Ravel & Shostakovich

Composed as First World War raged across Europe, Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin reaches across time to honour the popular dances of 18th-century composer François Couperin. 

Dmitri Shostakovich’s Third String Quartet takes on new life as a chamber symphony—featuring strings, harp, and solo woodwinds—arranged by the composer’s close friend Rudolph Barshai. 

And Darren Hicks, the NAC Orchestra’s Principal Bassoon, steps into the spotlight to perform André Jolivet’s haunting concerto for solo bassoon and orchestra—a work of devilish difficulty that showcases the full range of the instrument’s character, which alternates between operatic lyricism and florid feats of virtuosity.