La Quarta de Xostakóvitx

Repertori Pēteris Vasks: Chant of Gratefulness. National Premiere Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4, Op. 43. Artists Andris Poga, conducted by the Barcelona Symphony and National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC). The Chant of Gratefulness programme by Pēteris Vasks is one of the works premiering in the current season. For the first time in the country, this piece of new creation can be heard, which fits into the spiritual and meditative language characteristic of the Latvian composer. Recognized for the austere stroke and content of his works, it seems to invite an inner listening, in which the silence and the resonance of the summoned sounds represent a structural role. In fierce and passionate contrast, the Symphony No. 4 by Dmitri Shostakovich, written between 1935 and 1936, constitutes one of the most radical and striking scores in his catalogue. Conceived shortly before the official condemnation by the Soviet regime—which would force his withdrawal, even before the premiere—it recreates a grotesque and tragic universe from the start, in which irony and violence coexist without concession. An extreme work, demanding for the performers and astonishing for the listener. More information Concert "La Quarta de Xostakóvitx" on the L'Auditori website.