The Last Concerto

The Seattle Symphony presents three intricate string concertos in a special evening celebrating the violin. Featuring music from both Bartok (Miraculous Mandarin Suite) and Brahms (Symphony No. 1), the main event is Dmitri Shostakovich's last concerto, depicting a broken man finally finding and living in peace, performed by Alina Ibragimova.

Shostakovich

Born in 1906, Shostakovich was one of the greatest 20th-century composers. Not one to stick to only one particular style, Shostakovich created his own hybrid voice, combining a range of different musical techniques like vaudeville, jazz, music-hall to create his unique voice. Working during Soviet rule Shostakovich experienced the good and bad side of the regime, beginning his career as the glittering golden boy of Soviet Russia, Shostakovich's reputation was called into question under Stalin's "Thought Police". Not complying with Stalin's rules on music, Shostakovich often found himself on the wrong side of the government, a battle that was continuously fought until his death in 1975.