Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 by Strauss, Shostakovich, De (2023/2023), Regente Alpesh Chauhan, City Halls, Glasgow, Reino Unido

Riveting. Enthralling. Defiant. It’s impossible to separate Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony from its context. Written in response to criticism by Stalin’s regime, his artistic reputation – and possibly his life – hung on its success. It’s always a riveting, enthralling experience and our Associate Conductor Alpesh Chauhan is sure to draw out its black humour as well as its profoundly moving qualities. Before then, Pablo Ferrández, making his second appearance this season, takes us to sunnier climes, bringing some Iberian authenticity to his portrayal of Cervantes’s great literary hero. And with our very own Scott Dickinson as his Sancho Panza, Richard Strauss’s light-hearted adaptation is sure to be a knockout – bleating sheep, creaking windmills, flying sequences and all! This concerts ends at approximately 9:25pm.