The life and work of Dmitri Shostakovich played out between the two extremes of being acclaimed and ostracised. The Soviet regime ruthlessly exploited his international reputation; at the same time, the composer always had to face harassment and arrest – because his music ironically and subversively undermined the given norms and expectations. Julian Barnes described the composer’s life situation in his novel The Noise of Time. With Max Simonischek as its speaker, the Philharmonic Salon takes the novel as the starting point for a depiction of the atmosphere and times of the Stalin era.

Max Simonischek speaker

Cordelia Höfer piano (23.10. only)

Vita Kan piano (16.10. only)

Götz Teutsch presentation, programme supervision

Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker

Johanna Pichlmair violin

Simon Roturier violin

Micha Afkham viola

Valentin Radutiu cello