We begin with Brahms’ ‘Tragic Overture’, which confronts darkness head-on. Composed in 1880 as the sombre counterpart to his ‘Academic Festival Overture’, it whips up a storm of emotional energy, embodying what Brahms called “the serious side of life”. 

Next is Sibelius’ haunting ‘Valse Triste’. Originally composed for a 1903 play, this melancholic waltz depicts a dying woman’s fevered dream, where she dances with memories and ghosts. At the end, four solo violins add a fragile, otherworldly coda. 

Shostakovich’s monumental Seventh Symphony completes the arc from despair to defiance. It was composed during the 1941 siege of Leningrad, a time of unimaginable suffering for citizens. This epic work transforms the nightmare of war – represented by the famous ‘invasion theme’ in the first movement – into ultimate victory. 

Philip Keller

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Jul 4, 2026

From Tragedy to Triumph ·

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