‘Orchestra dell´Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’

It is always a delight to hear Antonio Pappano direct the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The illustrious conductor and the Roman ensemble combine their talent in a poignant and heartfelt tribute to Russian symphonic music. They combine the overwhelming beauty of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony and the dark lyricism of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. Although composed half a century apart, these musical scores share a common intensity: one, inspired by the melancholy of existential despair; the other by the yoke of despotism. Violinist Julia Fischer lends her gifted playing to the mournful polyphony and ironic strains of Shostakovich’s masterpiece.