Shostakovich and Pejacevic

Strings from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, reinforced by guest cellist Andreas Lavotha, form a quartet and perform together with the orchestra's pianist Stefan Lindgren two truly magnificent piano quintets, by Dmitri Shostakovich and Dora Pejačević.

Shostakovich's quintet was composed against a dark backdrop, in the war year of 1940. The music, full of contrasts and surprising twists, depicts tragicomic scenes, musical flashbacks, and hopeful gestures. It is one of his most famous and beloved chamber music works.

Dora Pejačević's piano quintet is powerful with its dense harmonies and beautiful melodies – it is a highlight in her oeuvre. Dora Pejačević was born in Hungary, and her mother was Hungarian, but her father was a Croatian nobleman, and therefore she became part of the Croatian nobility around the turn of the last century.