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THE FULL SCORE WITH LIZ NOLAN

James Platt photo (2) Image Name: James Platt photo (2) Description: James Platt photo (2)

Much of Shostakovich’s extraordinary output was profoundly marked by politics and the judgements of censors. The composer was on relatively safe ground when he wrote his Four Romances on Poems by Pushkin to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Russian poet’s death. Nevertheless, the first song, Rebirth, makes Pushkin’s battles with the critics very much the composer’s own. There are strong links between the songs and Shostakovich’s monumental Fifth Symphony, one of the greatest and most powerful of twentieth-century orchestral works. The great American cellist Alisa Weilerstein performs Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto with the Hallé.

Shostakovich: Four Romances on Poems by Pushkin Op.46

James Platt (bass)

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E flat, Op.107

Alisa Weilerstein (cello)

Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47

The Hallé Orchestra

Mark Elder (conductor)

RTÉ lyric fm, Wednesday 21st February, 1pm-4pm