DSCH

Imagine a musical experience that constantly finds new forms in its encounter with theatre, lighting and visual elements.

At Den Nationale Scene, Norway's oldest permanent theatre, you can make a closer acquaintance with Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the foremost composers of the twentieth century. The project is the brainchild of Det Norske Kammerorkester (Norwegian Chamber Orchestra), which has made finding new ways of presenting classical music its trademark.

In the performance the orchestra spins a thread through Shostakovich's varied musical styles, creating a musical narrative which is both inquisitive and dramatic, just as the composer's life was.

The title comes from Shostakovich's own musical signature, DSCH. He found the motif in the German transcription of his own name – Dmitri SCHostakowitsch – which he transferred to notes: D, E flat (Ess in German), C and B (called H in German – B is B flat).

These tones also form the basis for the Chamber Symphony, Rudolf Barshai’s arrangement of Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 8. The work is a great audience favorite and will conclude this flamboyant performance, which is almost as much theater as it is a concert.

Photo: Magnus Skrede

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