Following on the heels of the release of their 19-CD set of Shostakovich works, Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony were joined by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in an all-Shostakovich program for the second concert of the orchestra’s annual two-night residency at Carnegie Hall. After coming out on stage, Ma picked up a microphone and told the audience that Shostakovich’s son, Maxim, was seated in the hall. He then cited a quote widely attributed to Joseph Stalin – “A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic”, adding that “We play Shostakovich so that no death is ever just a statistic”, and that the concert was dedicated to all who have experienced loss, whether it be a loved one, health, freedom or some other cherished entity.
He then launched into Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, a work with which he has a long history. His 1984 account with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra was one of his first major concerto recordings, and since 1987 he has performed the piece with the BSO numerous times. Displaying an intensity that immediately captivated, Ma delivered a haunting, moving rendition. Under Nelsons’ baton, the scaled down orchestra (with celesta and double woodwind but only one horn – the marvelous Michael Winter with whom the cello often dialogued) offered responsive support and sounded magnificent throughout. The strongly rhythmic opening Allegretto, dominated by a sense of urgency, led into a sensitively handled central Moderato that was at its most spellbinding in the concluding cello and celesta duet. A virtuosic cadenza, with perfectly executed left-hand pizzicato, was followed by a fiendish finale.
There was an unusual encore. Without any announcement, Ma walked over to the cello section, sat among the players and joined them in a delightful jazz version of the traditional Yiddish folk tune Moyshele, inspired by the French band Les Yeux Noirs and arranged for cello ensemble by the BSO’s own Principal Cello, Blaise Déjardin.
The second half was taken up by Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony. Completed in 1957, it is a bold celebration of the Soviet state, written to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. In a departure from his usual practice, the composer based the symphony largely on imported material, most notably seven revolutionary folk songs. Subtitled “The Year 1905”, it is an emotional, easily accessible, highly cinematic depiction of the dramatic events surrounding the Bloody Sunday massacre in St Petersburg. Under Nelson’s direction the story unfolded vividly in a single riveting arc.
In the foreboding opening Adagio, the incessant percussion, discordant sounds, and soaring strings shimmering with agitation and anticipation, conveyed the suspenseful unease in Palace Square on the morning of the massacre. The strong dynamics and bold brass statements depicting the Cossacks’ charges in the second movement, The Ninth of January, contrasted strongly with the radiant lyricism of the requiem-like third, In Memoriam. In the hard-driving finale, The Tocsin (alarm bell), Nelsons unleashed a violent onslaught of percussion, brass and shrieking winds, momentarily quelled by a Robert Sheena’s mellifluous English horn solo, only to return even more brutally before a triumphant and resolute ending.
