bychkov conductor
Violin:	Karen Gomyo

Address

Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Augustusplatz 8, Leipzig, Germany — Google Maps