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Last week, I had the privilege of listening to this masterwork live (as performed by the TSO), and to say the least, it was an incredibly multi-faceted piece.
Under the baton of Stephane Deneve, the TSO did a commendable job of portraying the many emotions that Shostakovich set out to express in his music. At times, the music was incredibly dense and seemingly impenetrable, as heard in the first movement when the low brass and piano pound away and, combined with the low brasses’ great tone quality and powerful attacks, the orchestra manages to paint an ominous picture of the dread and darkness that permeated Russia at the time. These emotions intensified as the music thickened with the addition of the entire orchestra, and the mood became more panicked. Then, a very militaristic march overtook and overpowered the previous theme. The brass played with very sharp accents, and with a steady pulse from the timpani, the march rampaged through like an unstoppable juggernaut, much like how the Soviet agenda was put into action. These harsh attacks continued for a while, until, unexpectedly, a light, angelic flute solo rose up over the backdrops, and with the backing of an incredibly heartfelt horn melody, warmed and sweetened the music to a marvellous extent. It was a very precious moment that seemingly embodied whatever hope and goodness that remained in the world at the time.
Other moments of great emotion such as these were frequently present throughout the piece, and a vast majority of them bear a highly mocking undertone. This was heard in the playful and melodic lines in the scherzo, which at the same time drip with satire while portraying something akin to a group of frolicking, overweight fairies. Another such example would be the seemingly glorious and rejoicing coda to the fourth movement, whom Shostakovich himself likened to being ordered “your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing”. The fact that such a musically demanding piece could be played adequately and be enjoyable for the audience evidences at not only skilful musicians with great technical and musical abilities, but also a group with great ensemble skills and synergy.
Though the TSO may be slightly pale in comparison with the very best orchestras in the world, I found that their performance of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony was nonetheless very enjoyable, and probably managed to portray all the images and emotions Shostakovich had intended to.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Last week, I had the privilege of listening to this masterwork live (as performed by the TSO), and to say the least, it was an incredibly multi-faceted piece.
Under the baton of Stephane Deneve, the TSO did a commendable job of portraying the many emotions that Shostakovich set out to express in his music. At times, the music was incredibly dense and seemingly impenetrable, as heard in the first movement when the low brass and piano pound away and, combined with the low brasses’ great tone quality and powerful attacks, the orchestra manages to paint an ominous picture of the dread and darkness that permeated Russia at the time. These emotions intensified as the music thickened with the addition of the entire orchestra, and the mood became more panicked. Then, a very militaristic march overtook and overpowered the previous theme. The brass played with very sharp accents, and with a steady pulse from the timpani, the march rampaged through like an unstoppable juggernaut, much like how the Soviet agenda was put into action. These harsh attacks continued for a while, until, unexpectedly, a light, angelic flute solo rose up over the backdrops, and with the backing of an incredibly heartfelt horn melody, warmed and sweetened the music to a marvellous extent. It was a very precious moment that seemingly embodied whatever hope and goodness that remained in the world at the time.
Other moments of great emotion such as these were frequently present throughout the piece, and a vast majority of them bear a highly mocking undertone. This was heard in the playful and melodic lines in the scherzo, which at the same time drip with satire while portraying something akin to a group of frolicking, overweight fairies. Another such example would be the seemingly glorious and rejoicing coda to the fourth movement, whom Shostakovich himself likened to being ordered “your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing”. The fact that such a musically demanding piece could be played adequately and be enjoyable for the audience evidences at not only skilful musicians with great technical and musical abilities, but also a group with great ensemble skills and synergy.
Though the TSO may be slightly pale in comparison with the very best orchestras in the world, I found that their performance of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony was nonetheless very enjoyable, and probably managed to portray all the images and emotions Shostakovich had intended to.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net