Concertgebouw Orchestra Essentials: Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10

Concertgebouw Orchestra Essentials

The Essentials series introduces you to the masterpieces you will be happy to know, performed by the world-famous Concertgebouw Orchestra and complete with a lively introduction by the incomparable Thomas Vanderveken. At Essentials we welcome a new generation of music lovers, and the concerts typically have a pleasant informal atmosphere.

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10

With the Tenth Symphony, Shostakovich effectively put his memories of the great tyrant Joseph Stalin behind him. The agitated second movement, a sarcastic musical portrait of Stalin, is a high point of the symphonic repertoire. And then the tragic third movement and exuberant finale are still to come! With such conductors as Kirill Kondrashin, Bernard Haitink and Mariss Jansons, the Concertgebouw Orchestra has earned an enviable reputation over the last fifty years as an orchestra excelling in the works of Shostakovich. Joining this tradition now is the Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, who is making his first appearance with the orchestra.

Essentials starts at 9 p.m. with an imaginative introduction to the programme (in Dutch).