Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gave a “blistering, multi-hued” performance of Shostakovich’s epic 7th Symphony in C Major, Op. 6 “Leningrad” at London’s Southbank Centre’s Multitudes Festival. The symphony was illustrated with imagery by Russian art/film director Kirill Serebrennikov and video artist Ilya Shagalov. The programme also featured Kurt Weill’s Four Walt Whitman Songs with Roderick Williams and Sibelius’s Finlandia, Op. 26.
In his 5 star review for The Guardian, Clive Paget writes: “Conductor Vasily Petrenko proved a master of dramatic contrasts, from the opening rasp of low brass to the composer’s final proclamation of nationhood. …
“As for the symphony, Serebrennikov and Shagalov allowed Petrenko’s blistering, multi-hued interpretation of Shostakovich’s cinematic masterpiece to command centre stage. Their absorbing but never over-fussy illustrations offered extra-cerebral stimulation with evocative and occasionally provocative imagery playing out on three giant screens.
Shostakovich’s four movements were visualised as a series of discrete yet interconnected narratives, broadening the storyline from Soviet resilience in the face of the destruction of Leningrad. …
“The opening Allegretto channelled the Icarus myth, the on-screen action going cheek-by-jowl with Petrenko’s masterly build of Shostakovich’s battle theme. In contrast, the light-footed second movement was accompanied by dancing cells and synapses. A poignant, post-apocalyptic Adagio led into an intense, emotional finale where Technicolor flowers blossomed as vividly as Shostakovich’s music. Petrenko, visibly moved at the end, never put a foot wrong.”
Image: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
