symphony concert01

Spartacus is not just the hero of all the downtrodden and oppressed, nor the main character of a number of sword-and-sandal movies. The slave and gladiator – who, with his uprising, put a severe strain on the Roman Empire – also conquered the world’s stages as protagonist of an evening of ballet. The Armenian composer Aram Chatschaturjan traces the life and suffering of his hero Spartacus, as well as happy moments of love. There’s no doubt that the composer – behind the facade of history – also intended to inspire us to fight for humaneness and personal ideals in the present. Sergej Prokofjew was frequently called upon in the course of his life to give up his ideals; in his 7th Symphony, composed one year before his death, he returned to them once again, creating a symphony filled with youthful recollections and melancholy. In his 1st Piano Concerto, Schostakowitsch breathes down the neck of the piano soloist with the secret main protagonist of this programme – the trumpet plays a mischievous game in Schostakowitsch’s concerto, which is rich in allusions. The pianist Yeol Eum Son, who has won many prizes, will take on the piano part, while Simon de Klein – principal trumpeter of the Gürzenich Orchestra – will stand up to her joyfully.