Marin Alsop
Vivi Vassileva
Ung Filharmoni Samuel Barber
Sauli Zinovjev
Dmitri Shostakovich

What happens when music cannot say what it wants to? When notes must carry a double message, when rhythms weave together the spiritual and the aggressive, and when lyrical lines conceal unrest beneath the surface? In this concert, we encounter three composers who wrote in the shadow of something greater, whether it was a world war, their own regime, or something as simple as the role of a musical instrument in people's lives.

Barber: Essay No. 2

Samuel Barber (1910–1981) was an American composer, particularly known for his lyrical yet dramatic style. Essay No. 2 was written in 1942 and is a short work for orchestra. The title describes the work's purpose: it was meant to be a piece with precise, well-formulated musical ideas, much like a well-written essay.

The work was composed shortly after the United States entered the Second World War, and not long after the premiere, Barber himself was called up for military service. Although it is an abstract work without an intended programme, the music carries undertones that may evoke associations with war and unrest.

Zinovjev: A Savage Beat

Sauli Zinovjev (b. 1988) is a Finnish composer known for writing music that is exciting, surprising and deeply emotional. This concert marks the Norwegian premiere of his percussion concerto A Savage Beat.

Percussion instruments are often used to give music energy, direction and special sonic effects. Zinovjev is keen to show that this instrument family has traditionally held another, highly significant role. In many cultures, percussion carries a strong spiritual and cultural meaning dating far back in time.

A Savage Beat grew out of the role percussion instruments play in rituals still practised by many Indigenous peoples around the world. This is expressed both through the rhythmic elements of the piece and through its recurring harmonies.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) used his compositions as a platform to express his views. This at times put him at odds with the Stalin regime. Any art that could be interpreted as criticism of the regime posed a risk to the artist's life and career. This is something artists in many parts of the world must still take into account today.

Symphony No. 5 carries a double meaning: it possesses the qualities in a work that Stalin admired, yet Shostakovich himself is said to have remarked that much of its expression was a satirical portrait of the dictator. This is evident in the triumphant fanfare at the end of the symphony, which can be interpreted either with genuine sincerity or with irony.