Göteborgs Konserthus Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15 and a new Marimba Concerto

Event has already taken place

Shostakovich’s Fifteenth Symphony was also his last. The music is both tricky and playful and is full of quotations from Rossini and Wagner as well as his own earlier works. Although Shostakovich was very sick when he composed this symphony, he was determined to have fun with it. In the lively first movement we hear, among other things, the well known William Tell Overture from Rossini’s opera, but a skewed and unpredictable world also lurks beneath the surface.

Shostakovich’s piece was written in what was then Russia and the Soviet Union, marked by anything but freedom of opinion, and contemporary research indicates that he was critical of his own contemporary oppression and used his artistry as an expression of this, although the rulers then chose a different interpretation. Experiencing this music now, with that knowledge, can add an additional dimension beyond the purely musical.

In this evening’s concert, Shostakovich’s symphony has company in the form of the premiere of Johannes Jansson’s Marimba Concerto. The composer lived in southern India for several years, a period that came to mean a lot to him, both as a person and as an artist. His music is sometimes filled with unbridled power and condensed energy, but it is also incredibly beautiful. He describes the Marimba Concerto being premiered this evening as ”a poetic journey”. Mika Takehara is the soloist who, for the first time ever, takes her place at the marimba, together with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, to play this piece of music for an audience. A world premiere!

The evening commences with dynamic Musica serena for string orchestra by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. This piece moves from softly shimmering violin overtones via a majestic and powerful central part, to gradually regain its quiet harmonic calm.

Listen

Get to know the classical pieces.

Get to know Mika Takehara.

Introduction to the concert

Take a seat in the Great Hall one hour before the concert begins and learn more about the music you will soon experience! You will get the stories behind the music, knowledge of the composers and own reflections about the classical pieces. The introduction last for about 30 minutes, it is free and free seating in the hall. Warm welcome!