In this concert the NNO is joined by the North Netherlands Concert Choir. Such a line-up allows for completely different sound worlds. In Brahms’ Nänie, a farewell piece, the effect is tender and consoling despite the sombre text about the transience of all things.

Shostakovich used a choir in his Second Symphony with a very different effect: here it serves to mobilise an entire people. It is energetic, driving music by a 21-year-old composer who was experimenting intensely. Yet you can already hear Shostakovich’s characteristic orchestral palette full of sharp colours: biting brass, rattling percussion and even a siren.

After such a work, Brahms’ Third Symphony (without choir) feels like a warm bath. It was composed during a summer holiday in Wiesbaden and unfolds like a lush, sunlit landscape. This is Brahms at the height of his career.

Program

J. Brahms
Nänie, Op. 82
D. Shostakovich
Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 “October Revolution”
J. Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90