This Friday, April 12, the Belgrade Philharmonic will play Shostakovich’s first and last symphony under the baton of Valentin Uryupin. Shostakovich’s opus holds a special place in Philharmonic’s celebratory concert season, as he is one of the composers whose works the orchestra plays with a particular joy.
One of the most famous symphonic composers of the 20th century, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies in total. At the concert led by young Russian conductor Valentin Uryupin, the audience will experience the journey Shostakovich underwent from his composition thesis (Symphony No. 1), to his last symphonic work which sums up both the composer’s professional and private life.
“The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra has a flawless reputation, and I am very happy to have the opportunity to hear it in person. The ensemble is in great shape, and it is made of excellent musicians who are also exceptional people. On this occasion, they will have a two-fold task of performing two very challenging symphonic works. I have only great things to say about their willingness to put in the necessary work, as well as their capabilities. The program we will perform is a particular jewel, I am proud of the idea — it is also in a way an homage to my professor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who performed the same repertoire at the very last concert he ever conducted, together with Staatskapelle Dresden”, said Valentin Uryupin for whom this concert will be a Belgrade debut.
Valentin Uryupin feels equally at home as a conductor in the symphonic and operatic repertoire. In both areas, he has built up close artistic partnerships with orchestras and houses in recent years. Uryupin is especially excited for this Friday’s repertoire which holds a great symbolic significance, and tells of the hard road Dmitri Shostakovich had to walk in the 45 years that passed between his first and last symphony. Performed at the same concert, these works tell the story of a brilliant genius full of hope, who after colliding with the Soviet regime, transforms into a mystical philosopher, burdened with pessimism.
