RNCM Symphony Orchestra - Shostakovich Symphony No 5

Expect drama, high emotion, and expansive sounds as Hallé Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong conducts the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. The concert also features soprano soloist Esther Shea and the world premiere of a new work by RNCM composer Amit Manna, conducted by Juan Jose Munoz Borja.

Written in the aftermath of the Second World War, Strauss’s Four Last Songs are a poignant farewell not just to his own life, but to the world as he knew it. A masterful marriage of music and poetry for soprano and orchestra, this swansong transcends loss, finding serenity and acceptance in the face of mortality.

Composed earlier under the Stalin’s regime, Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was born out of one of the most terrifying and uncertain periods in both Soviet history and the composer’s own life. With his music under heavy attack from the government and the press, not only his career but his very survival hung in the balance.

The jagged, foreboding famous ‘motto’ opening theme sets the tone, followed by a clumsy, almost sarcastic waltz. The most profound moment lies in the largo third movement, which reportedly moved the audience at the work’s Leningrad premiere to tears. The finale erupts into a militaristic conclusion, which has sparked much debate. There’s no doubt this Symphony helped Shostakovich escape catastrophe, but is this optimistic triumph truly a concession to political oppression, or does it conceal a more subversive message?