Salon Libeer

Camille Thomas plays Prokofiev and Shostakovich

Lecture & Discussion

chamber music

Sat 01 Dec 2018 -20.00

start	20.00
expected end time	21.33

All prices include booking fees.

Julien Libeer investigates the difficult circumstances in which these works were created

Throughout their lives, Russian composers Shostakovich and Prokofiev both had to walk a tricky tightrope between their artistic freedom and the authoritarian Russian regime. Shostakovich became expert at writing music in which the watchdogs wouldn’t recognise the darker and sometimes bitter undertone. Completely exhausted by the constant threat and by constantly being called to account, Prokofiev even stopped composing. It was the young Mstislav Rostropovich who inspired him to compose his brilliant Cello Sonata. Material enough for a compelling conversation with the expert on the subject, Francis Maes.