Oslo Philharmonic/ Vasily Petrenko ****
Prom 60, Royal Albert Hall, 29th August 2017
There could hardly be a noisier way to commemorate the centenary of the Russian Revolution than a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s mighty Twelfth Symphony. The composer had planned to write a work celebrating Lenin for decades, yet prevaricated until 1961, a year after joining the Communist Party. Subtitled The Year 1917, it’s not exactly a subtle opus, being loud, overblown and symphonically weak. Yet given a performance of decibel-busting magnitude such as it received here from the Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko, it still makes a great impression. Even if it does threaten to burst your eardrums.
Vasily Petrenko conducts the Oslo Philharmonic
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
Read the full review on Bachtrack.