SHOSTAKOVICH & PROKOFIEV

Here you can join us for the ‘Rostropovich in memoriam’ concert, where OS pays tribute to the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who in the spring of 2027 would have turned 100. Shostakovich wrote his innovative Cello Concerto No. 2 for Rostropovich and dedicated it to him - and the moving link to the concert here is that our Norwegian-Swedish soloist Amalie Stalheim plays the very G.B. Guadagnini cello from 1783 that was once played by Rostropovich himself. Before the interval we first hear Britten's youthful Simple Symphony and then Prokofiev's great, neoclassical early work, Symphony No. 1, nicknamed the Classical. The symphony was written as a modern interpretation of Mozart's classical style, and Prokofiev predicted that the connoisseurs would “undoubtedly scream in protest at this new example of Prokofiev's impudence” when they heard the music. The reality, however, was that the Classical has, since its premiere, been hailed as one of the composer's most charming and enduring successes. The concert is conducted by OS' concertmaster Eugen Tichindeleanu. Programme: Britten: Simple Symphony Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, the Classical Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2

• Dirigent: Eugen Tichindeleanu
• Amalie Stalheimcello

LISTEN TO MUSIC FROM THE CONCERT