Music - Shostakovich Festival in Gohrisch with record results
The small community of Gohrisch in the Saxon Switzerland defended its reputation as a good address in the world of great music: For the 15th edition of the International Schostakowitsch Days, more than 3500 visitors came from near and far to the idyllically located place to honor the work of the composer Dmitri Shostakowich (1906-1975) and get acquainted with his role models and successors. Tobias Niederschlag, Artistic Director of the Festival, was very pleased with the reception and spoke about a record result on Sunday.
After the "Overture" of the State Orchestra of Dresden on Wednesday with Vitali Alekseenok conducting and a performance of Shostakowich's "Leningrad Symphony" at the Dresden Cultural Palace, the festival offered seven concerts and a film screening in Gohrisch from Thursday. Several stars of the music scene had arrived, including the violinist Gidon Kremer, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, pianist Martin Helmchen, and singer Matthias Goerne. The audience was not deterred by summer temperatures and crowded into the concert barn of Gohrisch in large numbers.
The finale on Sunday was no different. Already in the morning, there was a summit meeting of the composers who set the tone in Gohrisch this year - besides Shostakowich, Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) and the 1953-born Alexander Raskatov, who had even traveled to the Saxon Switzerland himself. After his "Bel canto" for Viola, String Orchestra, and Temple Gong, the Uraufführung of Mussorgsky's "Songs and Dances of Death" in a version for Bass, String Orchestra, and Percussion sounded. The Greek Alexandros Stavrakakis elicited jubilation from the audience with his voice and heartfelt interpretation.
In the second part, following Shostakowich's "Concertino op. 94" in a version for Piano and Chamber Orchestra by and with the pianist Julia Zilberquit, his music for the play "The Bug" by Vladimir Mayakovsky was performed. The magical comedy tells the story of a former revolutionary who has become a bourgeois. On his wedding day, a fire breaks out. The man freezes exactly like a bug in his clothing due to the ringing cold during the firefighting efforts and only revives decades later - as a relic of a society that has long since disappeared, he comes to a zoo. There was thunderous applause for that as well.
Shostakowich was a guest in Gohrisch twice - in a guest house of the GDR government. In the summer of 1960, he composed his 8th String Quartet here. It is considered one of the central chamber music works of the 20th century and, like his 10th Symphony, a personal reckoning with Stalin.
Shostakowich is one of the most famous composers of the 20th century. He left behind an extensive and diverse oeuvre with 15 symphonies, instrumental concertos, operas, film music, vocal works, piano and chamber music. His work remains an integral part of the worldwide concert scene to this day.
International Schostakowitsch Days Gohrisch
The music festival in Gohrisch, Saxony, celebrated its record-breaking 15th edition, attracting over 3500 visitors to honor Dmitri Shostakowich's music and legacy. The finale on Sunday featured performances by renowned musicians like Gidon Kremer and Matthias Goerne. The festival also showcased less known composers, such as Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Raskatov, who gathered in a summit meeting in Saxon Switzerland. Vladimir Mayakovsky's play "The Bug" was another highlight of the event, featuring Shostakowich's musical adaptation. Shostakowich himself was a guest in Gohrich twice and composed his 8th String Quartet there.
