Total Shostakovich in Leipzig

Andris Nelsons conducts the Gewandhaus and Boston Symphony

Quatuor Danel

The Gewandhaus and Boston Symphony share the stage

The Gewandhaus and Boston Symphony brass

Andris Nelsons and the Shostakovich Festival Orchestra

By Mark Pullinger, 25 May 2025

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“battle raged around them, Nelsons’ baton scything in horizontal slashes”

Reviewed at Gewandhaus: Großer Saal, Leipzig on 24 May 2025

Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony in C minor (arr. Rudolf Barshai), Op.110a

Shostakovich, Symphony no. 7 in C major, "Leningrad" Op.60

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Andris Nelsons, Conductor

Shostakovich Festival Orchestra

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Reviewed at Gewandhaus: Mendelssohn Saal, Leipzig on 24 May 2025

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 6 in G major, Op.101

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op.122

Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 8 in C minor "Malinconia", Op.110

Quatuor Danel

Marc Danel, Violin

Gilles Millet, Violin

Vlad Bogdanas, Viola

Yovan Markovitch, Cello

Isabelle Faust shines, Nelsons and the Gewandhaus disappoint

David Karlin, 26th August

The German violinist gives us plenty of Czech brio in Dvořák; conductor and orchestra display many good qualities but fail to thrill.

**111

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Oper Leipzig

Mark Pullinger, 25th May

Two notable debuts dominate Oper Leipzig's notable Lady Macbeth revival: Kristine Opolais as Katerina and Andris Nelsons in the pit.

****1

Star conductor: Blomstedt returns to the Leipzig Gewandhaus

Zenaida des Aubris, 13th November

Herbert Blomstedt conducts Schubert and Berwald... and picks up a medal on his return to the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

*****

Spellbinding Parsifal caps Oper Leipzig's massive Wagner 22 Festival

Ako Imamura, 14th July

Ulf Schirmer bows out as General Music Director as the last of Wagner's 13 operas completes a successful Festival Wagner 22 in Leipzig.

****1

Sublime Strauss from Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester

Dominic Lowe, 9th May

A visit to London from Nelsons is always an occasion. The first of two programmes dedicated to Strauss demonstrated why the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig is among the best in the world.

****1

Lohengrin as chamber opera in Patrick Bialdyga's Leipzig production

Ako Imamura, 26th March

A new production of Lohengrin at Oper Leipzig is conceived as an intimate chamber opera and succeeds with brilliant musical performances.

*****

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Total Shostakovich masterminded by Andris Nelsons in Leipzig