For its next concert, l’Orchestre Métropolitain welcomes conductor Han-Na Chang to the podium for Beethoven’s famous Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. Formerly a solo cellist, Han-Na Chang has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester, in Norway, since 2017, where she previously served as Principal Guest Conductor from 2013 to 2017. She will share the stage with American soloist Benjamin Beilman, a violinist known throughout the world for his impressive technique and rich sound. Beilman will have the opportunity to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto several times as part of the festivities associated with the composer’s 250th birthday, notably in France, Hungary and Poland. Composed in a very short time, the Violin Concerto was premiered on December 23, 1806 by the then well-known violinist Franz Clement. Clement was even the author of the last theme used in the final rondo of the concerto, obviously refined by Beethoven afterwards. The program will conclude with a colossal piece: Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. First performed on December 17, 1953, only a few months after Stalin’s death, this picturesque work is one of the composer’s best known. He said at the time that his goal was to convey the emotions and passions of the people, at that time strongly oppressed by Stalin’s ruthless regime. In a more traditional four-movement form – in contrast to its five-movement predecessor – this symphony is on a par with Shostakovich’s great works: giant, poignant and virtuosic.
PROGRAM
Conductor : Han-Na Chang
Violin : Benjamin Beilman
Beethoven : Violin Concerto
Shostakovich : Symphony No. 10
