Tonight's concert was wonderfully varied and was headlined by the sensational Martha Argerich playing Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1. I have to admit that I didn't care for the work, it's a showcase for all the weird tonalities and dissonances that characterize the composer a bit too much. IOW, too Shostakovich-y for me. But the ageless Argerich (83 years young) displayed incredible dexterity in performing the work as well as she did.
The night opened with the delightful "Overture on Hebrew Themes" by Prokofiev, but the highlight for me was Bruch's "Kol Nidre" arranged for cello and orchestra. Although it was exclusively associated with Yom Kippur for me as a child (through performances at synagogue -- permitted in Reform traditions), tonight's performance proves that the piece is magnificent enough to transcend all religious and cultural boundaries. Bruch and Prokofiev, both non-Jews, captured a Jewish cultural essence through simple admiration for Jews and Jewish themes. Such empathetic practices seem nearly impossible in today's climate. Shostakovich also composed many Jewish themed pieces, during times in Soviet Russia when it was politically risky to do so.
In addition, the music was a creative bit of programming that broke from the rut of featuring the same standard composers and repertoire far too often, a clear weakness of IPO schedules of recent years.
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