SHOSTAKOVICH’S FOURTH. Andris Poga

Repertoire

Pēteris Vasks: Chant of Gratefulness. National premiere
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4, Op. 43

ARTISTS

Andris Poga, conductor
OBC

Programme

Pēteris Vasks’s Chant of Gratefulness is one of the works that will be premiered this season. For the first time, Catalonia will be able to hear this new piece featuring Vasks’s hallmark spiritual and meditative style. Recognised for the austerity and restraint of his works, he seems to encourage an inward form of listening, in which silence and the resonance of the sounds play a structural role.

In fierce and passionate contrast, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4, written between 1935 and 1936, is one of the most radical and striking scores in his oeuvre. Created shortly before Shostakovich was officially condemned by the Soviet regime – which would force the piece to be withdrawn before the premiere – it recreates a grotesque, tragic universe from the outset, in which irony and violence coexist unapologetically. This is considered an extreme work, demanding for performers and gripping for listeners.