Benjamin Grosvenor plays Shostakovich
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
Optimism. Anguish. Music to keep you on your toes.
Who’s on stage
Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa brings the season to a close, in the company of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and our very own Royal Northern Sinfonia.
What they’re playing
It’s an edge-of-the-seat evening. From Grażyna Bacewicz’s Pensieri notturni (Night Thoughts) and Dmitri Shostakovich’s rule breaking Piano Concerto No. 1 to Tchaikovsky’s supercharged and sometimes frenzied Symphony No. 4.
Need to know
Price: £19 – £46
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, or a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Can’t make it along? This concert will be streamed live to YouTube
What you'll hear
Grażyna Bacewicz Pensieri notturni (8’)
Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 (21’)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 (44’)
Who's paying
Dinis Sousa conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
What's happening in the music?
Fresh from the traumatic breakdown of an extremely short lived marriage, battling depression and wrestling with his sexuality, it’s no surprise that the music Tchaikovsky wrote at the time, his Fourth Symphony, is heartfelt. Incredibly emotional, one moment it’s tormented and anguished, the next it’s optimistic and confident. Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto is entirely different – it’s much more ‘economical’ than Tchaikovsky’s ‘full fat’ piece, feeling bright and breezy in comparison, full of uplifting tunes and with frequent sudden changes of direction, keeping the listener wondering where they’re headed next. Bacewicz’s Pensieri notturni starts the night with intrigue – a piece full of unusual textures and ghostly sounds.
Bad ass Bacewicz
Grażyna Bacewicz was a remarkable Polish composer and violinist. These days we would probably class her as pretty bad ass. Born in 1909 into a musical family she defied societal norms by playing both violin and piano. During World War II she even gave secret underground concerts in Warsaw to continue premiering her work.
“Banger Alert”
That’s how Reddit user mateomoboe responded to Pensieri notturni – hear it live and decide for yourself.
Here's looking at you kid…
In 1924, Dmitri Shostakovich was employed as a pianist accompanying silent films, a job which often involved improvisation and then patching together musical elements to fit the motion pictures. He went on to compose scores for 37 films. These cinematic influences seem to have found their way into the First Piano Concerto. Check out an early video of the maestro himself playing the piece and hear for yourself.
