This audacious program—uniting Rodion Shchedrin, Beethoven, and Shostakovich—begins with a rare work by the former, Beethovens Heiligenstadt Testament, a symphonic fragment for orchestra inspired by a desperate letter of Beethoven, titled the “Heiligenstadt Testament”. In this surprisingly original and accessible concert ouverture, premiered in 2008, the composer sets Beethoven’s torments of becoming deaf to music. After this symphonic introduction, Pletnev returns to the stage for Beethoven’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 3, a play of light and shadows. The concert ends with Shostakovich’s last symphony, Symphony No. 15, rich in musical references yet hugely original in its use of orchestral colors.

Credits

Photo: Gianandrea Noseda © DR