Soundscapes

Dmitri Shostokovich enemy of the people so said the newspaper Pravda, giving us an inkling of the mortal danger in which Shostakovich lived on a daily basis, during the dark totalitarian years. The eighth symphony from 1943, tells of yearning, oppression, fear, inhumanity, desolation, and hope for the future. A mighty work which speaks on an intellectual and emotional level of Shostakovich’s courage.

Chandos Symphony Orchestra welcomes back Anne-Marie Owens following her acclaimed performance in Verdi’s Requiem. Anne-Marie is one of Britain’s leading mezzo-sopranos and has performed for many of the world’s great opera companies. A touch of Eastern promise comes to Malvern as she sings Schéhérazade, Ravel’s song-cycle based on the Klingsor poems, and named for Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The music heady with glamour and sensuality, whirls us through an incredible phantasmagoria. - Observer.