Rebellious Russians – Music by Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Borodin

Resonance Ensemble and conductor Tony Ryan have come up with another unique and surprising programme for their final concert of 2024. The music in this concert demonstrates various ‘rebellious’ sides of the three composers, all of whom lived through some of Russia’s most turbulent history.

The two main works on the November programme are both by Dmitri Shostakovich, supplemented by some rather quirky miniatures by Igor Stravinsky and a relative rarity by Alexander Borodin.

Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, written in 1957 as a nineteenth birthday present for his son Maxim, is one of the composer’s most cheerful, delightful and melodic works. Young Christchurch pianist Gabriel Baird joins the orchestra for this hugely enjoyable piece.

Another Shostakovich work from the 1950s, his wonderfully uplifting Jazz Suite No. 2, is another special feature of this concert. If the Jazz Suite’s marches, waltzes and dances don’t fully conform to our accepted idea of jazz, they are sheer joy from start to finish. Some of the movements have become well-known through their use in films and TV, and every piece will have your toes tapping and your heart pumping.

Stravinsky’s quirky and amusing suites for orchestra date from the early 1920s. The four short movements that comprise Suite No. 2 are full of humour, imagination and flair, with infectious rhythmic drive and the composer’s characteristic instinct for dramatic timing.

Although not frequently played these days, Borodin’s orchestral tone poem In the Steppes of Central Asia is wonderfully atmospheric. The music combines a characteristically Russian theme with an Oriental-style melody depicting the varied Western and Asian parts of this vast country.

Once again, Resonance Ensemble has devised another uniquely imaginative and innovative programme, full of appeal, to end their 2024 season.

Programme notes by conductor, Tony Ryan