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The end

Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra

No room for optimism in this dark portrait as the season ends, but plenty of reason for a final applause.

'Everything I have composed so far has been a preparation for this work,' Shostakovich wrote when he had completed his Fourteenth Symphony. Stripped down to its essence, it draws a disconcerting portrait of death. Equally dark is Sibelius' Fourth. No room for false optimism in these sublime symphonies; rather, catharsis: 'Afterwards,' Shostakovich said, 'you realize how beautiful life is.'

programme

Shostakovich Fourteenth Symphony | Sibelius Fourth Symphony

credits

Tarmo Peltokoski conductor | Asmik Grigorian soprano | Mika Kares bass