No composer is more often associated with Russian political repression than Dmitri Shostakovich. Hear works by Shostakovich and Sofia Gubaidulina, along with a discussion of how everyday Germans and creative artists persevered throughout decades of authoritarian government.

Thirty-five years after its dismantling, the Berlin Wall continues to hold a place in memory as a symbol of the Cold War. The collective output of a generation of writers, artists, and musicians on both sides of the Iron Curtain reveals a complex and often unexpected mix of conflicted nationalist loyalties, ideological optimism, and artistic triumph in the face of profound challenge. Guarneri Hall’s three-day festival commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 will explore the music of the Cold War and its context through the socio-political lenses of both the west and the east. With the help of leading topical experts, each event will illuminate less conventionally understood aspects of the era’s music and provide a balanced view of the forces that influenced its composers.

Dmitri Shostakovich: Satires, Pictures of the Past Op. 109
Sofia Gubaidulina: Dance on a Tightrope
Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8, Op. 110

Artists: Laura Strickling, soprano; Steven Beck, piano; Elizabeth Fayette, Maria Ioudenitch and Adé Williams, violins; Brian Hong, viola; Alex Hersh, cello