Prokofiev from the Elbphilharmonie

Fiona Talkington presents one of the highlights of the European music season, in which violinist Alina Pogostkina joins the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and conductor Sakari Oramo in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No 1, alongside music by Shostakovich and Janáček.

»Well, that sounds even better than the original!« is how Dmitri Shostakovich is said to have reacted on hearing the arrangement of his »String Quartet in C minor, Op. 110« written by his student, the conductor Rudolf Barschai. The composer appended an »a« to the opus number and called the whole thing: »Chamber Symphony«. Shostakovich had written the quartet as he devoted his attention to the bombing of Dresden for a film production. From beneath harsh sounds, he brings forth a Jewish lament and evokes a firing squad with fierce bowing of the strings. The larger instrumentation of the »Chamber Symphony«, with the full depth provided by the double basses, intensifies this effect still further.

Prokofiev was in his mid-twenties when he wrote his first violin concerto in 1917, a year which was astonishingly productive for him given what was going on in Russia at the time. The opening of the concerto is magical, especially in the hands of violinist Alina Pogostkina.

The dark sound of the Elbphilharmonie's strings in the Shostakovich is complemented by the triumphant wind fanfares, featuring 12 trumpets, of Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta. In this piece, the Czech composer celebrates his homeland with melodies that invoke mellow folk dances and lively rhythms.

Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony in C minor, op. 110a
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D, op. 19
Janáček: Sinfonietta

Alina Pogostkina, violin
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Sakari Oramo, conductor