The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra will present "Shostakovich Triumphant," the group's sixth and final concert of its 72nd season, on Saturday, May 18, at the Winter Center at Millersville University at 3 and 8 p.m. The Winter Center is located at 60 W. Cottage Ave., Millersville. The concert will include the Aram Khachaturian's "Waltz" from the "Masquerade Suite," Russell Peck's "The Glory and the Grandeur" and Dimitri Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony.
Khachaturian is considered one of the leading Soviet composers and the most well-known Armenian composer of the 20th century. He was born in 1903 to poor Armenian parents in present-day Georgia and grew up with little formal music training until age 18 when he enrolled in the Gnessin Musical Institute. He studied cello, composition and biology, and he was awarded many prestigious awards and privileges for his compositions, which predominantly exhibited folk Armenian flavors. Khachaturian was known as one of the "three titans of Soviet music," along with Prokofiev and Shostakovich. His works span many genres, including concertos, symphonies, ballets and music for film, which can still be regularly heard today. The "Waltz" from the "Masquerade Suite" was written in 1941 for a play with the same name created by Russian poet and playwright Mikhail Lermontov. Despite the play having a tragic theme, the waltz is particularly spirited.
Peck was a composer from Detroit, Mich., who was heavily influenced by the soul music being played in the city in the 1950s. A musician from a very early age, Peck graduated from the University of Michigan with a doctorate in composition in 1972. He went on to be a professor at prestigious universities, including the Eastman School of Music. In his later years, he left teaching to pursue his passion - advocating for an end to world hunger. "The Glory and the Grandeur" is one of his most well-known pieces and is a work of Americana. The percussion section is in the spotlight, as a trio of percussion soloists plays 110 individual percussion instruments.
Shostakovich was 19 when he began composing music. His career spanned a timeframe similar to the reign of Stalin, and artists of this era were severely punished, even executed, if their craft was perceived as going against the views and parameters set forth by the Communist Party. Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" received public criticism from Stalin, causing Shostakovich to fear his career, and even his life, would end. Shostakovich pressed on with composing, and about a year after the Stalin criticism, he debuted a new work, his Symphony No. 5. Reflecting a much more conservative approach than his previous works, the symphony met with approval. A turning point in Shostakovich's career, the premier of the Fifth Symphony reportedly had a standing ovation that lasted over 30 minutes.
To purchase tickets to the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra concert, readers may call the box office at 717-291-4420 or visit http://www.lancastersymphony.org.
Leave a Review