SHOSTAKOVICH Chamber Symphony in C minor, Opus 110a
MESSIAEN Le Christ, lumière du Paradis [Christ, Light of Paradise]
from Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà [Illuminations of the Beyond]

Reflecting on the one year anniversary of the global pandemic, Franz Welser-Möst leads a program bringing together two 20th-century works of contemplation and loss, hope and understanding.

Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, adapted from his Eighth String Quartet, is a piece layered in meaning — filled with fascinating self-references and musical allusions, and dedicated “in memory of victims of fascism and war.” The program concludes with a transformative spiritual vision by Olivier Messiaen.