Wiener Philharmoniker / Shani

Three symphonists, three very different responses to tradition: in his »Symphonie classique« with a wink at the Viennese Classical period. Light-footed, incisive and full of wit, he crafts music that, in his imagination, Haydn might have written in the 20th century.

Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2
Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 also reveals an unusually light-hearted side to the composer. Written for his son Maxim on his 19th birthday, it demands breathtaking runs across the keyboard from the soloist in the third movement. This is preceded by a slow movement of simple, almost ethereal lyricism.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, by contrast, begins in the shadows: a clarinet motif opens the symphony and recurs throughout the work, transformed and seen in a new light. Even the hopeful horn theme of the second movement and the elegant waltz of the third movement can only temporarily relieve the tension, before the work finds great orchestral resolve in the finale.

Lahav Shani conducts the Vienna Philharmonic and also performs the solo part in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto.