Spectacular Shostakovich
Orpheus in The Dictator’s Shadow: Shostakovich Symphonies 2 and 3
Orpheus Choir Wellington was proud to join Orchestra Wellington and conductor Marc Taddei in two landmark concerts as part of the 2025 season The Dictator’s Shadow. Together we brought to life Shostakovich’s rarely heard Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3, both receiving their long-overdue New Zealand premieres.
Shostakovich Symphony No. 2
In June, the choir featured in Shostakovich’s Second Symphony, a work originally commissioned to mark the 10th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The symphony is filled with rhythmic and textual challenges, not least in its choral writing, which moves with sharp angularity and relentless drive.
Reviewer Max Rashbrooke noted the “disciplined and full-throated” singing of Orpheus Choir, describing our performance as “in good form” amid the symphony’s nightmarish sound world of pounding sirens and industrial fervour. The work’s ferocious conclusion was received as “an atmosphere of glorious cacophony” in which choir and orchestra shared a striking unity of purpose.
Shostakovich Symphony No. 3
In July, the choir returned for Shostakovich’s Third Symphony. Like its predecessor, it has not often been performed internationally and had never before been heard on New Zealand stages. This symphony, an experiment in writing without recurring themes, ends with a vast choral finale setting a Soviet text that extols the promise of the revolution.
Once again, Orpheus was at the centre of the drama. The Post praised the choir’s “thrilling power and military precision” which provided the perfect foil to the driving energy of Shostakovich’s score. Whether the composer was endorsing or mocking the words remains disputed, but the impact on the night was indisputable.
Historic Performances
These concerts were milestones in New Zealand’s musical life. Both the Second and Third Symphonies had never been performed here, and Orpheus Choir Wellington was honoured to help bring them to New Zealand audiences for the first time. Under Marc Taddei’s bold direction, and alongside the exceptional musicians of Orchestra Wellington, these performances were as challenging as they were rewarding, offering audiences a rare glimpse into Shostakovich’s radical early symphonic voice.
For Orpheus, they were also unforgettable moments of collaboration, standing shoulder to shoulder with Orchestra Wellington to give voice to two important works of the 20th-century.