Amsterdam, Netherlands - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Vilde Frang, violin - Dvorák, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov

Programme
Antonín Dvorák: Carnaval Overture
Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Serge Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances

Performing with
Vilde Frang, violin
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

The sensational Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang will join the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a performance of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto, one of the most dramatic solo concertos ever written. The composer wisely waited until Stalin was dead before releasing the work, which violates every Soviet doctrine. Fear, sorrow, hysterical mirth, and a fighting spirit: Vilde Frang captures all the nuances within Shostakovich’s rich emotional palette. Unforgettable, even before the first note is heard.

Veteran conductor Semyon Bychkov is an all-rounder with a unique flair for Russian repertoire. He pairs the tragedy of Shostakovich with the astonishing vitality of an elderly Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff was living in the United States, torn from his Russian routes, when he composed the Symphonic Dances, reflecting on his youthful loves and exorcising his demons.

Banishing demons and celebrating life are two things Antonín Dvořák accomplished in his Carnival Overture, with which Semyon Bychkov opens the concert.