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October 18, 2007
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Best of the 20th century? You might never have heard of composer Dmitri Shostakovich. But get past the tongue-twisting Russian name (not that difficult, really), and you’re on the way to opening yourself up to what might be the greatest body of music written during the 20th century. Sure, the work of Shostakovich isn’t as familiar as, say, that of Beethoven and some of the other big names of classical music. But it’s early yet (Shostakovich lived from 1906 to 1975), and the world hasn’t yet come fully to terms with what he achieved during his career, which was spent entirely in the Soviet Union. The best way to get to know the music, of course, is to hear it in live performance, the environment for which most of it was written. And in southern New Hampshire, two upcoming chances to do just that shouldn’t be missed. First, a chamber concert at the Manchester Community Music School on Thursday, Oct. 25, features what promises to be top-notch playing of some of Shostakovich’s small-scale works. After that, the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the composer’s Symphony No. 9 on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. But why the greatest? Shelves of books have been written about Shostakovich, but here’s a quick list of points to consider. 1. It has good tunes. Shostakovich wasn’t afraid to write tough-sounding passages, but his music is almost always based on actual melody — something a lot of other 20th-century composers forgot. Hear for yourself on Thursday, Oct. 25, when violist Frederic Bednarz, cellist Harel Gietheim, and pianist Kanako Nishikawa tackle two of the composer’s trios and an arrangement of 10 preludes at a free chamber concert at the Manchester Community Music School, 2291 Elm St., Manchester. The music starts at 7 p.m. and all are welcome. Then that weekend, the New Hampshire Philharmonic’s fall concert at Manchester’s Palace Theatre includes Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9, written right at the end of World War II. The deal with the Ninth is that Stalin expected a great ode to the Soviet victory over Nazism. Instead Shostakovich turned in a relatively small-scale score, parts of which sound like banal circus music, while other sections include characteristically mournful passages. It’s a beguiling work, not at all what was expected at the time, and retains a sense of in-your-face freshness even to this day. It’s worth a hear. Also on the program: Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Schumann’s seldom-heard Cello Concerto, with Boston Symphony cellist Owen Young as soloist. The concert is Saturday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $50. For more info, call the Palace box office at 668-5588 or visit www.nhphil.org. • Mozart’s ‘Jupiter,’ Take 2: If you missed Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in Concord earlier this month, the Nashua Symphony plays the same work this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 20, guest conductor Karla Lemon tackles Mozart’s masterwork in a varied program that also includes an elegant Concerto Grosso by Handel, Stravinsky’s exciting Firebird Suite No. 2, and a relatively new work (from 1991) called “Fratres” by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Lemon, who guest conducted the orchestra’s ambitious “Ripple Effect” new music concert last March, is one of four finalists auditioning this season in Nashua to succeed conductor Royston Nash, who recently stepped down after 21 seasons. The concert is Saturday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. at Nashua’s Keefe Auditorium. Tickets are $10 to $47; for more info, call 595-9156 or visit nashuasymphony.org.
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10/112007 A side order of Bach, please 10/4/2007 More than a contender
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