Prom 68: Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, P. I., Shostakovich, Fra (2017/2017), Dirigent Valery Gergiev, Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

Who better than Russia’s foremost opera orchestra and chorus to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution? Along with Artistic Director Valery Gergiev they perform Prokofiev’s epic Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution – a work that captures the violence of the Bolshevik Revolution and the birth of the Soviet Union in bold orchestral textures and rich, folk-infused choral writing. The cruelty of the Stalinist regime is captured in Shostakovich’s evocative Fifth Symphony, and regular collaborator Denis Matsuev joins the orchestra as soloist in Tchaikovsky’s final work – the single-movement Piano Concerto No. 3.