BSO — 2022/10/29

 The reviewer in the Globe characterized the pieces in this evening's concert as warhorses, which surprised me with regard to the Shostakovich. I'llpost the link in due course, but first let's see what we get from WCRB.

Saturday, October 29, 2022
8:00 PM

Pianist Mitsuko Uchida is the soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, and Andris Nelsons harnesses the full force of the BSO in Shostakovich’s powerful Symphony No. 5.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Mitsuko Uchida, piano

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

In a conversation with CRB's Brian McCreath, Mitsuko Uchida describes the exceptional qualities of collaborating with Andris Nelsons and the BSO, how her annual time at Vermont's Marlboro Festival informs her concerto performances, and what recording Beethoven's Diabelli Variations revealed to her about the composer. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Mitsuko Uchida, who has returned to Boston for Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor Concerto. Mitsuko, it's so

The conversation on audio is 21 minutes. I haven't listened or read it yet, but it should be interesting.

Now let's see what the BSO performance detail page has to offer.

Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida joins Andris Nelsons and the BSO for Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Emperor piano concerto. Criticism in the Soviet press of Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District put him in a precarious position with Soviet authorities. His response was the powerful and outwardly triumphant Fifth Symphony.

Detailed notes for each work are available via links on the overall page.

The Globe has a review which is very favorable about the performance, although the reviewer wishes they had chosen other pieces to take on tour. There are also some snippets of news at the end. The reviewer at  the Intelligencer was quite taken with the whole thing.

This concert was part of my subscription, but I had a meeting to attend on Thursday, so I'll be hearing it for the first time this evening — regrettably unable to be at Symphony Hall for it, since the Beethoven is one of my favorite pieces. After reading the reviews, I even want to hear the Shostakovich. Fortunately my brother has decided to postpone his weekly phone call until tomorrow, so I'll be able to hear it all.

I definitely recommend it, especially the Beethoven; and you might as well at least give the Shostakovich a try. Listen in via WCRB at 8:00 this evening, and don't forget the rebroadcast at 9:00 an Monday, November 7.