Abrahamsen's horn concerto and Shostakovich's Babi Yar symphony
If you are Danish, then the opening of tonight's concert is quite exciting - it is the French first performance of Hans Abrahamsen's horn concerto. But the main work is Shostakovich's 13th Symphony, nicknamed Babi Yar, because both the soloist and the choir directly address Soviet anti-Semitism and the Babi Yar Gorge, where thousands of executed Jews were buried. Matthias Goerne, baritone. The French Radio Choir. The French Army Choir. The French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Mikko Franck. (Auditorium, Radio France, Paris, 15 January).
