HCMC – Stephane Tran Ngoc plays Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1

Wed 09 May 2018, 8 pm
HCMC Opera House

From the organizer:

HBSO is proud to present an interesting classical concert on 9th May. It consists of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, and features the highly praised violin soloist Stephane Tran Ngoc. The concert will take place under the baton of HBSO’s music director Tran Vuong Thach.

Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 consists of four movements, which is more like a symphony because a concerto typically has only three movements. This four-movement structure may indicate the importance that Shostakovich gave to this work.

The first movement is a laid-back Nocturne, or piece of night music. Next comes a wild and frenetic Scherzo which will be played very fast. Next follows a Passacaglia, a part that’s something between a street-song and a court dance, played with a serious attitude, which is often considered by commentators as the heart of this concerto. It’s followed by a jokey movement, the Burlesque.

All in all, Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is a major contribution to the world violin repertoire. The composer wrote a second concerto for the violin, but it is often considered inferior to the first.

When Stephane Tran Ngoc was last seen performing in Saigon in July 2017, he astonished his audience with not one but two encores, the first a deeply introspective piece by J.S. Bach, and the second a manically extrovert piece by Paganini, written to show just how technically brilliant a violinist can be. Stephane Tran Ngoc certainly demonstrated his own brilliant technique in his extraordinary performance.

Stéphane Tran Ngoc performs Paganini’s Caprices in July 2017 in HCM City:

Before the interval we will hear Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. Instead of being complex and introspective, Elgar’s composition is serene and lyrical, typical of much English music before the outbreak of the First World War. It was written in three movements and first premiered in 1896.

The contrast between these two works will make the concert strangely satisfying.

Tickets

Ticket prices: 650,000 and 500,000 VND, to 200,000 VND, and 80,000 VND (students only). Discounts are available when buying tickets for three or more concerts.
Booking and delivery: 028 38237419, Ms. Ngoc: 0903604539
At HCMC Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square
Online Booking: www.ticketbox.vn