| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 13-Jan-2013 Sage: Hall Two | Russians in miniature at The Sage Gateshead |
Like much of Shostakovich’s work, his popular Piano Quintet, Op. 57 (1940) is full of ambiguity and contradiction. It was written at the request of his friends in the Beethoven Quartet, who had so enjoyed his first string quartet that they asked him to write something new that they could play with him – but this private piece of chamber music was a huge public success. The composer who had enraged Stalin just a few years earlier was awarded a huge prize for his quintet, and it was hailed as his best work.Read full review... | |