Shostakovich and the influences of Jewish music

This year's International Shostakovich Days in Gohrisch (Saxon Switzerland) (June 25 to 28) are dedicated to the influence of Jewish music in the composer's work. The festival is part of the "Year of Jewish Culture" proclaimed by the Free State of Saxony, which aims to make Jewish life and its history accessible to a broad public.

"Dmitri Shostakovich repeatedly referred to the importance of Jewish culture for his own work. This year, we are tracing these connections by juxtaposing him with works by Jewish contemporaries and later generations, as well as classics such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy," said Tobias Niederschlag, Artistic Director of the festival, at the presentation of the program in Dresden.

New discovery: Belarusian composer Lev Abeliovich

With the Belarusian composer Lev Abeliovich, the festival would like to present a new discovery whose works are completely unknown in Germany, explained Niederschlag. Abeliovich (1912-1985) studied in Warsaw and fled to Moscow via Minsk with his fellow student Mieczysław Weinberg in 1939 after the German invasion of Poland. There he was inspired by Shostakovich and the violinist David Oistrakh.

Renowned performers as guests at the festival

The festival's program includes the names of renowned performers. Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica will perform works by Shostakovich at the opening. The string quartet Quatuor Danel will also be performing together with pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, who worked with Shostakovich and is now receiving the festival prize named after him in Gohrisch. Violinist Vadim Gluzman will be the soloist at a matinee performance by the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Ingo Metzmacher.

Staatskapelle Dresden performs on the eve of the festival

The Staatskapelle Dresden will perform a special concert at the Dresden Kulturpalast on June 24 on the eve of the Shostakovich Festival. Philippe Jordan will then conduct a performance of the 2nd Violin Concerto with soloist Isabelle Faust and the 10th Symphony, which Shostakovich composed in 1953 as a musical reckoning with the Stalin regime. After the opening concert, eight events are planned in Gohrisch.

Shostakovich (1906-1975) is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He left behind a diverse oeuvre with 15 symphonies, instrumental concertos, operas, film music, vocal works and chamber music. His works are an integral part of the worldwide concert scene. He stayed twice in Gohrisch, where there was a guest house run by the GDR government. In 1960, he composed his 8th string quartet here - a very personal work in which he expressed his suffering under the Soviet regime. Since 2010, the Shostakovich Days Gohrisch have been held in cooperation with the Staatskapelle Dresden.