Andris Nelsons conducts Arvo Pärt, Kaija Saariaho, Shostakovich and Stravinsky featuring violinist Baiba Skride and Anu Komsi, soprano
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons is joined by his compatriot, violinist Baiba Skride, for Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was written in the late 1940s but only premiered in 1955, after Stalin’s death helped relax the constraints on artistic expression in the USSR. The concerto contains a version of the composer’s musical “signature,” suggesting that was a work of powerful personal importance. It was composed for and dedicated to David Oistrakh. Opening the program is the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s poignant homage to Shostakovich’s great friend, the English composer Benjamin Britten.
Finnish soprano Anu Komsi makes her BSO debut in the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s own orchestrations of her song cycle on poems of the great 20th century Finnish poet Pentti Saarikoski. Saariaho wrote the original piano and voice versions of these songs for Anu Komsi. The Suite from Stravinsky’s 1909 ballet score The Firebird closes the program. The composer’s astonishingly imaginative orchestration perfectly captured the magical atmosphere of this Russian legend, and the Ballets Russes premiere in Paris swept the composer to worldwide fame.
The February 25 performance is part of our Casual Fridays series. Please note that the Casual Friday performance does not include Kaija Saariaho's Saarikoski Songs.
Program Notes & Works
Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
Pärt and Britten both found in modern, avant-garde music elements that he could bring into his own work without abandoning his individual musical vision.
Suite from The Firebird (1919 version)
The premiere of the lavishly colorful ballet marked a signal triumph for the Ballets Russes and put Stravinsky on the map.
Violin Concerto No. 1, Opus 77[99]
Although the concerto was completed in 1948, Shostakovich's concerns about official Soviet censure led him to delay the premiere of this deeply personal work until 1955.
Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
Pärt and Britten both found in modern, avant-garde music elements that he could bring into his own work without abandoning his individual musical vision.
Saarikoski Songs, for soprano and orchestra
"During the entire fragmented composition process, the poems planted their seeds in me as musical ideas at specific moments, when they spoke to me in a particular way."
Suite from The Firebird (1919 version)
The premiere of the lavishly colorful ballet marked a signal triumph for the Ballets Russes and put Stravinsky on the map.
Violin Concerto No. 1, Opus 77[99]
Although the concerto was completed in 1948, Shostakovich's concerns about official Soviet censure led him to delay the premiere of this deeply personal work until 1955.
What’s Different About the Casual Friday Experience
- These concerts have lower ticket prices at $40, $56, and $66, depending on seat location.
- You'll get to know BSO bassoonist Richard Svoboda through introductory remarks before the concert starts.
- The program is shorter than a typical BSO performance, with no intermission.
- Audiences seated in the Tech Section, a rear section of the floor, will enjoy Conductor-Cam seating. With strategically placed screens, patrons can see the conductor from the orchestra’s perspective.
- Stick around after the concert for a Casual Conversation with the musicians to learn more about their experiences and the music you heard during the concert.
- There’s no need to wonder if your outfit is dressy enough; casual clothes are encouraged at these concerts!
