Tonight you will hear the colossal, tearing sounds of Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony. A piece written on blood, fire and steel during the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1943, but which at the same time reflects the small and personal. Depth in dark times, raw and real. An absolutely special example of how music can take you into history and all the humanity that lies behind it.

Cellist Gary Hoffman, who was the first American to win the prestigious Rostropovich Competition in 1986, is a living legend who has been soloing on all major stages for more than fifty years. He is known for his expressive, virtuoso and poetic playing, with which he reveals the soul of music. The melancholy but lush Schelomo is a perfect match for Hoffman’s instrumental singing skills (and sense of flair). A piece of music written by Ernest Bloch in 1916, in which the cello translates the voice and thoughts of King Schelomo into steady, deep tones. The orchestra paints the world around him and the Jewish people who speak back. The evening opens with recent work by the Dutch composer Joey Roukens. In Night Flight you as a listener are taken on a nighttime rollercoaster ride above a bustling city.

Programme:

Roukens – Night Flight
Bloch – Schelomo
Shostakovitch – Symphony 8