Natalia Lomeiko Photo: Sacha Gusov
This Second Violin Concerto is a late work from the stormy sixties, written when Shostakovich was 60 and written for a birthday, the great Soviet violinist David Oistrakh’s 60th, although Shostakovich was a bit premature with that – he was a year early!
But anniversary celebrations couldn’t be further from the quite troubled sound-world of this work. This is Shostakovich, post-heart attack and as with several of his late works, there is an obsession with his own mortality; spare, stark textures, startling outbursts and a dark, introspective tone, especially in the central Adagio.
It’s one of the composer’s most complex and unpredictable pieces, but he created for his friend David Oistrakh, a wonderful expressive solo line, described as being a bit like the song of a pilgrim wandering through a strange land.
Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 15 April 2021
Producer: Tim Dodd
Engineer: Adrian Hollay
