Shostakovich & Rachmaninoff

The Oregon Symphony takes the stage at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Thursday, January 7, at 7:30 PM. The evening is part of the orchestra's Classical Series C, and it's built around two heavyweights of the Russian tradition: Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff. Conducting the program is Shiyeon Sung, with pianist Marc-André Hamelin joining in for the concerto.

The program opens with Kafka's Dream by South Korean composer Donghoon Shin, a work inspired by a surreal story by Jorge Luis Borges. From there, the evening moves into the big names. Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is the one with the piano, and that's where Hamelin comes in. It's a virtuoso piece that takes a theme from Paganini and runs with it, and Hamelin is a pianist known for handling exactly that kind of technical ground.

The second half is Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905. It's a musical portrayal of the 1905 Russian Revolution, and it's a heavy, cinematic work that doesn't hold back on the strife of the period. Pairing that with the Rhapsody puts the two sides of the Russian tradition in the same room: the high-wire virtuosity of Rachmaninoff and the historical weight of Shostakovich. The program is listed as Shostakovich & Rachmaninoff, and those two carry the bulk of the night.

It's a full orchestral program, so it's a big sound for a single evening. The concert is at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland, starting at 7:30 PM on Thursday, January 7.