BBC SSO: Bartok & Shostakovich

NO SECOND TAKES – EXPERIENCE IT LIVEBritten Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (c.16 mins) Shostakovich Suite from ‘Hamlet’ (c.23 mins) Interval Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle (One-Act Opera) (c.55 mins)Dorottya Lang mezzo-soprano Gábor Bretz baritone Elim Chan conductor“In wars outside the blood runs red/Here is something far more deadly, ladies and gentlemen”.

Duke Bluebeard’s castle has seven doors, and his new wife Judith is determined to open them all.

But some questions are best left unanswered, and in Bartók’s gripping psychological thriller even the darkest secrets possess a terrible beauty.

Today, mezzo soprano Dorottya Lang and baritone Gábor Bretz are the heroine and hero of this sinister fairytale—two world-class singers with an unrivalled sense of theatre, supported by guest conductor Elim Chan and all the glittering colours of the full BBC SSO.

Add Britten’s storm-swept portrait of the North Sea, and Shostakovich’s delightfully irreverent encounter with Shakespeare, and this is a pulse-raising concert packed with drama.Starts 7.30pmRunning time 2 hours approx. inc interval