Soltani plays Elgar's Cello Concerto, Järvi conducts Shostakovich' Symphony No. 5

Kian Soltani plays Elgar's Cello Concerto

“His cello sound has the softness and richness of caramel, and he plays with an easy warmth, the orchestra surrounding him like the halo of a candle flame,” said The Washington Post of Kian Soltani's playing. The cellist is rapidly conquering the big stages tonight with Elgar's Cello Concerto. When Elgar finished the concerto, he informed friends that he had written a great work that was good and lively. This beloved piece would become his last major opus.

Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony

After negative comments from Stalin, Shostakovich postponed the publication of his Fourth Symphony and composed his Fifth in 1937. One reviewer called the work 'a Soviet artist's answer to justified criticism'. Shostakovich just left it that way. Elgar's Cello Concerto, his last major composition, also had a difficult start. The work flopped at its premiere in 1919 and was not included in the major cello repertoire until the 1960s. Paavo Järvi leads his Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in both works.