New Symphony Orchestra

[Ballet music "The Golden Age" (1930)
　His early works were characterized by avant-garde music, influenced by innovative Western techniques and light music. Many operas and ballet music were written in the early years, and "The Golden Age" is one of them.
　In this story, a Soviet soccer team is invited to an industrial fair, "The Golden Age," in a capitalist country, where they interact with the local people. Music popular in the West at the time, such as foxtrot and tango, is used to represent the people of the West, while Soviet citizens are depicted using marching and singing music. Although there are strong propaganda elements, Shostakovich's humor is effective. This year's concert will feature a suite of four pieces: overture, adagio, polka, and dance.

Symphony No. 9 (1945)
　The Stalinist dictatorship advocated "socialist realism," and many of his works from the mid-1945 period were based on this concept. This is the last work of the war trilogy written during World War II, but unlike No. 7 and No. 8, it is short and chamber music-like. For this reason, it was criticized by the authorities, who expected a "Ninth" like Beethoven's celebrating victory.

[Symphony No. 12, "1917" (1961)
　With Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet Union began a period of "thawing. The violent repression was over, and freedom, albeit limited, was achieved. Shostakovich began composing symphonies for the first time in eight years, and the premieres of his Symphony No. 4 and other symphonies were finally realized.
　Symphony No. 12 is titled "1917," referring to the October Revolution of 1917, when the Soviet regime withdrew from World War I in March of the following year. Originally conceived as a symphony about Lenin, the outbreak of World War II put an end to the plan, and the work was composed to be presented at the Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union more than 20 years later. Although the work is sometimes regarded unfavorably as "a work written in pandering to the regime," Shostakovich is a solid performer.
　Although Shostakovich is often associated with politics and war, he once said, "Art is not always at the center. The center of art will always be man, his spiritual world, his ideas, ideals, and aspirations.
We hope you enjoy the show!