Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony | 12 ensemble (unconducted string orchestra)

Since its Cambridge Music Festival debut in 2018, the 12 Ensemble has appeared at major venues and festivals worldwide – from the BBC Proms and Wigmore Hall to the exciting new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie – and been nominated for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

The Ensemble eschews the trappings of both conductor and chairs, lending their performances a dynamic energy that impresses audiences and critics.

The centrepiece of their return to Cambridge is one of Shostakovich’s best-loved works, the Chamber Symphony (originally his String Quartet No 8). By turns solemn and ferocious, with a darkly sardonic waltz in the third movement, the overall effect can be desolate yet profoundly moving.

The rest of the programme looks back: John Dowland’s ‘Old Tears’ were originally written for a consort of viols; the Pulitzer prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw draws inspiration from Haydn minuets; and Thomas Adès’ hushed and wistful ode to Albion closes the evening.