Dmitri Shostakovich RSS feed

Faust - as you've never seen him before

2009-11-19T15:13:40Z

Under the title "Between Two Worlds", Vladimir Jurowski and the LPO are presenting the work of the remarkable composer, Faust

Mariss Jansons is simply the best

2009-09-01T23:00:00Z

Opening with Haydn's Symphony No 100, the so-called �Military�, Mariss Jansons sculpted rhythms with absolute precision.

A magnum opus with Valery Gergiev

2009-08-24T23:00:00Z

Valery Gergiev brought �his� band, the London Symphony Orchestra (he�s its principal conductor), to the Proms.

A performance of concentrated intensity from Bychkov

2009-08-19T23:00:00Z

The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov put in a fiercely compelling performance of Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony at the Proms

Back to Ballet Black

2009-02-26T00:00:00Z

Ballet Black's artistic director Cassa Pancho has put together a programme that would shame bigger troupes.

Triumph for viola from Emerson Quartet

2008-11-18T00:00:00Z

Emerson Quartet command a loyal and excited following at Wigmore Hall. And with the changing landscape of chamber music, their stock is ever rising.

Bloc vote winner in Overture

2008-11-03T00:00:00Z

The scale of choreographer Royston Maldoom's ambition is extraordinary and it's matched only by the children's success in Overture.

Opening Ceremony is fit for a king

2008-10-01T23:00:00Z

No need for balloons or fanfares. The new Kings Place provides its own architectural drama in Opening Ceremony.

Lion is tamed with Haitink

2008-09-09T23:00:00Z

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bernard Haitink proved there's a good deal to be said for unlikely marriages.

Insights into old masters at Proms

2008-09-03T23:00:00Z

A mark of great performances is that they enable one to see things in a new light. The Berlin Philharmonic offered two such revelations.

The concert craze has only just begun

2008-03-19T14:15:26Z

Daniel Barenboim sold out the Festival Hall eight times over with his Beethoven piano cycle. With demand for classical music at an all-time high, it's no wonder London is gaining two new halls.

A vehement and polished account

2008-03-06T00:00:00Z

If some conductors throw themselves over the precipice dragging their players with them, Vladimir Jurowski is not one.

A promising ensemble

2007-12-24T00:00:00Z

The Dominant Quartet is a very personable all-female ensemble, establishing itself as one of the most promising of the younger generation.

A full-frontal attack

2007-11-21T00:00:00Z

Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos gave the players and singers of the Philharmonia their heads in an uncompromising performance.

An epic journey from slum to Shostakovich

2007-08-19T23:00:00Z

This year's Proms continued with performances from the Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and the Birmingham Symphony Chorus.

Youth on fine Proms form

2007-08-05T23:00:00Z

Saturday's Prom, spirited into energetic life by Mark Elder, showed the 150-odd teenagers of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain on fine form.

Quartet display intensity

2007-07-11T23:00:00Z

The Brodsky Quartet, with guest leader Mia Cooper, played with nobility and intensity and held the audience in silent concentration

Lessons by a virtuoso

2007-02-20T00:00:00Z

A large, young crowd was at Wigmore Hall for an object lesson in how to make the viola sing.

Uplifting night from gifted Ballet Black

2007-02-01T00:00:00Z

Ballet Black has a band of supporters who will turn out and cheer even when its performance drops below perfection.

A Chorus of approval

2006-12-06T00:00:00Z

Flitting between St Petersburg, Cardiff and the Barbican, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and Chorus are seemingly inexhaustible, says Barry Millington.

Macbeth the magnificent

2006-10-01T23:00:00Z

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is high octane opera with brass ablaze and a titanic orchestra at full tilt.

Soviet suffering, intensely realised

2006-09-13T23:00:00Z

Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra started slowly with Mozart but built up to something spectacular with an intensely realised performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.

Personal meets political in searing anguish

2006-09-07T23:00:00Z

Daniele Gatti and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of Shostokovich's 10th Symphony at the Albert Hall was perfectly judged, combining patience with explosive energy.

Russian repertoire lacks real passion

2006-09-05T23:00:00Z

We've had ample opportunity this year to hear Russian music played by Russians. Last night was the turn of a Korean cellist, Welsh orchestra and Japanese conductor, and it wasn't quite the same.

Messages delivered with finesse

2006-08-29T23:00:00Z

Fluent and fluid, the Orchestre National de France, under the direction of Kurt Masur, achieved something quite remarkable at the Albert Hall last night.

Critic's Choice: Classical

2006-08-29T13:51:54Z

Kurt Masur can be trusted to deliver Hans Werner Henze's opera with all the ferocity it demands when he conducts the Orchestre National de France at the Proms tonight.

Ensemble whip up musical Viagra

2006-08-22T23:00:00Z

Take one elite European youth orchestra, add a dashing young conductor and you have the perfect raw materials for two scores throbbing with sexual intensity.

Gergiev dazzles as the Proms erupt

2006-08-20T23:00:00Z

Not everything was perfect, but as Valery Gergiev conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the Albert Hall on Friday he confirmed himself as the world's most exhilerating conductor.

Youth redeems itself

2006-08-13T23:00:00Z

Shostakovich's gargantuan Fourth Symphony was the showpiece finale of Saturday's Prom by the European Union Youth Orchestra and was played with bravura and electrifying virtuosity

Cracking the classical code

2006-07-31T23:00:00Z

Classical review: The BBC Philharmonic has a solid grounding in Russian music and, in Vassily Sinaisky, it has a principal guest conductor who can be relied on to make Shostakovich work. In the case of the composer's Eighth Symphony, that is no mean achievement.