Moderato
4th Chamber Concert / Dmitri Shostakovich: Sonata for viola and piano op. 147 / Paul Juon: Trio Miniatures / Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 in C minor op. 110
Alter Saal
Dmitri Shostakovich suffered from lung cancer, his legs and hands were paralysed, turning the last years of his life into an ordeal. Though composing is almost impossible for him under these circumstances, in a very short period of time, he writes his sonata for viola and piano, which would become his musical testament.
Due to his numerous chamber music works Moscow composer Paul Juon was known as »Russian Brahms« to music critics of his time. He liked to experiment with neo-classical techniques à la Stravinsky. His trio miniatures, however, still belong to the late Romantic period.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s eighth quartet for string instruments contains the dedication: »In memory of the victims of fascism and war«. It is often considered to be the result of his impressions of a destroyed Dresden in 1960. However, we know that his work had a personal background. Just before making this journey, Shostakovich succumbed to pressure and joined the CPSU which he considered to be a moral defeat. In light of these events, he composed a very tragic work, which he considered to be his requiem. He underlined the autobiographical character by using the notes D - E-flat - C - B natural, standing for his initials in German transliteration.