EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934)
Serenade in E minor for String Orchestra, Op. 20 (1892)
Program notes Video

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (1960)
(String quartet No. 8, arranged by R. Barshai)
Program notes Video

ANTONIN DVORAK (1841-1904)
Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 22 (1875)
Program notes Video II III IV V

The emotional high point of this program falls on the Shostakovich masterpiece. Dark, tragic, it never fails to reach every listener in the hall. Bach's Contrapunctus immediately follows the Shostakovich, to help both performers and listeners make the transition to the rest of the program, and Dvorak's sunny, careless Serenade restores inner comfort for everyone.