Dmitry Shostakovich blurb

September 21, 2009

This week 103 years ago Dmitry Shostakovich, a great composer and a tragic figure in the world of classical music, was born. We’ll mark this event with the following selection.
First, we’ll hear the Piano Quintet in g minor, opus 57 played by the pianist James Dick and the Eusia String Quartet.
To change the mood, we’ll follow with The Pursuit, from the film score to the 1941 movie, The Adventures of Korzinkina (Shostakovich wrote many film scores in his life, both to earn money and to prove that he can write “music for the masses”). This little piece is performed by DUO, a collaboration of the pianists Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia.
We’ll conclude with the Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99 in an old (1969) but wonderful performance by Albert Markov and the Moscow State Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Aranovich. To listen, please click here.