Dates
Thursday 30 November 2023
7:30pm at Hamer Hall Selling fast
Friday 01 December 2023
7:30pm at Costa Hall, Geelong
Saturday 02 December 2023
7:30pm at Hamer Hall
Featuring
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Jaime Martín conductor
Andrea Lam piano
Program
Bacewicz Overture for Orchestra
Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Shostakovich Symphony No.10
About this performance
Audience favourite Andrea Lam joins the MSO for Rachmaninov's powerhouse Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Jaime Martín conducts Shostakovich's tragic Tenth Symphony.
- Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz wrote her Overture for Orchestra in 1943 in occupied Poland, which she was to escape the following year. A short but powerful work, rumbling lower strings and fanfare brass build momentum and tension, giving this almost cinematic work a frantic urgency as it hurtles towards its final climax.
- Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a virtuosic tour-de-force of 24 variations, ranging from somber to playful and lighthearted. The famous 18th variation has been used in movies as diverse as Somewhere in Time and Groundhog Day!
- The interpretation of most of Shostakovich’s works is highly debated, however his Tenth Symphony is widely viewed as a depiction of the years of Stalinist rule in Russia – years where millions of people died at the hands of the Soviet regime. This symphony, written the year after Stalin’s death, depicts the horror and oppression of these years for almost the entirety of its duration, before ending in a sigh of relief and a breath of triumph.
Duration: approx. 2 hours including interval
Listen to Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Enhance your experience
Want to learn more about the music being performed? Arrive early for an informative and entertaining pre-concert talk with Taj Aldeeb.
Thursday 30 November at 6.45pm
Saturday 2 December at 6.45pm
Hamer Hall Stalls Foyer
Friday 1 December at 6.45pm
Costa Hall
Purchase a printed program
Pre-order now for expedited pick-up when you arrive at the performance.
Please note: printed programs for Geelong performances are available for purchase at the venue only.
