Festival Themadag Screams of Despair
Screams of Despair is a series of three concerts in which you will be confronted with the profound desperation of two of Russia’s greatest 20th-century composers. Dmitri Shostakovich felt threatened by the fierce and arbitrary whims of the Soviet authorities all his life; Galina Ustvolskaya tried to escape not only the ruling powers, but also the never-ending vale of tears that was life. It may sound cynical, but the suffering of these two composers produced music of pure genius, that spans the entire spectrum of anger: from powerless whispers to frenzied raging.
Co-production 30CC
Concert 1
In this solo recital, Festival artist in residence Brecht Valckenaers will take several of Shostakovich’s preludes and fugues, letting them clash with piano music by Ustvolskaya. Shostakovich was primarily inspired by Bach’s lyricism and intricate counterpoint, while Ustvolskaya treats the piano mainly as a percussion instrument.
Concert 2
This concert with music by Ustvolskaya and Shostakovich marks a new step from the New European Ensemble in its ongoing quest to dust off half-forgotten masterpieces. Singers Stotijn and Faveyts are certain to literally and figuratively plumb the depths.
Concert 3
The day’s final concert gets off to a carefree and bouncy start: Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra provides a wonderful feast of manual dexterity and heavenly spun-out melodies, with former winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, Lukáš Vondráček, at the piano. In the following piece, his Fifteenth Symphony, clouds darken the sky. It’s an absolutely matchless work, and it’s in the best possible hands with the Brussels Philharmonic and conductor Kazushi Ono.