Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky

The great symphonic soundscapes of Tchaikovsky’s orchestral music is closely tied to the theme of ‘Fate’, and the full emotional weight of this motif is heard at its strongest in his Symphony No.5. Composed ten years after his Fourth Symphony and, despite the composer’s own doubts, it displays Tchaikovsky’s brilliant orchestration and his ability to weave in the folk songs of his homeland, culminating with the ultimate triumph of hope in the explosive final movement of the symphony.

Shostakovich’s second Violin Concerto, performed by soloist Alena Baeva, is reflective of the composer’s music from his later life. The violin takes a confessional and understated tone for much of the piece, and in the instrument’s solo cadenzas the concerto becomes engulfed in questions of mortality.

“Baeva was a magnetic presence, and the sound of her instrument, the fullness of tone, and her marvelously precise intonation were admirable and beautiful in and of themselves." New York Classical Review