The National Youth Orchestra (NJO), with star violinist Liza Ferschtman, presents a grand and compelling program in which hope and melancholy converge. The concert opens with *Russian Funeral*, a short piece for brass instruments written by Britten in 1936 in response to the rising fascism in Europe. The work is rarely performed, yet remains relevant—or perhaps has become relevant again.

Liza Ferschtman performs as soloist in Shostakovich’s expressive and passionate Violin Concerto, featuring unprecedentedly virtuosic passages and an impressive solo cadenza. Under the direction of conductor Christoph Altstaedt, the NJO—composed of the country’s best conservatory students—also performs Prokofiev’s euphoric Symphony No. 5. Prokofiev opens his ‘war symphony’ on a small and hopeful note, only to conclude with excitement and gaiety via a darker middle section.

Program

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Russian Funeral

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A major, Op. 77

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 100