Randall L. Schieber
Even though the holiday season has passed, the winter season is still alive. Warm up this weekend with the Columbus Symphony performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony for the third annual Russian Winter Festival January 4 and 5 at the Ohio Theatre.
The performance will be conducted by the CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov and will be accompanied by excerpts of the 1997 documentary The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin, a film that shows the life of Shostakovich and his use of music to protest against Stalin’s regime.
About the Symphony
Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony is inspired by Nazi Germany’s siege on the city of Leningrad during World War II. The performance is a massive orchestral feat and portrays the grief and oppression the city felt, and eventually moves to movements of resistance and victory over the Nazis.
Even though the score was originally created as a dedication to the life of Vladimir Lenin – a Russian communist revolutionary, politician, and political theorist – the Leningrad Symphony is a crucial piece of music for the Russian people. The piece takes on a new meaning and is played in commemoration of the people who died in the Leningrad siege which resulted in at least one million casualties, with higher estimates ranging up to four million.
About the Festival
The Russian Winter Festival is a series of performances to honor composers and their music, as well as their historical significance in Russian culture. The Russian Winter Festival part two will feature the work of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, and is set for Jan 11 and 12.
At 7 p.m. before the performances, there will be a pre-concert discussion about the piece and the way it will be played. After the performance, there will be a vodka tasting in the pavilion. The performance is January 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased online at www.columbussymphony.com, in person at the CAPA ticket center located at 39 E. State St., or over the phone at 614-228-8600 or 800-745-3000.
