Exactly fifty years after his death, Dmitri Shostakovich is remembered as the voice of conscience for the Soviet people. Despite the ever-present pressure of political oversight, he succeeded in composing dozens of universally acclaimed masterpieces. Among them is his eighth string quartet – a mournful meditation on despair and destruction, written in memory of the bombed city of Dresden. Conductor Rudolf Barshai later created an orchestral arrangement of the work, which Shostakovich himself praised as being even better than the original.
Shostakovich’s final composition was a sonata for viola and piano – a deeply personal testament from an artist fully aware of his own fate. Beneath its surface lies the beating heart of an optimist. A contemporary critic described it as a moment of clarity amid tragedy, a quiet retreat towards immortality. In the Hupisaaret concert we will hear a version for viola and string orchestra. The recent orchestral work of Oulu-born composer Lauri Marjakangas also circles around the eternal questions of life and existence.
Nils Mönkemeyer, viola and lead
Oulu Sinfonia
PROGRAMME
Dmitri Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a
arr. Rudolf Barshai
Largo
Allegro molto
Allegretto
Largo
Largo
Lauri Marjakangas: Death Circles Around (2025)
I.
INTERMISSION
Dmitri Shostakovich: Sonata for Viola and String Orchestra, Op. 147
arr. Vladimir Mendelssohn
Moderato
Allegretto
Adagio
Unlike other festival concerts, tickets are also available at the Oulu Music Centre.
More information about venue accessibility is available on this page.
In co-operation with: Oulu Sinfonia
