Repertoire

Dmitri Shostakovich: Trio n. 1 in C major, op. 8 (1924) 13′
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G G, Op. 57 (1940) 35′

ARTISTS

Raúl García and Sarah Bels, violin
David Derrico, viola
Jose Mor, cello
Lluís Rodríguez Salvá, piano

Programme

The maestros of the OBC join forces to present two works by Dmitri Shostakovich that put the teenage student and the renowned composer into a faceoff.

Shostakovich wrote the Trio in C minor, Op. 8 in the summer of 1923 under the influence of a great youthful infatuation. Originally entitled Poem, the trio is a hymn to love. Its post-Romantic style already foreshadows some of the characteristics of its composer’s unique language: lyrical melodies coloured by harsh harmonies, sudden contrasts of character, insistence on repeated rhythms and restrained textures, and a strong emphasis on the use of the most important elements of the composer’s own language.

In turn, the 1940 Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 was an immediate public and critical success and, today, is still one of the composer’s most performed chamber works. The quintet is devoid of the tension, satire, and anguish typical of Shostakovich’s work and is characterised by its seductive charm, vitality, and highly infectious melodies.