Philzuid

The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich endured much throughout his tumultuous life. But where he could, he stood firm. Amidst all the upheaval, the Russian maestro achieved a remarkable feat. Shostakovich managed to forge raw reality into heart-stirring symphonic musical documents. With his Eleventh Symphony, he masterfully depicts the Russian revolutionary year of 1905. The four-movement symphony describes the horrific way in which the troops of Tsar Nicholas II crushed the peaceful uprising of the people. January 9, 1905, would henceforth be known as Bloody Sunday. His symphony is a swirling melting pot of emotions: from awe and fear to sorrow and triumph. The work is like cinema for the ears, as Shostakovich vividly brings the events to life with great imagination.

Star conductor Martyn Brabbins guides Philzuid through this tense symphony, which has lost none of its expressive power. Brabbins knows Russian orchestral repertoire inside and out, having studied orchestral conducting under the renowned Ilya Musin at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The Edinburgh Music Review wrote of Brabbins’ recent performance of Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony: “A very special experience for everyone present.”

Like Shostakovich, Danish composer Carl Nielsen stamped his music with a personal signature. With his Violin Concerto, Nielsen aimed to create a work of great beauty, free from any inflated desire for innovation and respectful of classical tradition. In terms of virtuosity, his neoclassical Violin Concerto dazzles the listener, but it was not intended to be superficial, as the composer stated. Nielsen’s Violin Concerto is the pièce de résistance of Bulgarian violinist Liya Petrova. In 2016, she won the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition. The jury was blown away by her interpretation of Nielsen’s Violin Concerto, saying: “She has made the concerto completely her own.” Philzuid will also treat the audience to a rarely heard orchestral gem by Ukrainian composer Fyodor Akimenko, Stravinsky’s first teacher.