Vienna Philharmonic / Jakub Hrůša
Janáček: Jealousy / Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 – Hamburg International Music Festival
Triumphant but ambiguous
A grand love story lies at the centre of both Janáček’s opera »Jenůfa« and Prokofiev’s Shakespeare ballet »Romeo and Juliet«. Who better to bring out their musical passion than a spirited conductor like Jakub Hrůša? And all the moreso on the rostrum of what is probably the world’s most famous and bouncy orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic.
Another work with a turbulent history is also on tonight’s programme: Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. The Soviet composer wrote it in 1937 in a situation where, after harsh official criticism of his music, he had to fear that he might fall victim to the »cleansing measures« that formed part of Stalin’s Great Purge. While it pays tribute to the dictator Stalin in triumphant gestures as superficial as they are ambiguous, at the same time the symphony makes no secret of the despair and despondency of its humiliated composer. This is gripping music that is deservedly one of the most popular and most oft-played of Shostakovich’s works.
Performers
Wiener Philharmoniker
conductor Jakub Hrůša
Programme
Leoš Janáček
Žárlivost (Eifersucht) / Orchestervorspiel zur Oper »Jenůfa«
Sergej Prokofjew
Romeo und Julia / Ballett op. 64 (Auszüge)
– Interval –
Dmitri Schostakowitsch
Sinfonie Nr. 5 d-Moll op. 47
Zugabe:
Antonín Dvořák
Slawischer Tanz e-Moll op. 72/2
Festival
Hamburg International Music Festival