A performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 by the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied by William Kentridge's animated film 'Oh To Believe in Another World'.
The 60th edition of the Brighton Festival is bringing a fairly unique collaboration to the Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Sunday, 17 May 2026. The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Joanna MacGregor, will be performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, but the music is only one part of the evening. The performance is designed to sync with a film by the artist William Kentridge called Oh To Believe in Another World. It’s an animated piece that uses a distinct visual style—think collages, puppets, and actors in masks—to create the atmosphere of an abandoned Soviet museum. Kentridge himself will be on stage to introduce the work, which explores the composer’s life under the shadows of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.
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The project looks at the tension between artistic expression and political power, using the historical backdrop of the Soviet Union to prompt thoughts on current global issues. By using puppets and layered collages, the film tries to reconstruct a specific era of history that shaped Shostakovich’s music. For those who regularly attend the Philharmonic’s concerts at the Dome, this might feel a bit different from their usual repertoire because of how much the visual narrative dictates the pace. It’s a chance to see how a major piece of 20th-century music interacts with contemporary filmmaking and stage design in a way that’s quite specific to Kentridge’s aesthetic.
In terms of getting a seat, the event starts at 20:00 and tickets are priced from £17.50. The festival has already opened up sales for members as of 19 February 2026, while everyone else can book from 26 February 2026. Given that this is part of the festival’s 60th-anniversary line-up, it’s one of the more complex productions scheduled for the Brighton Dome this spring. It seems well-suited if you’re interested in how history and politics are interpreted through art, or if you just want to see the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra take on a programme that moves beyond a traditional concert format.
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