Beyond the Score Returns For Second Season With IS MUSIC DANGEROUS? 10/1

Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich skyrocketed to fame at 19 with the premiere of his First Symphony. Ten years later, the prodigiously talented composer found himself in a precarious situation. A new production of his popular opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, had drawn a harsh review from Pravda, the daily newspaper of the Communist Party, in January 1936. It was the height of the Stalinist era and a bad review wasn't just ego-bruising, it was potentially deadly.

Shostakovich completed his highly-anticipated Fourth Symphony in April 1936 and by the end of the year, the Leningrad Philharmonic was preparing the work for its world premiere. But the concert never happened. A press announcement appeared on the day of the scheduled premiere-December 11, 1936-stating the composer had withdrawn the work "on the grounds that it in no way corresponds to his current creative convictions and represents for him an outdated phase." Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 lay dormant for 25 years before it was given its premiere in 1961, with Kirill Kondrashin leading the Moscow Philharmonic. Two years later, Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra gave the United States premiere of the work.

Questions remain as to the true reasons behind the aborted premiere. Did the Soviet government, finding the work to be dangerous, request that the composer withdraw the symphony? Or was it Shostakovich himself who withdrew it because he feared for his life?

Join Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit, host Gerard McBurney, actor David Howey, and The Philadelphia Orchestra as they bring to life the music of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 and the social and political world from which it emerged in a special multimedia concert on Friday, October 1. This exploration features newsreels and testimonies, including the words of Shostakovich and his friends.

The performance-with specially priced tickets from $15 to $55-is part of the Orchestra's Beyond the Score concert series, designed to make classical music accessible to a wide range of listeners. A highly successful multimedia concert series developed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and creative director Gerard McBurney, Beyond the Score is created not only for aficionados looking to delve deeper, but also for newcomers eager to explore the world of classical music. The first half of each Beyond the Score program offers a live multimedia documentary of the selected score-its context in history, how it fits into the composer's output of works, the details of a composer's life that influenced its creation-on the stage of Verizon Hall, sharing the illuminating stories found "inside" the music. Live musical examples by the Orchestra are called upon to illustrate the structure of each composition. After an intermission, concertgoers return to the hall with newly discovered knowledge to hear a performance of the score, played in its entirety by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

**Please note-due to the nature of the subject matter, graphic historical images and testimonies that may not be suitable for concertgoers under the age of 14 will be included in the presentation.**

Other works explored in the series during the 2010-11 season include Strauss's musical self-portrait Ein Heldenleben (March 3) and Holst's mythically-inspired The Planets (May 13). Learn more about Beyond the Score at www.beyondthescore.org.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world's leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit continues the tradition as chief conductor.

Since Mr. Dutoit's debut with the Orchestra in July 1980 he has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as artistic director of the Orchestra's summer concerts at the Mann Center, artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra's summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and now as chief conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing upon him the title conductor laureate.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin assumed the title of music director designate in June 2010, immediately joining the Orchestra's leadership team. He takes up the baton as The Philadelphia Orchestra's next music director in 2012.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide, through concerts, presentations, and recordings. Each year the Orchestra presents a subscription season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, education and community partnership programs, and annual appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; it also regularly tours throughout the world. Its summer schedule includes performances at the Mann Center, free Neighborhood Concerts throughout Greater Philadelphia, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

BEYOND THE SCORE: IS MUSIC DANGEROUS?

October 1 at 7:00 PM - Friday evening - Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Charles Dutoit Conductor

Gerard McBurney Host

David Howey Actor

Shostakovich Symphony No. 4

**Please note-due to the nature of the subject matter, graphic historical images and testimonies that may not be suitable for concertgoers under the age of 14 will be included in the presentation.**

Philadelphia Orchestra performances of Beyond the Score are made possible by support from the Hirschberg-Goodfriend Fund in memory of Adolf Hirschberg as established by Juliet J. Goodfriend, and by the Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation. Additional funding comes from the Annenberg Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Tickets: $15-$55, 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.

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