Contrasting experiences: Haydn's 'easy joy' and Shostakovich's 'acid-tinged' defiance

By Dan Margolies,

Published September 12, 2023 at 2:50 PM CDT

Guest conductor Joshua Weilerstein leads the Kansas City Symphony, January 2022

Hear the Kansas City Symphony perform works by Joseph Haydn and Dmitri Shostakovich. Co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies clear up the myth of Haydn's "Miracle" Symphony No. 96 and explore the emotional depth of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C minor as arranged for string orchestra. We'll also hear a recent performance of his searing Symphony No. 5 in a performance led by guest conductor Joshua Weilerstein.

An agreement with the Kansas City Symphony allows us to share audio for this program up to four weeks after the program's original air date. You can listen to currently available episodes here.

Hosts

Michael Stern
Dan Margolies

Program

Symphony No. 96 in D major "The Miracle"
by Joseph Haydn
Live performance, April 2023

Chamber Symphony for Strings in C minor, Op. 110a
by Dmitri Shostakovich, arr. for strings by Rudolph Barshai
Streaming Performance, January 2021

Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
by Dmitri Shostakovich
Joshua Weilerstein - guest conductor
Live performance, January 2022