Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: Sublime Shostakovich

Praised for its charming simplicity, carefree spirit and lyrical warmth, Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto is one of his happiest and most direct works. Its sublime slow movement is its crowning glory however. Opening with a cloud-shrouded string theme in a minor key, the piano enters in the major, like the sun breaking through, an effect as magical as it is simple. Tchaikovsky approached his Fifth Symphony from a position of extreme self-doubt, and again it addresses the same issues of destiny and the quest for happiness seen in the Fourth. From its first note to last noble chord, it is filled with passionate self-questioning exposing the soul of a deep and complex man.  More passion exudes from Borodin’s almost symphonic overture, packed with exotic, sinuous melodies and blazing fanfares depicting epic tales of Russian heroism.