Ashkenazy: Shostakovich's Symphony No 10 | Philharmonia Orchestra

Vladimir Ashkenazy conducts an all-Russian programme culminating in Shostakovich’s deeply personal 10th Symphony.

The last of three Shostakovich performances this spring, the 10th Symphony premiered shortly after Stalin’s death in 1953. The piece is an emotional outpouring of Shostakovich’s suffering during Stalin’s era.

Out of a gloomy opening in the strings, a lonely clarinet emerges with a quiet melody that returns throughout the movement, juxtaposed against brash scenes of musical terror. A creeping waltz in the third movement gives way to a finale that builds unstoppably, finally releasing into glorious triumph.

Glazunov’s passionate Violin Concerto, performed by Esther Yoo, remains his most popular composition. Filled with lyrical melodies and exhilarating solo passages, the piece culminates with a devilish folk-inspired flourish.