The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall

Performers:

Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio

Vladimir Fedoseyev, conductor

Vadim Repin, violin

The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio performs the work of two great Russian composers.

Tchaikovsky's only violin concerto was rejected by not one, but two of the originally intended performers, both pronouncing the fiendish solo part as too difficult and 'unviolinistic'.

Critical response to the work was harsh, with one writer stating, 'The violin is no longer played, but torn apart, pounded black and blue... '.

Vadim Repin tackles what has now become one of the most beloved violin concertos of all time.

Written in the heat of war, Shostakovich's eighth symphony is a profoundly moving contemplation on human suffering.

All of his signature traits are there – the tense build-ups, the furious marches, masterful counterpoint and sharply parodic scherzos – but they are given a thrilling new intensity and a wider poetic range than ever before.

The most dramatic statement, however, is saved for the finale where, rather than striking a triumphant note, Shostakovich gestures instead towards a sense of peace, poignant in its transcendence over all that has come before.

As he put it: 'Life is beautiful. All that is dark will disappear. All that is beautiful will triumph.'

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