The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dima Slobodeniouk, plays Shostakovich's Seventh 'Leningrad' with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in Khachaturian's Piano Concerto.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is at Heinz Hall on Friday, January 29, 2027, for a program built around Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, the one known as Leningrad. Dima Slobodeniouk is conducting, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins in for the other half of the bill, Khachaturian's Piano Concerto.
If you've never heard the Leningrad symphony, it's a massive piece of music. It's a work of endurance and drama, a vivid narrative of orchestral power that reflects both the horrors and the hopes of its wartime creation. It's not a quick listen, and it's not a light one, so it's the kind of thing that really works when you hear it live in a hall like this rather than on a record.
That's balanced out by the Khachaturian, which takes the evening in a different direction. It's a rhythmically vibrant concerto that blends lush Romantic lyricism with melodies inspired by Armenian folk music. Between the two, you get a wide range of orchestral sound in one night—the heavy, dramatic weight of the Shostakovich and the more melodic, folk-inflected side of the Khachaturian.
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It's a full evening of music, and since the symphony is the main event, you'll want to give yourself plenty of time. The concert runs from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave, and tickets range from $32 to $119.
