St Albans Symphony Orchestra: Shostakovich and Arnold

St Albans Symphony Orchestra

Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1
Shostakovich: Symphony No.5
Arnold: Peterloo Overture

Conductor: Tom Hammond
Soloist: Matthew Sharp, cello

Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto is widely considered to be his finest concerto because of the way it combines powerful musical ideas with extraordinary virtuoso writing for the soloist. We are delighted to be joined by Matthew Sharp, internationally recognised as a compelling classical artist.

The premiere of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, written at the height of the Stalinist purges in 1937, was a huge success and received an ovation that lasted well over half an hour. The work’s popularity grew rapidly and today it remains his best-known symphony.