Repertoire

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 8 in C minor, op. 65

Artists

Josep Caballé, conductor
Simon Trpceski, piano

Program

Anguish, violence, sadness, happiness, courage, the will to survive… Shostakovich’s wonderful 8th symphony reflects the emotions of Russian men and women during the war. Some years before that, Rachmaninoff dazzled audiences with his spectacular Rhapsody for piano and orchestra.Of the so-called «war symphonies», the 8th was the composer’s favourite: «I wanted to recreate the inner environment of the man crushed by the hammer of war». The music describes the different moods of the protagonists, a military march with the typical sprinkling of irony we find in Shostakovich’s language, an impressive third movement that reminds us of the relentless passage of time, and a finale with a ray of light and hope. A veritable challenge in the hands of one of our most internationally renowned conductors, Josep Caballé. And, as a prelude, the brilliant variations composed by Rachmaninoff of the famous Paganini Caprices, performed by Simon Trpceski.

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