777th Tokyo Subscription Concert [Sat]

Junichi Hirokami unravels the mystery of Shostakovich's final years: Symphony No. 15

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 15, left behind in the final years of his life as a "fighting composer," remains shrouded in mystery. Citing Rossini and Wagner, the piece unfolds with eccentricity, irony, and elegy, while lurking beneath it all is the anger and resignation of a great composer at the mercy of his country. The first half of the concert will feature "Never Give Up," a Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Fazil Say, a gifted pianist and composer born in modern Turkey. It shares with Shostakovich the challenge to absurdity combined with oriental song. Camille Thomas, who premiered the work, will appear as soloist.

Pre-talk "Today's highlights" 13:20　

S seat ¥9,500 A seat ¥8,000 B seat ¥7,000 C seat ¥6,000 P seat ¥5,000 Ys seat ¥2,500

Ys seats: Seats for people under 25 years old. You can choose from any seat except S seats.

Towards the 777th Tokyo Subscription Concert

Listener: Yudai Yamano

At your Tokyo regular concert in January, you will enjoy Symphony No. 15 (composed in 1971), a masterpiece written in the final years of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), one of Russia's leading composers of the 20th century. It is an easy-to-listen-to piece, yet mysterious and enigmatic...it is like a toy box, yet when you peer into it, you can see the depths of its depths; it is a very fascinating piece.

Now that I'm approaching 70, I find myself empathizing with this piece all over again. The first movement of this piece contains a quotation from Rossini's William Tell Overture.

According to Shostakovich's son, this quotation was "the first melody that his father fell in love with as a child," and it evokes an image of a small soldier doll marching while blowing a trumpet in a toy store...it brings back fantasies from the composer's childhood.

Shostakovich, who wrote so many magnificent works and endured the pain of having his life put in danger so many times, wrote this symphony at the end of his life. There is a certain sense of emptiness and resignation here. It feels like he is showing his body as a skeleton with this piece.

──Now that you mention it, the ending of the final movement does sound a bit like the Dance of Death.

The piece ends quietly with a percussion ensemble... The rhythm of the snare drum that resonates there is almost like something out of "Mission: Impossible" (laughs), but it's profound. It also poses the question, "Even though the world has become so much more convenient than it was in the past, why aren't humans happier?"

──This quiet yet frightening ending seems to represent a resignation to life that cannot resist the passage of time.

That's exactly it.

This is a masterpiece symphony that fully demonstrates the breadth of orchestral expression, from the depth of its powerful sound to the beauty of chamber music.It also quotes from Rossini, Wagner, and your own past works, and features a motif that turns initials into sounds...The music, with its mysteries leading to more mysteries, also stimulates the listener's imagination.

Looking back on my life, sometimes unexpected things lead to good results, and sometimes the opposite. I too have to think about the end of my life, and as a musician, I feel regret. I think, "I could have done more," or, conversely, "No, that's not true. I pushed myself to get this far," and these two feelings intertwine. I feel that this "resignation" and "nostalgia" overlap and apply to this song.

In the first half of the concert, we will hear the cello concerto "Never Give Up" (2017) by the Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say (1970-). This work was world premiered by the Paris-born cellist Camille Thomas, who will also be performing as soloist this time.

Toma is a wonderful cellist. She really wanted me to play this piece, so I agreed. Sai is incredibly talented. He has perfect piano technique and is a great composer. He is a wonderful musician, calm yet intense, able to perceive the details while also seeing the big picture.

This "Never Give Up" is a work that focuses on the tragic terrorist attacks that occurred in Europe and Turkey. The concerto, which ends with a "Song of Hope" after an elegy, echoes the "cry for freedom and peace" contained in the title. I think that by combining it with Shostakovich's work, the two pieces will share a deeper meaning.

And, on a more personal note, our member, Nakazato Kunihiro (trumpet), will be retiring after this concert. He was a year ahead of me at university, and he played under my direction when I conducted the Japan Philharmonic in the competition [now the Tokyo International Conductors Competition]. It's quite an achievement that he has continued to play for over 40 years since then. So, I feel truly honored that he has said to me, "I'll make your regular concert my final performance."

[Same-day ticket information]
■Saturday, January 17th, performance begins at 2pm at Suntory Hall. Tickets for the 777th regular concert will go on sale from 1pm for S, A, B and Ys seats.

Live & Archive Streaming

This performance will be streamed live and archived.

https://members.tvuch.com/member/classic/357/

Distribution date and time: Saturday, January 17th, 14:00~
Price: 1000 yen (available for 3 months from purchase)
Period: Until July 16rd
*Fazil Say: Cello Concerto "Never Give Up" will be streamed live only