Leicester: Santtu conducts Shostakovich | Philharmonia Orchestra

The Philharmonia’s Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali is at the helm for Sibelius’s Karelia Suite – full of folk-inspired melodies – and Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony. Completed in 1945, the symphony is a bittersweet reflection on the state of Russia at the time. Russia may have won the war, but with Stalin still in charge, it was not the victory and peace most Russians had ultimately hoped for. Written at a time when open defiance was unthinkable, Shostakovich channelled his thoughts into his music, which is characteristically sardonic and rife with irony. Neo-classical in its construction, with five movements (rather than four) and only 25 minutes in length, it veers away from the usual symphonic format. It is completely devoid of grandeur, with a much more complex emotional landscape in its place.

Inimitable violinist Randall Goosby joins the Orchestra again after making his debut last season, this time playing Tchaikovsky’s brilliant Violin Concerto. Inspiration for the piece came from the breathtaking scenery of the mountains above Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where he was seeking refuge after the breakdown of his marriage. Impassioned and full of sweeping melodies, this is a work into which the composer poured a world of emotions.