Shostakovich's piano concertos are rarely separated. The first dates from 1933. With its witty humor, it is reminiscent of silent film music: the composer once earned his living as a cinema pianist. The neoclassical second from 1957, on the other hand, seems out of date. "I have finished a piano concerto that has no value whatsoever," judged the Russian. But like so many things, these words should not be taken too lightly: Shostakovich composed the work for his son, who he did not want to prevent from seeing it. To open the Shostakovich Days, Marie Jacquot combines the Janus-faced pair with Kurt Weill's 2nd Symphony, which was premiered in exile in Paris in 1934.

Helmut Fuchs

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Jun 25, 2025

Special concert on the eve of the International Shostakovich Days Gohrisch · Semperoper Dresden

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