An evening of elegance and double entendre: Saint-Saëns' brilliant "Egyptian" Piano Concerto and Shostakovich's seemingly cheerful Ninth Symphony combine musical sophistication and subversive wit. Beatrice Berrut at the piano and the Bergische Symphoniker under Sebastien Rouland invite you to a sonorous performance with lightness, depth - and hidden messages.
Shostakovich's 9th Symphony is light-footed and ironic. Saint-Saëns' 5th Piano Concerto flows along in a similarly carefree manner. But one should not be deceived by all the dance-like light-heartedness: Shostakovich's Ninth was also a political balancing act. The fact that the Soviet composer was able to hide his irony so well saved his life. One of his students sighed with relief: "Stalin was mocked, luckily Stalin didn't understand that!"
November 4, 2025
