Shostakovich / Testimony - Roth, Lupták, and String Quartet
We will hear the words and tunes of Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most prominent Russian composers of the 20th century. Robert Roth will read the controversial book Testimony - Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich as related to and edited by Solomon Volkov. A string quartet composed for Jozef Lupták Marián Svetlík, Peter Biely, and Martin Ruman will perform his most famous String quartet no. 8, Op. 110, which is devoted to the memory of victims of fascism and war. Jožko Lupták is an important person of Pohoda. His enthusiasm was greatly influenced by the fact that classical music is strongly represented at our festival. He is one of the main advisors for this area and you will be able to see him several times at this anniversary edition. Also Robo Roth is a member of the Pohoda family. He holds the record in number of appearances at one edition (7) and we are pleased to have him at this year's celebration too.
06. June 2016
“When it comes to musical influences, I think I was most influenced by Jewish folk music. It may look cheerfully, but in fact it is deeply tragic. It is almost always laughter through tears. Jews were tormented for so long that they learned to hide their despair. Thus, they express it in dance music”, these are the composerʼs words published in the Solomon Volkovʼa book Testimony, which will be read by Robert Roth. The work, which was published after the composerʼs death in the United States, is regarded as Shostakovichʼs memories, but its authenticity is still the subject of heated debates. During the reading, the audience will be able to hear also the famous String quartet in C Minor, No. 8, Op. 110, dedicated to the memory of victims of fascism and war, which is the most fundamental work of Dmitri Shostakovich. The appearance is prepared in collaboration with the Convergence festival.